Page 34 - Investment Advisor March 2022

evidence that team members’ happiness example. But employees tend to be quite encourage team members to do the best
— physical, emotional and financial — is conscientious about when and how they they can on a particular day. This kind
key to success because it promotes opti- use this benefit, and they coordinate of leadership requires an organization-
mal performance. Today, good leaders with colleagues to make sure balls don’t wide culture that is comfortable with
are acknowledging that their workforces drop in their absence. human emotion. Crying in the office or
are being hit with unique challenges, and on a Zoom call? Absolutely. The doors
they are prioritizing well-being — asking AN ENCOURAGING WORD should be open to all emotions, even so-
not what team members have accom- I’ve written this before, but an encour- called negative ones. Employees should
plished lately, but what they need and aging word to employees can go a long learn to be kind and encouraging to
how the organization can support them. way toward creating a culture of well- themselves as an element of well-being
being and supportive interdependence. to decrease team members’ stress.
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS COVID has hastened the evo-
This more enlightened manage- The new management lution of management practices
ment approach requires creative throughout the wealth manage-
solutions to managing stress. approach encourages ment field. Amid the heightened
Companies that have more flex- stress, sickness and burnout,
ible cultures still can’t afford to mutual support. The idea we’re seeing a shift in manage-
have team members who are so ment culture. The best managers
focused on their own care that is that employees should are now being measured on their
they consistently force fellow take care of themselves, empathy and encouragement of
team members to pick up the their team members to take care
slack. In the old days, being out and the organization of themselves without judgment,
of the office too often due to sick and then help take care of their
days, personal days or vacation should give them latitude colleagues — as they model that
days would warrant a stern talk- behavior themselves.
ing-to with the worker in ques- to do that. But once they’ve The future of management is
tion. Employees are no longer upon us, and business leaders must
tolerating that sort of thing; they met their own needs, the be ready to put aside traditional,
understand the leverage they ethos is to help others. top-down approaches. We’re in an
possess and are increasingly pri- era that requires empathy, encour-
oritizing their well-being. agement and trust, and that can
The new management approach Traditional management impulses tell be uncomfortable, at first, for old-school
encourages mutual support. The idea leaders to dictate solutions, creating leaders accustomed to granting or with-
is that employees should take care of unnecessary friction and resentment. holding money to motivate people.
themselves, and the organization should But it’s support, trust and clear com- We know that financial incentives
give them latitude to do that. But once munication about shared goals that can take organizations only so far. That’s
they’ve met their own needs, the ethos create exceptional outcomes. While it because, beyond a certain level of finan-
is to help others. seems simple, many leaders struggle to cial security, people prioritize deeper
What might this look like in a real- move away from “telling people what needs. A big one is the desire to contrib-
world setting? One example: Instead of to do” to encouraging them to take care ute, within a group, to big accomplish-
saying “I’m taking the day off,” a team of themselves. ments — such as helping clients retire
member might find a buddy and divide One factor that frequently contributes and send their kids to college, or build a
halves of the workdays to relieve some to burnout is an emphasis on perfection. business to its full potential.
of the pressure. In traditional management frameworks, The problem of stress can also be an
Trusting that your team members an insistence on perfection was consid- opportunity, a chance for business own-
will support one another once they’ve ered a virtue. A team member who was ers to think deeply about their manage-
met their own needs is important. Our sad or tired might be expected to just ment culture and make sure they’re on
experience is that employees generally chug coffee, force negative emotions the right path. Thanks to the pandemic,
do reward organizations for supporting down and get into high gear. there is no going back.
and trusting them. Unrestricted vaca- A shift is occurring that acknowl-
tion time, an increasingly common part edges the reality that people are not Angie Herbers is an independent consultant to
of modern businesses’ menu of benefits, machines, and that excellence levels will the advisory industry. She can be reached at Adobe Stock
might seem to be a Pandora’s box, for vary from day to day. The idea is to [email protected].

32 INVESTMENT ADVISOR MARCH 2022 | ThinkAdvisor.com