“How is your daughter doing? Last time you travelled on work, she missed you a lot. Did you speak to her?”… “Actually I have a son, and he is doing fine thank you for asking”
“I hope your Dad is better now…” “My mom is much better thank you, it’s a big relief…”
Did I show I cared? Or did I show the opposite?
I came across a quote that sums this thought up so beautifully “people don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care”
You can’t fake care. Either you do, or you don’t. It becomes pretty clear, pretty quickly.
Mental wellness in the workplace is often so closely linked to feeling that your colleagues have got your back. We do our best and most creative work when we operate from a place of positivity.
Stress in optimum levels, can definitely be an enabler. The environment in which you endure that stress is a critical factor.
The joy of pulling an all-nighter. The fun of cracking a big idea when you were at the brink of despair. The high of winning a pitch when the deck was stacked against you. All these happy memories could have equally been nightmares.
The pain of having to work late into the night. The trauma of being idea bankrupt. The hollow victory of winning a big pitch. The journey is what makes it enjoyable or painful.
Who are you travelling with? Do you have the right people along for the ride and are you aligned with them? A juicy problem to sink your collective teeth into or a painful problem to navigate through? feeling alone. That is the difference.
The problem is the same, in one case you perceive it as something interesting to solve and in the other instance it’s an obstacle in a long and painful, lonely journey.
It literally is all in the head. That is the power of being in a good head space. An environment that is encouraging and full of ‘yes we can’ people is enabling. A space filled with ‘be careful’, ‘you can’t do that’ or ‘watch out’ is what you need to watch out for.
Catch yourself, catching others doing something well. Catch your people in the act of doing something good. Be their silent critic and their most vocal cheerleader. Listen to them. Be there for them.
“I hope your son liked the gift you bought him…” and “I am so glad that your mother is back home now, I admire the way you…” “I loved the way you handled that meeting…” “Great job today on navigating a really difficult conversation with honesty and empathy…”
Pay attention to your people. Pay them compliments. It will pay off big time. Healthy minds contribute to healthy bottom lines.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
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