MightyRecruiterWhen you manage a team, your attitude often sets the attitude for everyone else. For this reason, it’s important for you to be aware of your emotions and how your mood affects the environment you’re creating for others. A happy and productive manager leads to a happier and more productive team. On the other hand, a stressed out and grumpy manager will lead to a lack of productivity in employees and bad company morale overall. Being a mindful manager is leadership 101. Use the following ideas to help you center your own thoughts and create a more positive work environment.
Stretch Often
Being cramped in the same position for hours isn’t only bad for your muscles and joints, it’s also bad for your brain. You can prevent this by stretching often. Begin and end each day with a stretching regimen and stretch every hour or two throughout the day. Using your office or another quiet space with no interruptions, begin by standing up straight and positioning your feet about hip width apart. Lift your arms up to the sky and take some long, deep breaths.
Simply Breathe
Leadership 101: Breathing is vital for keeping a good head on your shoulders. This is especially important if you find yourself angry. Your team will study and analyze everything you say, so you need to make the best impression possible. Words of praise or recognition will make your team happier and more willing to work, but harsh comments, especially if you are reprimanding an individual in front of the rest of the department, leads to a stressed work environment with bad morale. Before letting loose on a team, take several deep breaths, inhaling all the way into your diaphragm ï you should feel the air reach deep into your stomach. Consider the short-term and long-term goals you hope to accomplish with your words and what type of phrasing will best help you and your team to reach those goals. If you absolutely must speak to an individual about his or her performance, always do so in private.
Connect With Employees
If you want to be a mindful manager, you can’t simply sit behind your closed office door like a modern-day Wizard of Oz. Connecting with your employees is another component to leadership 101. Be sure to walk through the department several times per day, taking time to speak with at least some of your employees ï all of them if you can. Connect with them about things other than work by complimenting their outfits, asking about weekend plans or asking how someone in their family is doing. Listening intently to their answers ï not only their words, but also tone of voice ï will help you to determine how they are feeling when it comes to focus and state of mind. If you feel an employee could use some extra attention, call him or her into a quick meeting to compliment performance or ask how he or she feels about certain work-related projects or situations.
Stop Living in Your Office
When your employees see you eating lunch at your desk or working late every night, they feel obligated to do the same, even if you don’t actually expect it. Being mindful of how much time you spend at your desk benefits your own body and mind, but it also helps to create a more engaged and enthusiastic team. Step away from your desk to eat lunch for at least 20 minutes every day and be sure to go home at a reasonable hour. Employees stay an average of 30 minutes later than their bosses, so try to go home between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. for the best results. Doing so allows your team to attend to their family or other non-work commitments, leading to happier employees.
Turn Off Wi-Fi
If you absolutely have to work later than normal, take your work home. This shouldn’t be hard since you likely have a computer and phone at home. However, you should turn off the Wi-Fi. Sending emails to your employees late into the evening or during the weekend or holidays makes them feel obligated to answer right away, even if you don’t actually expect them to. Instead of stressing your team by being connected to them 24 hours a day, save emails as drafts and send them the next weekday morning. Because they were able to spend uninterrupted time in their personal lives, they will likely be more productive and do better work when they do see your message. It’s leadership 101! Leadership 101: A mindful manager leads to mindful and well-adjusted employees. For more information on running a successful business, use the other articles and tools on Mighty Recruiter.