Today, many industries operate in real time, 24/7. Modern professionals must be able to think on their feet and shift direction quickly, sometimes with little or no guidance.
While it is part of their job, without adequate support, having to constantly shift gears makes keeping up with daily tasks a challenge. Eventually, this can take a mental and emotional toll on employees, making it harder for their managers to lead them to success.
Helping team members keep up with the fast pace of their industry without burning out is key. Below, 12 Forbes Coaches Council members share tips for creating a workplace environment that fosters agility and forward motion by promoting and supporting employee health and well-being.
Forbes Coaches Council members offer tips for promoting employee well-being in fast-paced industries.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.1. Balance Energy Expenditure With Intermittent Renewal
The Power of Full Engagement is a fascinating leadership book based on the high-performance habits of top athletes. One that stands out is the importance of balancing energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal. Leaders can apply this strategy by understanding how each team member likes to recharge their batteries, and then giving them space to do this, especially after high-stress periods. - Gabriella Goddard, Brainsparker Innovation Academy
2. Emphasize Self-Care And Reward Wellness
In a fast-paced company culture, emphasizing self-care is vital to helping the team keep up the pace. No one is able to work a demanding job if they do not physically feel well. Perhaps having an incentive for employees who work out, run or walk that is tracked by an app would be helpful. Rewarding wellness is a great way to reinforce the fact that health and well-being are core company values for the team. - Lori A. Manns, Quality Media Consultant Group LLC
3. Schedule Time To Connect And Innovate
We have a quarterly revenue goal that we’re focused on achieving. Our next company retreat will be in Paso Robles, California (wine country), all expenses paid. We host meetings to share knowledge, plan and connect. Spouses join us for wine and great food in the evenings. 3M requires its employees to devote 15% of their time to innovation. Consider modeling that. - Mike Koenigs, The Superpower Accelerator
4. Prioritize Fewer But Higher-Impact Tasks
Prioritize what is most important and allocate time for people to focus on fewer but higher-impact tasks. It’s tough when you’re working on too many priorities at one time. If you want to make it collaborative, get your team together, put up all the work that is happening and identify high-impact and low-complexity work to get everyone focused on the right things. - Alan Trivedi, ADAPTOVATE
5. Pace Team Members By Playing To Each One’s Strengths
Burnout and fatigue are common in industries that demand shifting expectations to keep up or remain ahead of industry norms. An agile work environment, where you specifically pace your team members based on your knowledge of how they process information best, is the place to start. Just like a team on a cycling tour, each member has a specific strength and comes forward when the terrain suits them. - Arthi Rabikrisson, Prerna Advisory
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6. Help Employees Learn To Embrace Change
Be very clear about the fact that change happens all the time and is not a condition to rebel against, but to learn to embrace. Help employees employ a growth mindset by asking them how they previously managed change in a way where they not only succeeded professionally, but also thrived while working. Have daily check-ins with your team to make sure they are on the right track. - Pernille Hippe Brun, Momentu
7. Be Open And Transparent About Stress And Well-Being
When employees can talk about the pace of change and their own well-being with other team members, they are much more likely to experience less stress. They are also able to pick up ideas on how to effectively manage their work and non-work-related responsibilities in ways that will keep them contributing and energized. - Susan Madsen, Jon M. Huntsman School of Business
8. Give Employees Time To Recenter And Get In The Zone
Inside a fast-paced industry, you have to keep your team sharp, and to do this, you have to give them time to recenter themselves. Finding ways for them to reset will allow them to sharpen their focus when they need it most. In a fast-paced environment, find ways to allow your team to slow down and get in the zone. - Jon Dwoskin, The Jon Dwoskin Experience
9. Ensure Proper Staffing To Support The Pace Of Change
Ask yourself the following questions: First, “Am I properly staffed to support the pace of change?” Many organizations have learned to work with a very agile workforce, and in turn, they aren’t staffing properly to ensure that there is balance. Second, “Have I gotten accustomed to putting out fires and labeled my industry as being fast-paced?” It is important to find ways to be proactive in a fast-paced industry. - RaQuel Hopkins, RH Life Coaching
10. Model A Healthy Growth Mindset And Make It Safe To ‘Fail’
You need to model a healthy growth mindset for your people and encourage an iterative learning process. Couple this with proactive coaching and mentoring to develop future-oriented competencies and capabilities. Help your people feel safe to “fail” as they challenge assumptions, try new things and push the envelope in order to innovate and stay relevant. - Jonathan H. Westover, Utah Valley University & Human Capital Innovations, LLC
11. Offer Training And Notice Of Upcoming Changes
Offer regular training and give as much notice as possible with regard to any forthcoming changes to allow people to adapt and understand. People often fear the unknown, so great communication is key. - Rebecca Patterson, Rebecca Patterson
12. Foster An Environment Of Supportive Learning
Life and business move quickly, and fostering an environment of supportive learning will help team members stay aware of what may be facing them. As things change, our knowledge and awareness also need to increase and adapt. Learning is one of many ways to keep pace with what you have to handle now as well as what you will face in the near and long term. - Dan Ryan, ryan partners
