Hitting the Wall
The other day it finally happened to me: I hit that COVID wall. Right now, everyone is seemingly hitting the same wall. We have very little to look forward to, vacations seem like this far-off thing that we did in the ‘before times,’ and burnout is at a higher rate than ever before. When I chat with founders in my network, I hear a lot of the same stories: the team morale is incredibly low, people are working at all hours trying to juggle work, kids and some semblance of personal life, and being a leader right now is tough.
While many are optimistic that the end of this is near with no true end date in sight the journey there may be rough for some. After hitting my ‘COVID wall’ the other day I thought a lot about the mentorship I do and how I am guiding some of those early-stage founders through this maze. Many have come to me asking how they can navigate this problem, how can they help their team and ensure that culture and company don’t suffer. Although there is no clear answer to this I think there are some tools that can be used to help make the journey a little more enjoyable.
Vacation Time
I am the worst offender when it comes to taking proper time off. This is something that I have been working on for several years now. Companies give employees vacation time because they need a break. Now more than ever we need to take care of ourselves and unplug a bit. If you are a leader make sure your team is taking time off while sitting around your home doesn’t sound like an ideal vacation it will make a world of difference to your mental health. This goes for both you as a leader and your team. Lead by example, take an extra-long weekend, take a week off and lead by example. If you create a company culture where vacation time is valued and respected your team will follow.
It’s Okay to Not be Okay
This is a phrase I have normalized in my daily life. We are all under a great deal of stress and anxiety right now. Earlier this year I pulled a muscle from just being stressed (let that one sink in for a moment). Talking about mental health can be rough, not everyone is open to talking about struggling or their mental health. As a leader, part of your job should be prioritizing mental health and normalizing mental health days. On small teams, it can be easy to see that someone is struggling. On larger teams sometimes it can go unchecked. Ensure that as a leader you are checking in with your teams and recognizing the first signs of burnout or other mental health issues. If we normalize mental health days or even opening up to others about the struggles we are facing it can make a world of difference to someone. While not everyone is comfortable opening up to their boss or teammates about their issues, ensure that teams know what resources are available and even a simple offer to chat can help.
Transparency
I have always been an advocate for transparency in companies. While not everyone can be let under the tent for everything, there is a level of transparency that you can share with your team. For example, a leader once told me they didn’t want the junior staff to know they were raising a seed round. They felt this was ‘need to know’ information that only they and the top exec should be aware of. This was problematic as it created a large divide within the team. They were a small team and most of the juniors reported to the execs. The senior management was now having the bulk of their time taken up by the fundraise leaving them unavailable for long periods. The junior staff became nervous that the company wasn’t doing well. Rumours flew around like wildfire. In a time when job security feels non-existent, anxiety can run rampant as can the rumour mill. Hosting monthly town halls or just update meetings can do a world of wonders. If things aren’t going well tell your team, that way they can prepare for what might come and help. On the flip side, holding everything in can be harmful to a leader as well. Teams work better together, while some items do need to be kept confidential share items when appropriate and build stronger team bonds.
Also on this point is over-communicating. We quickly went from an in-office setting where it was easy to access information to a virtual world where you cannot just go knock on your coworker’s door to find out a simple fact. In this virtual world over-communicating can help the sharing of information. Although more email isn’t necessarily a good thing (I often refer to my inbox as the dumpster fire), it can help with letting people into key conversations so no balls are dropped and everyone is in the loop.
Celebrate the small stuff
Every week during our teams’ standup meeting I have the team share their weekly win and lesson. These don’t necessarily have to be work-related — for example my win last week was I went for a walk during the day. While it sounds like a cop-out honestly it did wonders for my mental health. In a time where there seems like there is very little to look forward to celebrating, the small things can help bring people together. A win can be cooking dinner, going for a walk, or even winning a new client. Celebrate as a team and share the good. Remember to also share what lessons you may have learned that week. Did you screw up and send the wrong email? Did you completely blank on a meeting? Share those learnings as well and ensure that you chat about how you can do better next time.
As we approach the first anniversary of COVID, I am hearing more and more leaders report back that teams are suffering because of this. As a leader listen to your team, help them through this rough period and know that it won’t last forever. The tips above can help bring your team together, create a stronger bond and create a great culture for your team.
