BY JILLY GABRIELSON, Wellbeing Mentor, Bright Spark Health. Originally shared on Matters Magazine

Over the past couple of years, I’ve mentored hundreds of retail owners and staff on Workplace Wellbeing to support them through the business’s ups and downs.

When I stripped away all the bells and whistles, it became clear how we overcomplicate business with complex structures, procedures, rules, and regulations. This can erode the original heartfelt idea, which is responsible in the first place for driving the passion of creating a business.

This complication happens when we overthink everything and resist making decisions. Rather than moving forward, even if we must adjust the sails by combining intuitive and practical moves, we get stuck on the end result, which prevents the natural flow of opportunity from occurring.

One key reason for overthinking processes is the financial pressure to get it right, or ‘perfection procrastination’, which stops forward momentum. When decisions are finally made, they are often overthought, very practical, and look good on paper but lack the energy of human instincts.

This results-driven focus traps us in a mind loop of pushing harder to get results by thinking more, trying to control more, and manipulating to get into a better position and make certain things happen. Management then carries this business tightness, which is felt by staff and customers, even if not discussed.

Staff can unknowingly start to get tight around their own performance and doubt their abilities. Sometimes, this can result in mental health issues, divisive teams, sick days, or resignations, all of which cost the company a lot of time and money. We must remember that there is no business without people, and their emotional wellbeing drives performance.

Because we are talking about the unseen, emotive energetics of business, they are given little attention, as the way of business is driven by seeing physical results, regardless of how they are achieved.

When business is only driven by the physical, it kills the passion for ideas, intuitions, hunches, gut instincts, and the humanistic pioneering spirit that originally formed the company.

Very quickly, our passion becomes pain, and challenges start to outweigh the creation.

This affects management and staff in two ways. Many become totally focused on physical results, which keeps them restricted and limited in the system and restricts their mental and emotional growth. It can also create an ethos of not caring about others, as “I’m being paid to do my job, and that’s it!”

Other individuals who are naturally willing to use their emotional and physical abilities to enhance themselves and their workplace become the ‘standout’ leaders.

These people can keep their passion, warmth, and care as they realise the need to create a wholesome culture based on emotionally, mentally, and physically coming together to form one team.

For businesses to thrive, it is up to everyone to take responsibility to be the ‘best version’ of themselves. This simply means we need to be able to look inside ourselves at any nonoptimal behaviour that may be confining our abilities and unknowingly contributing negatively to the workplace.

This philosophy starts from the top. It is important for business owners to self-reflect; then they can ‘walk their talk’ and contribute to creating a wholesome culture that is not solely based on physical results.

When we work to create a thriving and dynamic workplace, everyone benefits. This has a ripple effect as individuals take their energy home to their families, enriching everyone’s lives.

Any business operating this way is giving social currency and gaining financially, where longevity, loyalty, and rewards abound for all.

KEYS TO CREATE TEAM SPIRIT

• Know and operate on your business values and recruit matching values (such as integrity, trust, openness, care, and connection).
• Be consistent with open communication and willingness to understand others.
• Create a wholesome and open environment where staff feel encouraged to trust and engage with each other.
• Trust yourself as a business owner. Make decisions confidently, and when unsure, research and seek input. Use your judgment to decide. Avoid procrastination, as it undermines trust in management. If more time is needed, communicate why and when a decision will be made to maintain momentum.
• Always keep your heartfelt business passion as your guiding focus, so others can feel your genuine commitment and willingness to attend to the details necessary to achieve the vision.