The current COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for Universities to be entrepreneurial and quick to respond with adaptations to existing practices. The fallout from the current situation will test leadership teams even more over the next year.
“… there is an unspoken challenge … how to maintain personal wellbeing whilst dealing with these challenging situations.”
There is already an expectation that leaders will always be ready with new ideas, that they can pick up countless projects and deliver quick changes. But there is an unspoken challenge for University leaders of how to maintain personal wellbeing whilst dealing with these challenging situations. It is imperative that leaders look after themselves and strike a good work/life balance. Our energy and capacity to be entrepreneurial is like a battery which slowly runs down and needs to be regularly recharged. Speaking to some of the people I coach it is clear that taking time out to recharge is not something that comes easy to many leaders and, in some environments, being seen to take time out can appear as a weakness. But knowing when your energy levels are depleted and when you need to stop and recharge is a positive leadership strength.
“To be entrepreneurial, the one thing is needed is time – time to stop and think, to develop and assess new ideas, to relax and play.”
However, most leaders I know talk of how busy their diaries are, how they don’t have time to think through issues properly, how they take work home all the time. The list is endless and it all drains the personal capacity to engage in innovative thinking. To be entrepreneurial, the one thing needed is time – time to stop and think, to develop and assess new ideas, to relax and play. And perhaps, whilst there are many challenges to deal with, the different ways of working during this current pandemic can allow us to stop and think about what it is we value and how we look after yourselves. How often have you come away from a meeting or conversation and in a quiet moment afterwards thought ‘I should have said …’? Or if you ask someone when they had their best idea, they might say when I was out walking or gardening or even in the shower. The best ideas emerge when people let their minds rest or when they are at play.
“Think of yourself as a precious resource and ensure that you are nurtured.”
Every one of you will have a different response to how you adapt and cope during the current pandemic. You may find it easier to adopt healthier practices, such as taking a lunch break, or alternatively you may struggle to shut off when constantly working from home. Wellbeing can suffer from working at home for long periods with too much screen time, not enough exercise, too many unhealthy snacks. But this is a time to start to pay attention to your personal capacity and wellbeing. Working from home allows an opportunity to consider how you are making your time work for you when you return to the office. Is your diary back to back meetings or does it effectively block out time to think or for your personal choice of energy boosting activities?
Looking after your wellbeing and being entrepreneurial go hand in hand and, as leaders, you need to not be afraid to think of yourself as a precious resource and ensure that you are nurtured. How you manage your workload and ways of working can be an important impact on increasing your entrepreneurial thinking and enhancing the sustainability of your organisation going forwards. As you work through the current crisis, remember to take time to develop new habits that keep you now and keep yourself nurtured now and in the future.
Some of my personal tips are:
- Remember to maintain some structure and routine in your day, but don’t be too rigid;
- Take regular breaks away from technology to allow your mind and body to reset – schedule it into your diary to remind you (and continue this back in the office);
- Fresh air is important so take a walk while on the phone (and when you are back in the office make some of your meetings walking ones);
- Keep hydrated – make sure there is a bottle of water on your desk;
- Take a lunch break away from your desk;
- When you are feeling stressed, practice deep breathing before your next meeting or writing your next email;
- Try and vary the format of your online meetings with your teams to encourage entrepreneurial thinking;
- Remember you set the work culture in your team, so let your staff know that you are looking after your wellbeing and inspire them to do the same.
For more tips on personal and team wellbeing check out ‘Bank of Me’ and ‘Bank of Me: Remote Working’, both by Jane Sparrow and Chris Preston.