Written by: Trudy Bateman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We’re sure you have big plans for 2023, but before we forget 2022, let’s take a moment to consider the lessons we learned last year and the foundations they provide for the year ahead.
What did 2022 teach us?
The importance of good mental health this year has continued to be a vital pillar not only for individuals, but for employers and education providers too.
In the workplace, many employees are still expected to increase productivity constantly. Put together with other stresses, it’s no wonder that many of us have felt burnt out.
2022 re-focused our energies on how we can get better at supporting others in the workplace during challenging times. For us, it boils down to:
Creating purposeful employee wellness programs that go beyond a tick in a box
Making self-awareness every individual’s responsibility and evoking a be kind culture
Encouraging employees to be their authentic selves, by leaders setting the example
Demonstrating reasons for employees to feel psychologically safe, through an individual’s actions, and not objectives alone
Supporting managers to not only spot the signs of burnout but by providing them with practical steps to follow
What will 2023 bring?
The latter half of 2022 bore witness to huge layoffs in the tech industry and the start of a recession for many that have been expected for some time. As we enter 2023, we highlight our top five predictions and insights for what we should be focusing on and the strengths we might call on to do it.
1. Human-centric leadership:
Putting your people first will be key to making them feel valued, safe, and able to be their best. Human-centric leaders will:
Treat people like individuals, by getting to know your employees and their emotions and reactions. You can then take great leadership and development ideas and make them personal to those you lead, allowing everyone to highlight their strengths and achieve success
Genuinely show you care by focusing on well-being in addition to performance and build relationships that create trust as well as support
Be purposeful by being clear and passionate on the vision and encouraging everyone to contribute individually, as a team, and as an organisation to something bigger and meaningful
2. Manage change effectively:
Change is inevitable for 2023; globally, we’ve seen huge economic turmoil resulting in big changes to every business size. What’s important is managing transformation effectively to avoid employee fatigue:
Be open and honest, build trust, and share what you can when you can. Check for learned behavior use and support managers to look out for the well-being of their teams
Consider specific strengths use; those with Planner, Prevention, and Organiser may not like change as much as those with more motivating strengths. Get people working together using their strengths to make change happen
Engage people with the purpose of the change, to get buy-in that’s sustainable
3. Build resilience in the face of redundancy:
Whether you’re an individual or an employer, resilience will be an important strength to build for the road ahead.
For organisations, during periods of change, appreciate the wins and celebrate successes with individuals and teams to regularly build in time for what’s going right and well. Get managers to check in regularly on how they are feeling and what resources or conversations would help people feel more able to cope
For employees left behind following redundancy or restructuring, the impact will be felt due to gaps in their teams, and the expectation to keep up the same productivity levels. Speak to your employees, identify areas of growth and opportunities, and encourage them to use their strengths to get there
For individuals, try to grasp the future opportunities of change, how you might grow, create new products, or learn to serve your customers better. For those who are made redundant, it can be an upsetting and stressful time. If you’re caught up in redundancy, use this period to reassess career goals, explore new opportunities and think about what really makes you happy in a role
4. Encourage authenticity at work:
Employees need to feel psychologically safe to be their authentic selves. We encourage you to:
Celebrate strengths, discuss weaknesses because no one is perfect, and leaders should role model the approach of working collaboratively as a team
Promote inclusivity in the workplace, by continually finding ways to celebrate each other’s differences and ensuring increased visibility for opportunities and events
Encourage leaders to role model behaviours. It isn’t enough to ask employees to be their authentic selves at work, they need leaders to lead by example to see authentic leadership in action
Promote a fail-fast-to-learn-fast mentality. Encourage honesty about what didn’t work and open discussion to drive innovation. Be open and build trust to give things a go
5. Put the spotlight on wellbeing:
Wellbeing and mental health will always be important; it is vital that employees know their well-being is a priority, especially if they’re having to pick up more work or are facing periods with little work to engage them. Prioritise wellbeing by:
Allowing flexibility. Good managers will appreciate that what works for one person, may not work for another. So, allow your employees to work flexibly, based on how, when, and where they do their best work
Prioritise work/ life balance and family. Ensure your employees feel supported to get the balance they need. Leaders can set the example by leaving work on time, taking lunch breaks and taking time off when they need it
Provide practical support. Don’t just leave it to chance, ensure resources and practical advice, networks, and communities are available to support people to focus on their wellbeing. Many people will not know what is available
Take a look at our free eBook to find out how you can use your strengths to succeed in 2023. You can learn more about your individual strengths using our market-leading Introductory or Expert Strengths Profiles.
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Trudy Bateman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Trudy Bateman is an expert in strengths and their applications. As Director of Strengths Profile, Trudy works with coaches, organizations, and universities to help them understand the strengths of their people, so they can develop them – ensuring not just a successful career, but one they love. Having led the team responsible for the implementation of successful product strategy and delivery of strengths-based assessments for over 13 years, Trudy has delivered thousands of strengths solutions through coaching, facilitating, and consulting, including the accreditation of over 3,000 Strengths Profile practitioners. She is a key speaker, author of The Strengths Profile Book, and resident expert in strengths.
