We have voted to leave the European Union
Many people can’t seem to accept that and are still living in the conflict and arguing over issues that were about influencing a decision that is in the past.
The party in power, the Conservatives are fighting over who will lead them
The official opposition, Labour, is fighting over who should lead them and there are so few parliamentary MPs who support the current leader that the Scottish National Party have suggested that it should be they who take the place of official opposition.
Europe is saddened by our decision and we still cant appear to believe it.
Out of all of this the one constant that will be with us all, irrespective of how we voted and how we feel, for the next few months and may be years is uncertainty and businesses do not like uncertainty.
The underlying feeling that accompanies uncertainty is fear and we really don t like fear.
Which side of the debate are you on? Battle stations or Business as usual?
Battle stations – Are you
- Pulling up the drawbridge
- Stopping spending
- Storing cash for the “war chest”
- Cutting back on staff
- Putting all expansion projects on hold
Business as usual – Are you
- Confident because you have been through a recent recession and learnt that it wont kill us
- Seeing the opportunities that change always brings
- Take the view that most business spending is actually investment in a strong future
- Take the view that those that remain healthy and strong in this period will be best placed to capitalise on the upside when it comes
In my opinion never has the choice of which self fulfilling prophecy we choose to follow been so stark.
To state that in even simpler terms, if we take the battle stations option then we are inevitably drawing ourselves down the long drawn out battle route. If we take the business as usual option and look for opportunity we will direct our energy towards success no matter what leaving the EU means in financial terms.
As you may expect we are having plenty of conversations with our clients which range from SME with 30 team members up to investment houses in the City. There is currently an even split which ordinarily may mean 50 per cent of our clients were holding back on investing in their teams and thus a 50 per cent reduction in activity. IN reality the ones who are choosing business as usual are increasing the investment in their teams and for us it roughly balances out.
Hear at Calm People we are essentially a training provider. We are training with a difference and an extreme speciality but it is training/workshops nonetheless and in uncertain times for those that pull up the drawbridge and take the siege mentality training is often the first budget cut in favour of the war chest.
This leads me to that apocryphal story that is told by all those selling training.
A CFO and his CEO are discussing training budgets and the CFO says “what if we spend all this money training them and they leave?” to which the CEO replies “what if we don’t and they stay?”
This naturally leads to another quote attributed to Richard Branson “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”
Our speciality is emotional resilience. Now more than ever we need to be emotionally resilient. If we wish to make sensible decisions in uncertain times that are not founded in fear we need to be emotionally resilient.
Naturally we would make the case that this is the number one priority whether you are in siege mentality of business as usual state of mind.
What happens if we focus on our teams resilience?
- Employees really get the message that you value them. Resilience is a life skill which, for many, will be a benefit more outside of work than in. Remember the things that slow, distract and cause absence from work are often factors outside of the workplace but it’s the employer and the team that suffers.
- As this sinks in morale rises. You care, of course you care but by taking an authentic interest in your employees emotional and mental health they really understand that you are investing in them as a human being rather than a cog in an efficient machine.
- As morale increases then their engagement with the business and it’s objectives increases and the magic really starts.
- As a result of the factors above productivity increases and efficiency improves. Less absence equals more productivity, less stress equals less conflict, back stabbing and moaning and thus, more focus.
- These healthy, engaged high morale teams are ready to pounce on every opportunity there is and make the most of it and this is what we all need in this uncertain environment.
All of those messages apply to both states of mind. Remember a siege mentality can be a damaging, self limiting and above all emotionally unhealthy state of mind. Emotional Resilience is essential.
To put it another way if you want all hands to the pumps but you have under resourced them by not investing in them just how good are they going to be at pumping?
Life is about choices, to be human is to have the capacity to decided our own fate.
I know what I will decide and which self fulfilling prophecy I will sign up for.
