We all know happy workers are productive workers. We all know positivity increases resilience. We all know praise is a better motivator than fear. But in the daily bustle of running a business, we don’t always adhere to these edicts. If wellbeing in your workplace is something you want to prioritise more, ask yourself the following questions to check if you’re on track…
1. What are my values and does my brand reflect them?
Until we take care of ourselves, it’s hard to care for those around us. So wellbeing starts with yourself and your team – then ripples out to your customers and the community you serve.
In challenging times, can you show (strength in) vulnerability and ask for extra support from your team? Do you provide a workplace culture where people feel safe showing up authentically as themselves? Is personal growth for you and your team as important to you as the growth of your business? Simon Sinek (famous for his ‘Start With Why?’ TedTalk) says, “Values are not simply posters on a wall. In order for a culture to be strong, your values must be clear and your values must be lived.”
So, is workplace wellbeing a poster on your wall – or a lived reality?
2. What am I saying to myself and believing?
Words are very powerful. They can elevate and support or denigrate and diminish. The person you speak to the most is yourself (inside your head with ceaseless mental chatter). Is your inner critic constantly on your case? If so, this negativity can chip away at your wellbeing and can also affect the health of your business – because it’s harder to sell something you don’t fully believe in.
Depending on your mindset, you can perceive life’s curveballs as ‘learning’ or ‘disaster’. One person’s growth opportunity is another person’s downfall – it largely depends on how we frame things. In other words, our interpretation of events is almost as important as the events themselves. So our self-talk is something to be very mindful of. The first step is to be aware of what you’re saying to yourself. The next step is to choose whether to believe it.
A great trick to combat your inner dissenter is to prove it wrong with solid evidence. Why not create a folder to collect all the positive feedback you get from customers and colleagues? Take a screenshot of every email, tweet and appreciative comment and add it to your growing file. Then when you need a self-belief boost, read these messages to remind yourself about the positive impact you’re having on people’s lives. Drink in the positivity and feel your doubts abate and your nervous system calm down.
3. Am I asking enough questions?
The inspiration to launch a new business is often born out of looking for something you need, realising it doesn’t exist and then inventing it to fill the gap in the market. This is a great start but it’s just as important to find out what your actual customers want right now and to fine-tune your offering accordingly. To truly understand your target market, you need to keep communicating and asking the right questions. Rather than send out multiple-choice surveys (with closed-ended questions), take the time to speak directly to customers and really dig deep.
Without customers, your business can’t survive, so putting their needs first isn’t just an ideal – it’s a must. When you actively make their wellbeing your top priority, there will be a symbiotic feedback loop as your customers continuously help to co-create your evolving brand.
4. Am I under too much pressure?
It’s important to have goals and ambitions but if you pressure yourself too much to achieve them, you may set yourself up for burnout or disappointment. You can have a business mission as your North Star, yet still be fluid and allow things to grow and change at their natural pace. It can be helpful to take stock and assess your progress every quarter and to look back and ask, “How can we keep doing this, but better?” There are many things outside our control and life doesn’t always fit into a neat box. It’s good to find a healthy balance between driving towards outcomes and also flexing with the flow – to keep your business on track and your spirit of adventure alive.
5. Am I wearing too many hats?
As your business starts to grow it’s not always easy to delegate and outsource tasks. You may doubt anyone else would have the same level of authenticity or intricate understanding of your mission. This concern, combined with the cost of employing people, can make it very tempting to try to do everything yourself. While this may work at the beginning, you’ll probably reach a point where you need to start entrusting tasks to others and hiring people to help you. Recognising this moment and handpicking recruits who resonate with your brand is key to enabling your business to develop in a healthy way.
6. Am I my own best friend?
To establish a firm foundation for a wellbeing-based business, you need to be your own best friend. This quietens that self-critical chatter and replaces it with positive affirmations that you believe and therefore live. The more we focus on evoking and cultivating positive emotions, the kinder we can be to ourselves and the more empathetic we can be with others.
Scientific research has found that trapped emotions are often the cause of physical ailments. When your self-talk is compassionate and positive, this can have a powerful effect on your mind and body. If this is new territory for you, why not start the day with a ‘loving-kindness meditation’ (there are lots of these on YouTube). Being more heart-centred also makes you a better listener so you can be more supportive of your team and distinguish the truth from the untruth in your self-talk.
7. Am I the USP?
For many entrepreneurs (especially creative ones) the inspiration for their business is so close to their heart, it’s an outward manifestation of their innermost being. When a business isn’t just yours but it’s basically ‘you’, the unique selling proposition (USP) that makes your brand different from the rest, is entwined with what sets you apart from other people. This means that being true to your business’s key values essentially means being true to yourself.
Staying aligned with your original vision helps you steer a steady course when your business is buffeted by inevitable bumps along the way – and gives you the courage to change direction if this means honouring your core values. This authentic self-alignment also helps you stand out in a competitive market simply by being you – which naturally attracts kindred spirits who really ‘get’ your brand. This is a wellbeing triple win for you, your business and your customers.
This how-to guide was inspired by one of our Zoom Dives with Poonam Dhuffer, Wellbeing Practitioner, speaker and founder of YSM8, which provides community care through workshops, talks and events.
Our Zoom Dive events are deep-delving discussions between our founder, Carolyn Dailey and a handpicked creative business expert. You can listen to Carolyn and Poonam’s full discussion here.
Fancy catching our next Zoom Dive, live? See our Events calendar and sign up for free.