We just passed Blue Monday; a term coined in a marketing campaign for a travel company. No real science behind it, just a great marketing idea. However, a poll by the American Psychiatric Association found that two-thirds (67%) of adults say they notice at least one behavioral change when the season changes to winter, such as sleeping more (31%), feeling fatigued (25%), or feeling depressed (23%). So, feeling down in the winter, and especially after the holiday season is a normal, real issue.
Leaders need to be aware that they, and many of their team members may be feeling some level of lower energy or even depression in January. Good leadership starts with yourself, and battling the January blues is no different.
- Look after yourself: Follow your regular routines like exercise, proper sleep, eating well, mental relaxation and whatever else normally keeps you at your best.
- Be fully aware of your mood when you enter the office or work site and work hard to put yourself in a positive frame. Keep in mind that everything a leader does is amplified so you have an oversized impact on those around you including their mood (further reading at: Amplified & Amplified-2).
The ultimate goal is to help lift your team to a better place. Here are a few ideas on how to improve the mood in your workplace during the dark months.
- Delegate and Empower: Make sure your leadership team is putting their best foot forward to keep the energy level up, and enlist the help of other team members to keep the energy up and empower them to come up with imaginative ways to raise the spirits of their co-workers. It’s usually not hard to find a few people that have a full battery to lead the energy charge.
- Engage to create engagement: Lean into communication and one to one relationships.
- Be curious – curiosity is being caring and supportive.
- Be present – enjoy what is happening now: If the organization has a workable business plan, then what is being done today is adding value, and you and your team should enjoy being in the moment as you work the plan.
- Allow for a little distraction: Ad hoc and informal social connection or events may be more enjoyable in January versus formal planned events since many people were very booked up with a busy holiday schedule last month. An impromptu pizza lunch that gives time and space for social connection will likely be more fun than a scheduled lunch.
- Celebrate some wins: If you have multiple locations let them celebrate their own wins which allows them to stick with the less formal and high connection theme.
As a leader, be aware of the low energy risk and bring your best self to work each day. As a leader you will make things better if you are aware of the issue, and you understand your amplified impact.
