Healthy workplaces value people over short-term production. These organizations know that people naturally bring their best to their jobs when they are happy and motivated.
As such, forward-thinking organizations prioritize their employees’ well-being and reject the idea that employees should sacrifice themselves for the organization. These organizations want their high performers happy, and they want them to be happy for the long haul.
Sometimes, however, there is only so much an organization or leader can do. In cases where high-performing employees require rejuvenation, leaders must encourage their employees to prioritize self-care.
Not all people respond to self-care activities in the same way. One person might feel mortified if someone suggests running, while another might find well-being and fulfillment in completing a marathon.
Reminding employees to “take care of yourself” may seem shallow. Knowing your people and how they’re wired is the first step in helping guide them to self-care activities that genuinely rejuvenate them.
How leaders can recognize a team member in distress
Leaders can detect a team member in distress by being attentive to behavior, performance, and communication changes. These subtle signs underscore the importance of leaders knowing and understanding their people.
These signs can include:
- Increased absenteeism
- A drop in productivity
- A shift from their usual demeanor
- Withdrawing from group interactions
- Uncharacteristic irritability
Effective leaders should cultivate an environment of open communication, encouraging team members to share their concerns without fear of judgment.
Regular one-on-one meetings also provide a private setting for employees to discuss issues they might feel uncomfortable bringing up in a larger group.
By maintaining an empathetic and observant approach, leaders can intervene appropriately, offering support or resources to help individuals navigate their challenges.
Prioritizing self-care
When life becomes overwhelmingly stressful, prioritizing self-care is crucial to maintain mental and physical health. Self-care isn’t a luxury but a fundamental practice that helps sustain team members’ well-being amidst chaos.
These acts of kindness toward oneself can significantly reduce stress levels, improve concentration, and enhance overall resilience.
Regularly setting aside time for self-care helps individuals cope better with daily pressures and builds a stronger foundation for handling future challenges.
Building & Leading High-Performance Workplace Teams
How to encourage self-care
Leaders can encourage their people to prioritize self-care by focusing on the individual. Ensuring their self-care activities best suit their Motivational Dimensions can help. Here are some ways employees can prioritize self-care so that they’re more likely to maintain their desired high-performance level.
Schedule self-care as a non-negotiable on the calendar
Self-care activities should be scheduled with the same priority as meetings and deadlines. If competing meetings arise, don’t drop a self-care activity to make a low-priority meeting.
Orchestrators can benefit from structuring their self-care as meticulously as they plan their projects. Structured routines include setting specific times for exercise, meals, and relaxation, making these activities as non-negotiable as their professional meetings.
Visionaries often benefit from downtime that allows them to disconnect and let their minds wander, which can lead to breakthrough ideas. Scheduling time away from technology where their creativity can flow is an excellent way for Visionaries to deepen their rest and find greater productivity.
Optimizers can treat self-care as another system to optimize. They can create structured routines for exercise, meditation, or relaxation, incorporating these into their daily schedule as non-negotiable elements. Setting up reminders and tracking progress appeal to their love of systems and efficiency.
Set self-care goals
Establish clear, measurable self-care goals, such as several weekly hours dedicated to physical activity or downtime. These goals can integrate self-care into the employee’s goal-oriented mindset.
Drivers can be encouraged to see self-care as another goal to conquer. Framing self-care as essential to maintaining the high performance they pride themselves on can make it a priority.
Visionaries are goal-oriented but may need help setting practical and achievable self-care objectives. Breaking down self-care into small, manageable tasks with clear outcomes can help them see this as another area where they can realize success.
Reframe self-care as a performance tool
High performers are motivated for exemplary and optimized performance. Help employees see self-care as a means to enhance performance. Emphasize that activities like adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and stress management can lead to better outcomes in their work and personal lives.
Highlight how neglecting self-care can lead to burnout, decreased productivity, and impaired decision-making, undermining an employee’s ability to succeed and find recognition for their contributions.
Using apps and devices that track health metrics like sleep, nutrition, and physical activity can appeal to an Optimizer’s desire for data and measurable outcomes. Learners might be equally motivated to analyze the data points provided by wellness trackers in depth.
Adequate sleep is crucial for memory consolidation and mental health. Learners should ensure they get enough rest, especially if their study habits tend to disrupt their sleep patterns.
Encourage mindful practices
Introduce practices that foster mindfulness and self-awareness, such as meditation or journaling.
Influencers can benefit from practices that promote reflection and introspection, such as journaling, meditation, or therapy. These can help them process their experiences and emotions, maintain their mental health, and develop a deeper understanding of themselves beyond their public persona.
Learners should practice being present during both study sessions and breaks. Mindfulness can enhance the quality of their study time and increase retention while also providing mental health benefits.
Practices like yoga, meditation, and tai chi can help Optimizers slow down and focus on the present, reducing stress and enhancing overall well-being. These practices can be scheduled and refined just like any other system they might optimize.
Mindfulness practices such as meditation or journaling help Relators stay grounded and focused on the present. These practices can provide a much-needed break from the social demands they face and help them reconnect with their own needs.
Prioritize sleep
Sleep is a critical element of well-being for both physical and mental health. Learners retain knowledge better with adequate sleep, and everyone performs better when they’re well rested.
Using apps and devices that measure recovery and aspects of sleep, including REM, deep sleep, and light sleep, can appeal to an Optimizer’s desire for data and measurable outcomes. Achievers and Drivers can use these metrics to set a target for optimal performance.
Get adequate nutrition
Eating a balanced diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins can support brain health and help Learners retain what they’ve learned.
Understanding nutrition’s role in high-performance output at work and elsewhere is a critical part of self-care to be fully effective.
Optimizers can apply their skills to their diet by planning nutritious meals to enhance physical and cognitive performance. They might enjoy using meal prep techniques to streamline their eating habits while ensuring they get optimal nutrition.
Delegate to increase efficiency
Drivers can learn to delegate tasks more effectively to make room for self-care, trusting others to handle parts of their workload. Delegation frees up time for self-care and helps prevent burnout from trying to do everything themselves.
Visionaries often take on too much, thinking they must personally oversee every project aspect. Learning to delegate effectively can reduce stress and free up time for self-care, allowing them to focus on what they do best—envisioning and strategizing.
By automating routine tasks and delegating less critical responsibilities, Optimizers can free up more time for self-care. This process of streamlining and efficiency is right in their wheelhouse and can make self-care a more integrated part of their life.
Relators often take on more than their fair share to support others. Learning to delegate and share responsibilities at work and home can help alleviate stress and free up time for self-care.
Effective delegation is critical for Orchestrators. By trusting their team to handle specific tasks, Orchestrators can free up time to focus on their well-being.
Set and maintain boundaries
Influencers are often in high demand, which can be draining. They must set clear boundaries around their time and commitments. Learning to say no or to delegate can help them preserve their energy and allocate time for self-care.
Given their tendency to prioritize others, Relators must set clear boundaries around their time. They must learn to say no when necessary and ensure they have time reserved strictly for themselves.
While pursuing knowledge is commendable, Learners must set boundaries to avoid information overload. Learners should designate specific times for learning, unplugging, and relaxing to integrate what they’ve learned better.
Optimizers should set clear boundaries to prevent work from consuming personal time. Boundaries might involve specific cut-off times for work communication or designated quiet hours when they can focus on personal rejuvenation without distractions.
Orchestrators should establish clear boundaries between work and personal time. Boundaries could involve having specific times when they are unavailable for work-related communications, ensuring they have uninterrupted time for self-care.
Utilize creative outlets for expression
While social interactions are fulfilling, having hobbies that can be pursued alone—such as painting, gardening, or playing a musical instrument—provides a balance and a way to relax without the energy dynamics of socializing.
Influencers thrive on creativity and expression. Engaging in personal creative projects not meant for public consumption can be a refreshing way to nurture their spirit and prevent burnout.
Visionaries can view self-care as a direct input to their creative processes. Physical well-being enhances mental clarity, and creativity might make self-care more appealing. They can explore artistic forms of exercise like dance, try diverse culinary recipes for better nutrition, or use journaling and mindfulness techniques to explore inner thoughts and feelings.
Engage in social activities
For some of the motivational dimensions, social activities can be rejuvenating.
Joining study groups or workshops facilitates learning and incorporates social interaction into a Learner’s routine, which can be refreshing and reinvigorating. Social connections are essential for emotional health and can provide a different perspective on their subjects of interest.
Relators can combine self-care with social engagement, such as participating in group exercise classes, cooking healthy meals with friends, or joining book clubs that encourage relaxation and intellectual stimulation.
Since Relators invest deeply in their relationships, nurturing a few close relationships can be more fulfilling and less draining than maintaining an extensive network. Quality relationships allow for deeper connections, reducing the stress of trying to be everything to everyone.
Engaging in social activities can be a form of self-care that provides emotional and psychological benefits. Visionaries might find it fulfilling to connect with others who share their interests and passions, which can also inspire and motivate them.
Ensure self-care activities fit with Motivational Dimensions
Given their preference for fast-paced, results-driven tasks, Drivers may prefer self-care activities that are quickly completed in short bursts but offer significant benefits, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), power naps, or brief meditation sessions.
As Achievers thrive on recognition, they should take time to acknowledge and celebrate milestones in their self-care journey.
Influencers can combine self-care with social engagement, which aligns with their natural tendencies. For example, they might organize group workouts, cooking classes with friends, or mindfulness groups. They can align part of their self-care regime with their influencing activities by advocating for wellness.
Every Motivational Dimension has their own way of recharging. If you still need to take the Motivation Code assessment to discover your own, you can do so in 30 minutes.
Caring for your people
Your people are your greatest asset, and each person is unique in their skills, needs, and motivations. By understanding your people better, you can help them attain greater satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness in all that they do.
When you’re ready to bring Motivation Code into your organization, you’ll be empowered with the knowledge to lead your people through any challenge. Learn more about Motivation Code for teams or take the assessment yourself. When you have questions, let us know how we can help.