People are lonelier than ever at work these days. As a manager, you have the ability to promote friendship and meaningful connection at work, which will boost employee retention, morale, and motivation. Here’s how. Make connection-building a routine on your team. An example might be Gratitude Mondays, where employees start each week by sharing something they’re grateful for. Or Storytelling Fridays, where each week, a different employee chooses to share a personal story and their coworkers can ask follow-up questions. Rituals like these spark curiosity and compassion, and can improve belonging. It’s also helpful to make it easier for people to ask for support from one another. You might create “reciprocity rings,” where people can get together in person or via Zoom on a quarterly basis, and share something they’re struggling with professionally, and explain what type of help would be useful. Then the rest of the group can offer ideas, contacts, and resources. And remember it’s not just connections with coworkers that matter. Support more generous family leave policies, time off for renewal, and “work-free hours” so employees can spend more time with family and friends as well.
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Coaching helps us understand ourselves, uncover new options, and get unstuck in our careers, but not everyone has the opportunity to work with a professional coach. Fortunately, regardless of your experience or expertise, you can learn to be your own career coach. It’s all about asking yourself the right questions. They should start with who, what, why, where, when, or how, and shouldn’t have a yes-or-no answer. For example, instead of “Do I enjoy my job?” reframe the inquiry in an open way: “What do I enjoy about my job?” This will give you more insight to work with. Also, focus on ownership and always include “I.” Instead of, “How has that person progressed more quickly than me?” the question becomes, “How could I accelerate my progression?” If you find yourself blaming other people or external factors when coaching yourself, it’s a signal that you need to refocus on what you can control. And avoid question “stacking,” where you ask multiple questions at the same time. So instead of, “Why am I missing deadlines and feeling so out of control of my time?” ask and answer each question in turn. One-at-a-time questioning will generate more options and actions you can take to positively shape your career.
Here’s the thing about mistakes: Everyone makes them. But making a big mistake at work doesn’t have to be a career killer. As awful as it might feel in the moment, you can take steps to regain trust, minimize damage, and mend the situation. It’s important to be proactive. As soon as you become aware of the gaffe, try to get in front of the situation before it spirals. Address whatever took place so people know you’re aware of the problem, and they don’t feel the pressure to bring it to your attention. Reach out to anyone impacted by your actions, hear them out (or ask for their feedback), and share a plan for improvement moving forward. Offer an apology, if warranted. Make it genuine. Don’t be defensive or make it about you. Instead, acknowledge your error and the harm you caused to the other person, team, or the business. And don’t forget to show yourself compassion. Setbacks at work can be embarrassing, but being excessively self-critical isn’t helpful. Berating yourself for something in the past won’t make the mistake go away. So own up, and move on.
As a manager, you’re in a unique position to support your pregnant employees and to make sure pregnancy discrimination doesn’t happen in your workplace. Start by familiarizing yourself with your company’s parental benefits. That way, you’re always prepared to lay out the resources available when an employee tells you they’re pregnant. Be sure to maintain an open dialogue about what types of support your employee needs throughout their pregnancy. And never make assumptions about what they want. For example, don’t presume your pregnant employee wants a reduced workload; this might not be the case. If they request flexible work arrangements — such as remote work and flextime to accommodate visits to the doctor or other needs — normalize the mindset that these arrangements are rights, not privileges. And finally, following the employee’s lead and respecting their preferences, do your best to facilitate supportive interactions between your employee and their coworkers. It’s important that you aren’t the only one creating a positive environment for the employee.
The task of being a leader over the last two years has required a great deal of empathy. Leaders are helping teams recover from the grief and loss of the pandemic, buoying the declining mental health of their employees, and being sensitive to people’s anxieties. And while being empathetic — having a close, visceral understanding of the other person’s experience — is important, acting on that feeling and exhibiting compassion will allow you to better support your people. To move from empathy to compassion, start by taking a mental and emotional step away to get a clearer perspective of the situation and the person. Creating distance may feel counterintuitive but it’s hard to see solutions when you are too emotionally involved in the problem. Of course, you also want to ask the person what they need. If it’s something you can feasibly offer, offer it. But remember that you won’t always be able to meet their requests, and in many instances, that’s ok. Taking compassionate action is sometimes a matter of listening and being a caring presence.
When you’re a leader, leaving your job isn’t always straightforward. How you manage your departure will influence how your coworkers and organization remember you and either enhance or damage your reputation. Here’s how to set your team up for success before you move on to your next opportunity. Start by identifying your priorities. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and concentrate on issues where you really are the only person for the job. Then share these priorities with everyone — your boss, peers, and direct reports. At the same time, establish boundaries so you don’t get sucked into new crises and projects. Next, create a detailed transition plan for your boss that outlines what will need attention after you leave, and your recommendations for how to best get the work done. Finally, prepare your team — especially your successor if you know who they are — for your departure. Talk to your employees about what they hope to accomplish in the future and ask them to identify the stakeholders that are critical for their success. What can you do to reinforce these relationships and set them up to achieve their goals before you say goodbye?