It's the first week back to work. We've celebrated Thanksgiving through the New Year, but now, we're back to reality.
For some, it's a relief to fall back into the routine of life - the holidays can be financially and emotionally draining for so many of us.
"According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64% of people report being affected by holiday depression, and it's most often triggered by the financial, emotional, and physical stress of the season." It's often called post-holiday blues and can also be triggered by the coming down from the high after all the festivities.
The post-holiday blues can mirror the symptoms of an anxiety or mood disorder.
However, it’s a short-lived experience.
The post-holiday blues can impact everyone around you. Managing a team can be even more challenging because while it's affecting you, it affects your team. This is why it's so important to check in with yourself and your team, ease into the new year, and establish healthy habits to start the new year off on the right note.
Pause
When you return to work, take a moment and breathe. Then, reflect on what you typically do after the holidays or vacation. Generally, what we do is we open our laptops, list out all our to-do's, and stare at our computer screen until 5 PM.
When returning after the holidays and starting the new year, there's this forced "hustle” mentality. It's draining and not sustainable.
What if we didn't start our new year task-oriented and started the year team-oriented?
What if we worked to build a team that thrived on collaboration and growth over being siloed and tied to their inbox?
If you want to build the best, most collaborative team yet, start 2022 off by checking in with yourself. How are you doing?
As a team leader, you are typically the most burnt out. Not only are you managing and leading your team, but you also have your own set of responsibilities. So first, take inventory of how you're feeling and what you need to start healthy and motivated this year.
Play
Once you check in with yourself, shift your focus to building trust, collaboration, and transparency with your team.
Team Meetings
Set aside time with your team, head to a conference room, and start your morning connecting. This is your opportunity to address the after-holiday slump and set the intentions for the year.
The intentions are:
Team building.
Having a balanced workload.
Reaching out if we need help.
This is also the time to reflect on the previous year. Try this reflection exercise!
Reflect on the obstacle, challenge, or mistake. Discuss what you did, what worked, and with what you know now, what you would do differently.
Build collaboration by inviting your team members to share any challenges they faced in the previous year. Offer feedback and allow your team or contribute too! Don't be discouraged if they have nothing to share; it's all about building trust and patience.
One-on-One Meetings
Schedule one-on-one sessions with your team members to connect, help set goals, prioritize projects, and allow time for any questions or feedback they have.
CARE Plan
Develop a CARE plan. A Care Plan is a shared plan developed collaboratively between a manager and team members to help coordinate and achieve their goals.
On a monthly or quarterly basis, spend time reviewing their CARE plan and help with their professional growth while encouraging a work/life balance.
Perform
We've gone through the exercises, and now it's time to perform. Continue team meetings and individual meetings. Continue facilitating growth and healthy habits. Continue building collaboration and community.
Model healthy behaviors and lead by example - take your lunch break, don't work late, take time off, and encourage your team to do this as well.
Finally, don't be afraid to ask for feedback. What can you do better? What does your team need? It's ok not to know, but be willing to listen, learn, and apply it where you can.
Conclusion
It's so important to take the time to check in with yourself and your team. We covered a couple exercises to engage, connect, and build confidence within your team, but it can still be daunting.
Don't worry; ImprovEQ has you covered. We provide coaching for managers, team-building workshops, and low-pressure virtual seminars. Develop the necessary tools to lead, engage teams, and build community.
Getting started is easy; schedule a complimentary call with us to discuss the right solutions for you and your team.
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