Welcome back!
A sustainable pace is as important for your team as it is for you. Your team is made up of real people, with real lives, and all the joys and challenges that are part of the human experience. Never forget that. People’s lives today can be highly stressful. You not only want to ease that stress because it’s the humane thing to do, you also want to protect everyone involved by not pushing people to their breaking point. We all have one. Your job is to monitor your people’s stress level and help them keep it in check. Don’t push people so hard that their health, emotional equilibrium, or family life breaks down. Some days, someone showing up and doing their basic job may max out what they’re capable of. Other days – lots of other days – they’ll be solid performers and sometimes superstars. You have to give them the breathing room to have fluctuations in their performance. They are only human.
Spend time getting to know your people well enough to know when they are off kilter. Talk with them and encourage them. Offer them information on community resources if they are struggling with issues outside of work. Some people face personal situations so daunting that they need a little extra help to get through it. It’s your job as a leader to balance accountability with compassion, and care about people on a human level. Helping them find outside assistance can resolve any workplace issues that might have cropped up, especially if you suspect that one of the major issues we discussed before might be impacting their performance.
Your people deserve you at your best, and a work environment that allows them to be at their best as well. Setting a sustainable pace is the secret ingredient to maximizing performance over the long haul.
Until next time, enjoy this week with your team and know that I’ll be praying for you!
