On our ‘Engaging People Powering Companies’ podcast this week, Amrit considers the beautiful weather we are having here in the UK, and how the sunshine just helps create that positive, summer vibe!

People are happier and kinder to each other, there is a sense of ease and play in the air.

And then the weekend is over and it’s hi-ho, hi-ho back to work we go! It is then down to the environments and cultures we work in, that determines the vibe and the current weather at work, be it sunshine or showers.

Our managers and leaders are critical to our environments, and really do hold the power to determine the weather. Amrit uses the analogy of a gardener (the manager), sowing seeds, watering, feeding, and weeding.  The manager may have the best of intentions, but if the conditions aren’t right, then all the gardener’s hard work is fruitless. Our gardener must rely on the weather creators (the leaders), to determine the environment (culture) and the right conditions for growth. As leaders, what weather are we creating, and is it helping our managers efforts to develop and grow people and the organisation?

Ask any farmer and they will tell you! We need the right conditions for things to grow and thrive, and it can’t just be all sunshine either; we need the showers. The showers and the seasons give us balance and condition the soil, so we get to see all the wonderful colours and variety throughout the year. Without the rain it is barren. Without the sun it is boggy. A quote by Warren Bennis shared this week goes like this:

“Leaders learn by leading, and they learn best by leading in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders”.

We learn who we are as leaders when leading in times of adversity, and people see how we deal with our struggles, rallying round and feeling the camaraderie of all pulling together. It’s these moments that show us what we are made of, and they make us stronger. Science shows us that when we induce biological stress on our bodies, it helps advance our biological states. Professor David Sinclair (Professor of Genetics at Harvard, author) talks about how when we put our bodies under strain, it can slow or reverse the aging process! We need the struggle. It’s that which makes us better!

In times of struggle then, as leaders, with the challenges, stresses, and strains, how do these affect us? What impact do they have on our state and therefore the weather we create for those around us? As a manager, what might you say about the weather forecast in your department? Is it helpful, positive conditions for people and business growth, or is it all a bit waterlogged?!

In those times of challenge, or struggle, we have the ability to manage our mood by changing our state or our ‘Core Affect’ (Russell, 2003). We don’t always think we have the power, or maybe we just forget how powerful we are in our own agency. But we are powerful (for ourselves and others). We can change our mood by making sure our internal conditions are right.

There is all the foundational stuff, like getting enough sleep, hydration and fuelling ourselves well (check out https://hubermanlab.com/ for all the latest science backed information for looking after our bodies and brains). Our body is a machine, and if we can treat it as such, with the care it deserves, it will work as we need it to.

But then there are those other things; the things that bring us joy, or that give us some space when we need it, that can literally change our body’s chemistry in the moment, so that we feel positive/strong/focused when we need to.

For me, I’d excuse myself to a toilet cubicle and dangle upside down to help change my perspective (as a yogi!) or walk round the block while consciously breathing for some space to think. If I needed to find joy and put a smile on my face, then some banging, funky beats shift my mood. If eighties music is more your thing, then speak to Amrit! The point is, we don’t have to stay feeling the way we are feeling, if it isn’t serving us and in turn our people. We can shift our state, and by doing so, have a more positive, intentional impact on the environments we are responsible for creating, so our people can grow and thrive in the right conditions.

We get to choose how we respond to the challenges, and to pick the tools to help us navigate them, so we can keep creating great environments for our teams to flourish. Reflecting and knowing what we need and when, what it is that knocks us off balance, and then taking action to remedy it, will help keep the conditions just right.

The band was Crowded House (Amrit!) that sang ‘Weather with You.  Do you lie like a loungeroom lizard, or do you sing like a bird released?’

May the weather you create, serve you and those in your care.

Listen to the podcast here.