Where to even start with everything going on at the moment. With all aspects of life fundamentally changed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the situations that have unfolded recently…it is no wonder that stress, anxiety and depression (all of which were at worrying levels before) are top of mind for many organizations.
While it may not be in the same context, the Beach Boys were onto something with “Good Vibrations”. What has this got to do with your organizational success you may be wondering…
Well…the informal meaning of vibration, is someone’s emotional state, the atmosphere of a place, and the associations of something as felt by others. It is the overall state of being, for you personally, your family, your team, and you got it…your organization. Your organization’s energy vibration impacts how employees feel, their productivity, how your customers feel, and more. I’d say that was something pretty critical to elevate. Not to mention, people feel energy vibrations. You know when you see a meeting invite with a particular person’s name (an “energy vampire” or “drainer” so to speak), and your heart sinks, and your mind is like, “oh no, a meeting with them”. Well, this contagious effect can be positive too. The more people you have with higher vibrations, the better your overall organization will be. Especially your leaders as they have a large influence over your culture.
For those that know me, you know I am a very data-driven person. You may be wondering why I am talking about energy vibrations. Thinking it sounds a little “fluffy”. Well, as someone who has extensively researched human energy and its positive impact to performance, happiness, resilience and emotional fitness, and, as someone who has been on their own energy development journey as well as coached many leaders, I can say, harnessing the power of human energy is the number one key to success. And, it’s not just me saying it. When 50 Fortune 500 executives and successful entrepreneurs were interviewed about what they thought it would take to succeed, all of them said that energy would be one of the most important factors required for success. Raising your organization’s vibration will enable you to thrive through challenge, to invite opportunity and innovation in difficult times, to reduce stress, and, simply put, to be successful.
If you want to see the kinds of behaviors that elevate your energy, how you personally, or your organization, is doing and how to improve, you can take this quick, free quiz. In the meantime, here are 4 ways to elevate the vibration of your organization!
1: Be mindful of how you communicate
Our words are one thing, but how we deliver the words and the energy we give off, also plays a large role in how people feel and how they will respond. How do your leaders speak? How do managers speak to their employees? How do employees speak to each other? When we are busy, stressed, or distracted, we have less mental capacity. We may snap at someone, we may not pay attention when they speak, and we may miss important information. This can promote negative feelings in those we are interacting with. Helping your managers and leaders develop effective communication skills, that are transparent and authentic, and that raise their vibration, will raise your organizational energy and employee experience.
2: Practice gratitude as an organization
Gratitude is not just for Zen retreats. It is a weapon that can be hugely beneficial in the war on stress and other negative mental states. Being grateful shifts your mind to focus on abundance, rather than scarcity. It puts your mind into a powerful productive and positive state. No…this does not mean everything is unicorns and rainbows. It means that you can see how something is better now than before, even in the most challenging of times. This mindset is something that gives you energy.
As an organization, you can help your employees grow the gratitude muscle. Having open conversations, focusing on lessons learned, and sharing how individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole, is better now than before, can elevate your energy vibration. Whether it’s colleagues helping each other, social good your company is doing, or a shift towards living your values more than before…there is no doubt that there is something that is better now than before. You can even have it as a brainstorming with the organization by getting people to submit and share how they think things are better now or what they are grateful for.
3: Help employees process emotions
Ignoring emotions and situations, trying to “smoke-and-mirror” your way through it, or sweeping it under the rug…doesn’t mean the emotions go anywhere. In fact, they simmer away under the surface, evoking a slew of negative feelings and potentially destructive or toxic behaviors. When something happens, how do you address it as an organization?
Encouraging open conversations, where you speak to employees openly, and they can openly ask questions, seek information, and feel informed helps quell over worrisome thoughts, anxiety, and destructive rumor mills. Authenticity, compassion, and empathy, all play a large role here. Developing these competencies in your managers and leaders is critical to help employees move past challenging moments positively and productively.
4: Encourage wellbeing
There are some basic elements that fuel our energy. When we are depleted, our vibrations are low to start with. Rest, nourishment, and movement. The triplet of a good energy base. Even though many are working from home, encouragement of wellbeing and providing supporting structures is critical. How are you encouraging movement? Are you making your employees feel like they have to work around the clock? Someone in 6 hours of back-to-back meetings because, “that’s the culture currently”, cannot really eat well or move around much can they? I mean, they barely have time to nip to the loo. How do you encourage moments of stillness and quiet? When chaos is all around you, even a moment of stillness can refresh the mind with a burst of energy, opening up creativity channels and bringing to light solutions that were obscured in distraction and tiredness before. How are you creating meaningful minutes in the lives of your employees?
As organizations, we have a responsibility to create positive, productive environments. Cultures where people can bring their full selves and meet their potential. These were just some of the ways you can increase your organization’s energy and support your employees through these times, and for the future.