We’ve finally moved beyond the Great Resignation and Reconsideration, but we’re now stuck in the Great Gloom. We’re languishing, feeling low and disconnected. Here are some strategies to overcome the gloom and find our Great Glow Up.
We’ve finally moved beyond the Great Resignation and Reconsideration, but we’re now stuck in the Great Gloom. We’re languishing, feeling low and disconnected. Here are some strategies to overcome the gloom and find our Great Glow Up.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I’m the founder of Lead Above Noise—a firm specializing in helping leaders and organizations crack their activation codes – finding the simple tweaks to enhance both performance and engagement.
I like to say that Performing teams do what they’re asked. Activated teams are asked what they’d do. In other words, they’re invited to create. To innovate and build and question and take risks.
And doing these things – being truly activated? It takes energy! It takes stamina and care and passion.
So when a client sent me an article a few weeks ago about something called The Great Gloom? Well, this did not sit well at all.
The Great Gloom, in case this is a new concept to you, is the latest in a string of other “Great” (but not great”) workplace trends we’ve seen in recent years – you know, like the Great Resignation, the Great Reconsideration, and some other adorable catch phrases.
The Great Gloom is largely what it sounds like. There’s this pervasive feeling of “meh” hovering around us. Like a big cloud hanging over our workplaces, turning things cold and foggy and grey.
Specifically I’m seeing it described as a feeling of purposelessness and disconnection.
Like we’re all going through the motions. But we’re not feeling it. The world of work has changed significantly in the last few years. And I think a lot of us are still trying to figure out the balance that works for us. I’m not confused or surprised we’re struggling. I’m just bummed.
Sound squishy? Like, not a real problem? Well then you should know that the costs of such gloom are ranging in the trillions annually. As in,Like companies are losing trillions of dollars in lost productivity, efficiency, and innovation.
Not to mention it feels miserable.
So today, let’s talk about some things we can all – leaders and individuals alike – be doing to shift gears from gloom to glow ups.
1. Shift focus from goals to stories
OK. So there’s this Financial Services organization I’ve been working with for years. There’s a CEO who oversees the whole jam. And just under him are 2 Senior Vice Presidents – one overseeing the eastern US and the other the west.
Simply put, these 2 SVP’s have identical jobs – the only difference is geography.
But when I started working with them, it was super clear that in the east, the SVP was beloved. The teams beneath her would hang on her every word. Productivity was strong. and employee engagement was through the roof.
And then there was the west. Where things were different. And not adorably.
Now there’s a lot to unpack in there and I don’t want to oversimplify. But there was a big difference between the 2 leaders I noticed immediately.
The leader in the west? He was smart and confident. But his meetings always started with numbers. Targets, profits, wins, losses. Red and black arrows.
In the east? The leader always – always began with a story. Based on a customer letter, a customer visit – she always kicked off with an anecdote about how their product impacted someone’s livelihood.
I remember her sharing a story of visiting a customer who was in tears explaining how this product allowed her to increase her profits enough to give every employee in her small business a bonus for the very first time. And just how incredible that made her feel.
The team had literal tears in their eyes hearing this. It made them feel something. Which made them want to work harder and smarter. To be even better.
I’m not saying goals and targets don’t matter. They do. But they don’t win hearts.
Win hearts first. You don’t have to be a leader to find these stories. Talk to customers, read reviews online, talk to friends or colleagues who use your company’s product or service.
Make the effort to find these stories. They’ll remind you why you do what you do. And that helps move the gloom out of the way.
2. Break down those silos
Reconnecting with the humanity of what we can do can keep gloom at bay.
But so can reconnecting with other parts of our own organization.
So many of us these days are working in our silos. HR people do HR work. Finance does finance, Marketing…well – you get the point.
But our customers or clients or patients? They rely on all of us to do our important work – even if some of it is ultimately invisible to them.
Like, maybe your company has an amazing product. But if HR isn’t bringing in great talent to continue to innovate, and if Finance isn’t able to maintain strong profitability, then ultimately the product will suffer and the customer will feel it.
Likewise, your healthcare institution may have the most amazing medical staff. But if Marketing isn’t getting the message into the community that you’re here to serve, or if Maintenance isn’t getting the facility cleaned? The patients just won’t show up.
Reminding ourselves – and our colleagues – how all our efforts collectively drive important outcomes can be connective and meaningful.
Spending time with colleagues and teams across the business helps us feel part of something bigger. And it helps us to make smarter, more thoughtful decisions that anticipate what our colleagues upstream will need from us.
So if you or your team have had your heads in the sand, what can you do to expand your cross-organization connections? It will start to turn your gray to red. Or blue – or whatever color you love.
3. Celebrate individual achievements
A lot of industries are under a lot of pressure these days. In many cases we’ve reduced staff and budgets, but certainly not expectations. And it’s getting harder and harder to feel like we’re winning.
But experiencing – and celebrating – wins is such an essential part of feeling connected to our work.
So if corporate wins are feeling far off or hard to achieve, then start celebrating individual ones.
Like maybe you set a goal of meeting with 5 leaders each quarter – just to build your network and your brand inside your company.
Or you aspire to finally experiment with that AI tool you’ve been letting intimidate you.
Or you get those new headshots or submit that article to be published or you host your first lunch-and-learn at work to start to establish yourself as an expert.
Do the things you’ve been wanting to do and celebrate yourself. Invite colleagues to join you on the quest. Celebrate each other. Be loud and joyful and watch it spread…but in a good way.
Whether you choose one of these ideas or opt for something different. Please don’t let this gloom – great as it may be – overtake you or your team.
Remember – happiness at work matters. To the tune of trillions of dollars. So invest in rediscovering yours.
Join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking to crack its activation code- dialing up performance and engagement. You can follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find and follow me on LinkedIn. Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.
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