Lessons for Leaders

This week I'm sharing tips and information about De-stigmatizing Mental Health.  I share key points on:

• Why mental health is stigmatized
• How stigma brings shame and what that looks like
• How it will impact on your organisation
• Good news on the wider impact of investing in destigmatizing
• Key things that you can do and examples too

When we prevent people talking openly and transparently we also prevent those who need it from having support. 

Stigma brings shame.  Listen in for information about how people respond then feel ashamed and what the impact will be on your organisation and how it can impact absenteeism, presenteeism and attrition.

Mixed anxiety and depression has been estimated to cause one fifth of days lost from work in Britain.

May 2021 Office for National Statistics, reveals that depression rates have doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic began

The good news is that it’s not just about investing in wellbeing and culture it's helpful for everyone.    Listen in for the explanation of the work I did in schools when my kids needed extra support that was helpful for all children, not just them. 

The same is true in an organisation so what you get is happier, more inclusive workplaces where people feel accepted and want to come to work.

Let’s not forget that stress and mental health works on a sliding scale and you never know who might slide up that scale to a point of difficulty and who might get a ton of crap thrown at them for longer periods so that they stay at the top end of that scale and hit crisis mode. 

What can we do?

I talk about the education, training and culture that can be impacted.

Language is huge and I share how you can impact this.

People need to feel safe enough to talk and that they will be heard. They don’t even need you to understand them or be able to stand in their shoes. 

I share a couple of key phrases that help you to help de-stigmatize mental health and support your people.

As well as language they hear at work there’s also a language going on inside their own head based on their own upbringing and experiences.  They might be ashamed, believe they’re weak (this has been said to me often) think no-one will understand or don’t want to show a vulnerability. 

My daughter both think they can hide their worries and concerns.  Yet it shows in their behaviour. 

It takes the entire team to work together to make progress and consistently send the message that there is no stigma or shame around mental health. 

Even then, don’t be offended if someone still struggles to talk to you.  It’s not you. You can still help.

As the stigma lifts and the culture changes, the sense of shared trauma and experiences are making it easier for people to talk not just about their own struggles, but to recognize those issues in others.

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected] or head over to my contact page to book into the diary.

Since this week is Children's Mental Health Week, I'm sharing some of my top tips and experience that I've used with my own children and hope will be helpful for you too.

1 in 6 children and young people have a diagnosable mental health problem, and many more struggle with challenges from bullying to bereavement.

50% of those with lifetime mental health problems first experience symptoms by the age of 14.

This is why we need to equip young people with skills to build emotional fitness, improve their wellbeing and manage their emotions.

Talk at every opportunity.

You can use car journey's, meal times, walking to school or going for a coffee for opportunities to talk about the day or something else.

If they’re in a mood or had a rough day, get them talking so that throughout the conversation they can change their perspective on the day.   Perhaps they begin to realise it wasn't the whole day that was bad.

3 Key Phrases

I share my 3 key phrases that work in all sorts of situations that ensure we calm down the brain and stop people and children being defensive.

Remember to Tell Stories

I shared in the last podcast episode about the power of sharing stories.   What you’re demonstrating is

• You are not alone
• I felt like that once too
• I know what you mean
• Over time things change

Why side by side conversations are really powerful to ensure that there is no pressure to make eye contact and reduces any confrontational feelings.

Help them figure out their own struggles. 

Listen in to the explanation of this and why and how this builds resilience.  I give examples of questions you can ask and what can happen when you do this so that they move out of catastrophe and doom and gloom situations.

Self Esteem is often a tough one to build.

I share some simple and effective tips so that you can talk about the good things that they do, rather than how they are as a person.  Listen in for examples.

Finally,

You’re not supposed to be your child’s therapist, but you are supposed to be their confidant, their safe place, the person they come to.

However difficult it is for you – it’s going to be so much harder for them.

I hope this is helpful for you. Please do share any feedback or any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

When we tell stories there are areas of the brain that light up and create feel good chemicals and reactors in the brain that mean that stories are retained much better than just facts or figures.

Listen to the information how it creates different responses and connections in the brain that increases empathy and also increases trust.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

There is five times more brain processing when we tell stories than when we just tell facts.

This is why I tell stories in my podcast and in my speaker sessions and workshops so that the tools tips and advice I give can be retained better and are more relatable.

When we tell stories there are areas of the brain that light up and create feel good chemicals and reactors in the brain that mean that stories are retained much better than just facts or figures.

Listen to the information how it creates different responses and connections in the brain that increases empathy and also increases trust.

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

There is five times more brain processing when we tell stories than when we just tell facts.

This is why I tell stories in my podcast and in my speaker sessions and workshops so that the tools tips and advice I give can be retained better and are more relatable.

Paul McGregor joins Emma to talk about Challenging the Stigma of Mental Health.

Paul is a Mental Health speaker and founder of Everymind at Work.

Listen in where we talk about

• The key reasons Paul does this work in the mental health space
• What we mean by a sliding scale of mental health
• The biggest mistakes organisations make
• The big thing that helps to tackle stigma
• The one thing Paul says we need to think about.

Listen to Paul talking about his business

- how he got into talking about mental health

- how they partner with organisations on Mental Health and

- the key product of having an app that provides support.

Plus he shares more info and reasons why his key mission is to help employees to feel safe about the challenges because of the stigma around mental health.

Paul shares some of the detail about how he handled the death of his dad.

Listen to the conversation about the stigma about therapy and Paul and Emma share their experiences of therapy.

“mental health is a difficult for thing, especially for men to talk about”

Listen to Emma’s short story about a client of hers with crippling anxiety and how he said “I don’t want to be seen as weak”.

How do we provide support to people in organisations to stop them before they’re needing time off.

Why there is need to embed into strategy and culture.

Paul talks us through examples of his first tip to everyone (that I completely agree with)  Start with Why! Why are you looking at mental health support?  This is where to start with plans, rather than what you are doing.

Listen to the conversation about the importance of senior leaders sharing their stories or struggles and how it can be so powerful and create trust.

The one big thing that helps to tackle stigma (get employees sharing).

Get in touch with Paul at

http://www.pmcgregor.com/

https://everymindatwork.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgregorcom/

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

I'm sharing some insider secrets and top tips about the conversations I've been having.  Im' sharing some of the trends I've seen and the issues that people tell me they have in their organisations.

I also share some of the top requests for wellbeing and the one top tip that I have that includes my free gift to you too!

Did you know that 45% of employees reported feeling emotionally drained from work since the pandemic began?

Listen in where I share one particularly interesting aspect of wellbeing that I had not thought about and hear what I did to help some law and housing organisations be able to cope with this issue.

January and the New Year always seems a fitting time to think about goals and changes for the year ahead, and this is why I share my ONE thing I think you need to think about when looking ahead for 2022.   My 7 steps to Winning Wellbeing pack is a pdf and podcast episode sharing key aspects that need to be included so that you don't need to think about it. (see links at the end)

I run through some of the top wellbeing workshops that I'm delivering right now and why these are being asked for. 

Finally, don't forget to ensure that you equip your leaders to be able to support your people.  I'm getting more enquiries from people looking for leadership coaching so that they prevent burn out and are able to support their people, so ensure that is included too when you are looking ahead in 2022.

For the 7 Steps to Winning Wellbeing Plan listen to this episode.  

Contact me at [email protected] for a copy of the pdf guidance on the same subject.

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected] .   Or head over to my website  and you can find the contact page and either send me a email from there or book an appointment straight into my diary – saving all that to-ing and fro-ing that you get when we try to get space in people’s diary.

It might feel like a time to hibernate and stay inside with the damp cold weather, the long January with credit card bills coming from Christmas spends, but I’m here to share some easy and simple ways you can boost your mood.

Listen in where I share four key areas that you can focus on that boost different 'feel-good' chemicals of

Endorphins - the feel good chemical

Dopamine - the reward chemical

Oxytocin - the connection boost

Seratonin - the mood stabiliser

If it feels overwhelming, don't worry, listen right to the end.  I share if you do just one thing - I share one activity that will hit 3 if not 4 of the feel good chemicals I've mentioned.

This week I’m sharing my 7 steps to successful planning.  Whether this is for you personally or a wellbeing plan, leadership plan or other plan in your organisation listen in for my tips that cover:

• Reasons to think about why you are creating your plan
• The importance of breaking the planning down
• How accountability can be really powerful
• The secret to making plans a success
• It’s important that you look at where the barriers are to ensure that your plan is successful.
• This one of my key pillars of resilience that I deliver in all my workshops that is also essential to success planning.
• Finally, how to ensure all this does not seem tedious when you start

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

This week I’m sharing my 7 steps to successful planning.  Whether this is for you personally or a wellbeing plan, leadership plan or other plan in your organisation listen in for my tips that cover:

• Reasons to think about why you are creating your plan
• The importance of breaking the planning down
• How accountability can be really powerful
• The secret to making plans a success
• It’s important that you look at where the barriers are to ensure that your plan is successful.
• This one of my key pillars of resilience that I deliver in all my workshops that is also essential to success planning.
• Finally, how to ensure all this does not seem tedious when you start

Any questions on this, drop me an email at [email protected]

For further information on 1:1, group coaching or training get in touch.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient, less stressed in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you send me an email or use the online diary and arrange a time for a chat.

I’m sharing a recap of the top 5 episodes for 2021.  These are the podcast episodes that have had the highest listens throughout the year and I though it useful to recap them for you.  People are often asking me which I should listen to first, so this will be a helpful way to dive in to the most popular ones and get you started, or enable you to recap any that you missed.

Even if you heard them before, it’s often useful to get a reminder of key messages …. It’s so easy to forget these things. 

The most listened to are:

LFL18   Boundaries for Leaders

Good leadership boundaries enhance workforce behaviour, stops workforce behaviour from being pulled down taking away from its values, mission, purpose, and results.

Listen to why boundaries are my favourite subject and why I think they are so essential in business, organisation and life.

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14615294

LFL21   Preventing Leadership Fatigue and Burn Out

Although this was published back in June, it’s still relevant now and I expect it will be right through 2022.  I’ve been hearing of lots of people experiencing burn out, extreme fatigue and people struggling.  So this is going to be so helpful.

Burnout characterised by “emotional exhaustion” and usually attributed to the professional role you have, therefore, maintaining work life balance is vital to prevent burnout.

The difficulty though is that often fatigue and burn out happen because leader DO love their jobs, or feel a sense of responsibility or struggle to delegate – in fact there can be a host of differing factors.  Because everyone is different. 

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14933069

LFL15 Resilient Leadership: My Six Pillars of Resilience

This episode gives you an insight into my resilience workshops and training.  In January one organisation has booked me to deliver 8 resilience workshops for their organisation that incorporates 5 x one hour sessions for all staff and 3 x 2 hour sessions for managers.  If you want an insight, go over to this episode and here me talking about 

• what resilience is
• how resilience impacts you in leadership and your employees
• what are my six pillars of resilience

Leaders are expected to be able to run and lead in their business and to be able to do it well.  Accenture concluded that 

"Resilience may be the new criterion for professional advancement"

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/14288750

LFL38 7 Steps to a Winning Wellbeing Plan

This is a process I go through with organisations when we’re looking at creating their wellbeing plans.  January is a great time to put this in place … but it can happen at any time of the year.   If you’re not on my newsletter, then get signed up because the January edition will be giving away more info about these 7 steps too.

To listen to the episode, you’ll hear I'm talking about the 7 steps that you can take to create winning wellbeing plans in your organisation and sharing exactly what would be good things so that there are not just knee jerk reactions and plugging gaps.

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/17590712

LFL13 Managing Stress During the Lockdown

This episode is not just relevant for back when we were in lockdown.  It shares what common stress responses look like, so that you can spot the signs.  I share what we need to do with the stress that ensures we don’t stay with that stress response for too long.  We must give ourselves time to accept, react and adjust. Then we create a new normal.

https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/13888967

Please do make sure you hit ‘subscribe’ so that don’t miss an episode.  

If you haven’t yet  left a review, please do go and find the little button to leave a review and let me know your thoughts, key take-aways and what you value from the podcast.

Join my corporate leadership and wellbeing newsletter HERE

If you want to be increasing your performance so that you’re more resilient in these current times, so that you can focus easily, use tools and techniques to deal with all the current and unknown challenges then make sure that you either drop me an email to [email protected] .   Or head over to my website