In the midst of continuous change, employees are feeling fatigued and uncertain. To combat this, resilience is key. We’re sharing #3FastFacts on how storytelling, psychological safety, and addressing obstacles head on can help you and your team build resilience.
Transcript
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00:00:00:00 – 00:00:29:21
Employees have a lot on their minds. Everything from burnout and change fatigue to silos and biases that might be forming because of hybrid working. And in many cases, they’re finding it hard to remember the best elements of the workplace. This is causing a feeling of uncertainty, leaving employees feeling less satisfied and engaged at work. In fact, after a slow but steady rise over the last ten years, employee engagement is starting to trend downwards.
00:00:29:23 – 00:00:45:13
So what’s the solution? When we’re faced with an unpredictable future or uncertainty, resilience is key. Here are three fast facts to help you strengthen organizational resilience.
00:00:45:15 – 00:01:16:02
Tapping into the deep reservoir of institutional memories can go a long way in creating hope for the future. But unfortunately, they can be hard to assess during times of stress and burnout. That’s where neuroscience comes in. The human brain is hardwired to respond to stories and when shared correctly, stories can be an extremely powerful tool during times of change to create belief and shift skeptics into advocates to get employees excited about what is ahead and where the organization can go.
00:01:16:07 – 00:01:41:00
Try to share past stories about when people and teams were thriving. Paint a vivid picture of the future so employees can visualize what successful looks like and remind your people where your organization has been and what it is capable of attaining. This will renew their belief that setbacks are only temporary.
00:01:41:02 – 00:02:15:07
A psychologically safe environment is one where employees feel comfortable and confident enough to speak up and voice their thoughts and concerns. When leaders prioritize psychological safety, it can lead to a 27% reduction in turnover, a 40% reduction in safety incidents and a 12% increase in productivity. And employees also perform better. An internal study by Google found that teens with high levels of psychological safety were outperforming other teams when it came to implementing diverse ideas and driving high performance.
00:02:15:09 – 00:02:52:02
On top of that, they were also far more likely to stay with the company to build psychological safety. People leaders need to trust their teams, giving them the latitude to make choices on their own and bring their full abilities to the task. To start making a commitment among your leadership team to foster an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, then make your commitment public in order to build momentum towards wider adoption of shared behaviors across the recommendation.
00:02:52:04 – 00:03:14:07
Resilience is one area where the mantra Fake it till you make it doesn’t work. Leaders need to speak in clear, honest terms about the realities facing the organization. This enables open conversation about what might really stand in the way of people’s success, such as any fears or biases your people may be carrying. However, having these conversations isn’t enough.
00:03:14:12 – 00:03:39:10
You must act to start, assess, and address your readiness for change. This will bring to light any underlying currents that may pose a risk to your change journey. Then have open discussions with your team about what factors could undermine momentum. Lastly, design human centered processes that will engage leaders at all levels to not only embrace change but also lead it.
00:03:39:12 – 00:04:04:04
As organizations prepare themselves for the next round of unknowns, remember that by sharing stories, prioritizing psychological safety and addressing obstacles head on, you can better prepare and instill collective resilience across your organization.