Imagine playing a board game (old school I know!), where the design of the board keeps changing every few minutes.
Imagine that the other players in the game are looking to you to explain the new board rules and help them navigate their way through the game. Yet…you’re in the same position as them, barely able to understand the ever-changing landscape.
That’s what running a business can feel like a lot of the time.
Poor mental health in leadership has been normalised for too long, CEOs are expected to put work challenges before their own self-care. It can often feel like fighting an uphill battle.
Crisis situations create huge amounts of stress and pressure. In the last three years we’ve been through a global health crisis and are now facing a global economic crisis.
Running a small business can create a rollercoaster of emotions. The highs are intoxicating, the lows…
During times of crisis, navigating professional integrity, health and well-being can become unsustainable.
So how can we avoid burn-out and work with a sense of purpose and courage?
A few tips:
- Accept your fear. It is normal. Change what you can, manage what you can’t.
- Share your feelings of fear and doubt in a transparent way with people you trust, ask for advice, listen.
- Don’t stop moving forward. Find something small to focus on, and make progress.
In Gingerhead, we’ve decided to change the rules. We’re designing our own game.
We work flexibly and implemented a four-day week (on day one). Now we also set boundaries for our working hours, take holiday time completely off, and recognise that there’s very little in our field of work that is a genuine emergency.
When working for our clients, we are completely focused on meeting their objectives, but when we stop, we stop.
We encouraging each other and our clients to prioritise self-care, to be kind to each other. For me that means exercising regularly, eating healthily, getting outdoors everyday (especially important when remote working), and getting enough sleep.
OK…those with small children will know we can’t always manage that one! Progress not perfect.