Leading Fatigue
Lockdown fatigue is real and every day I battle it, so I decided to go on a bit of a journey to understand more about it. As a leader, I felt it was important to make sure that I was not falling into this trap of fatigue, negative language, lack of motivation and sadness as this wave is constant in our daily lives and within the conversations we have. The impact being, that this can lead to tensions and conflicts with the people we live and work with, and they may not always know how to best support us.
The 3am wake up is becoming the norm and being let out to roam seems to be a distant memory. This all adds to the feeling of fear of the unknown which then builds to fatigue. I am armed with resilience so why now can I not dig deep, put on my mask and solider through it. Well, this is what I have learnt and discovered so far….
As the Covid cases and the length of days in lockdown grow, the more we start to feel like we are in home detention. The reality is that we are physically and psychologically worn out with the changing landscape the Govt outlines every Monday afternoon (or let’s be honest, whenever they choose to).
With the up and down Alert Levels, dealing with feelings of frustration and sadness can make us feel like we are ‘on an emotional roller coaster’. This in turn can cause our behaviour to be unpredictable, which we are starting to certainly see coming through from the support we are providing to our clients daily. The employment space is becoming more complicated with Govt orders, mental health sky rocketing with limited resources available and the shortage of skilled candidates creating a poaching, bribing society starting to fester.
Amongst all of this as a leader we need to make sure we are moving forward with our strategy, that we are investing in our team’s personal development, monitoring engagement and sharing the vision of the future that they want to be a part of it. How do we do this when we are also worn down with lockdown fatigue?
Being able to communicate honestly about how you are feeling and how you can support each other may reduce or avoid potential conflict. As a leader it is ‘okay’ to share that you are not leading with bounce and energy this morning, you can be vulnerable, and you trust that your team accepts you and where are you at. This then mirrors team members to feel in a place of safety when connecting about how they are feeling, a place where they won’t be judged or comments won’t be misinterpreted.
As a leader I encourage you to speak up, share how you are feeling, and you may find others will join you on this journey. Some tips to remember:
- Balance your negative thoughts with positive ones
- Focus on your vision and share this
- Map out what gets you excited and energised
- Change it up - catch the Monday update in written form (read it on a Tuesday)
- Make sure you look after yourself
o eat sensibly
o get regular exercise and keep active (have a routine in place)
o sleep well – prioritise sleep
o drink plenty of water
o get fresh air and sun if possible
o Be kind to yourself
o Be grateful – open your eyes and breathe
As a leader it’s about accepting the journey we are on, lockdown fatigue is real. We get to wake up every day, this is something we need to be grateful for. We have a choice and my choice is to keep going, dig deep for that energy, stay resilient, gain momentum from these learnings, pivot my strengths, speak up and most importantly map out the adventure ahead with gratitude.
Lara Hellier
Director / HR Partner