On my morning run a random pick from my playlist was Bagatelles Summer In Dublin. And without a shadow of a doubt… rock and roll never forgets! Though I was physically in Dubai amid a global pandemic, for the next 4 minutes I was transported back to Dublin and the summer of 1990. That summer I graduated college and was working in a Youthreach programme in Inchicore. That summer I was living on Clonliffe Road. That summer was hot! That summer I was very young! That summer was the first and only summer I have spent in Dublin. So far…

It was two buses to get from Inchicore to Clonliffe Road. But because it was summer and I was young, unhurried and unworried by life, each evening I swapped the second bus journey for a walk from the city centre to home. Today as the music transported me back into the sights, sounds and smells of my walk it was as if I was there again retracing my route. Even the incline on Rutland Street felt real! I experienced the hustle of the businesses, the vibrancy of the Dublin people, I watched my bus pass me by as I walked and saw the pizza place and Quinn’s Public House which indicated my right turn onto Clonliffe Road. I saw the wide street of beautiful red brick houses, the low branches of trees in full bloom, heard people in and out of the corner shop, and chatting over hedging and fencing in the evening sun.

That was the summer in Dublin that started my journey to where I am today. My final teaching practice placement for my B. ED had been with the Youthreach programme earlier in the year. It hadn’t been my choice. As it turned out it was this placement that brought me back to Dublin that summer, and that experience led to a teaching position in Blakestown Community School, Blanchardstown. The school principal decided to take a chance on a young, inexperienced and very green college graduate. I was offered 10 hours a week! I was delighted! In hindsight I was so fortunate. There I met a fantastic group of openminded, committed, talented, forward-thinking and fun people who opened up the world to me. There I made a lifelong friend. She had just returned from a year travelling in Australia. She was a free spirit. I aspired to both. I still do. Though Australia broadened to the world.

As a new graduate from a sheltered upbringing much of that time was challenging for me on so many levels. But my recollection is of my growth, of friendships, of some wonderful students, of tremendous commitment to education and community, and of six more years living and working in a city that I grew to love. I recognised at some point that I didn’t want to teach in the school system for all my working life, and I took a career break to see the world and be that free spirit. I am still on that journey. But that is a whole other story and a totally different play list!

Today so many of my wellbeing leadership practices and lessons are rooted in that Summer in Dublin. My knowledge has broadened, I apply my practices more intentionally, there is science now, but the fundamental lessons remain.

So, here are my Oldies but Goldies to help you create an environment where your people can thrive. For the science buffs, each lesson links to one or more elements of Dr. Martin Seligman’s PERMA model of psychological wellbeing, and to recognised and accepted leadership styles.

• 1. Walking not only lets you meet people and experience their life up-close; it is also great exercise for both body and brain. Be with your team, walk in their shoes and learn what they do. Then use that knowledge to clear the way for them to contribute and achieve. Use walking meetings to discuss problems. As your brain focuses on moving your muscles you become more creative with solutions.

• 2. You may not always get what you want wrapped and delivered the way you expected or envisioned it. Your way is not the only way, and you don’t have to have all the answers. Empower your team to find and implement solutions. This creates a sense of ownership and contributes to meaning and achievement in their working lives. Warning: Solutions are potentially likely to be better than yours!

• 3. Place yourself in discomfort and challenge yourself. Discomfort and confusion are central to learning and growth. Good stress (eustress) is necessary for performance. As a leader, understand how to manage the body’s stress response and energy states to help your team (and yourself) grow. Set challenging goals that will stretch your team and then support them achieving those goals. Burnout happens not only when goals are too challenging. It also happens when goals are not challenging enough – sometimes called rustout.

• 4. Family, friendships, relationships are key to thriving. Or not. As a leader, pay close attention to how your leadership style impacts team dynamics and climate. A participative leadership style promotes involvement, belonging and collaboration.

• 5. Stay connected to your vision or goal, but know it is true that you don’t need to see the whole staircase. Just the next step. Our brains like certainty. As a leader, create as much clarity as you can of:

  • a) the company vision.

  • b) how each team member sees themselves connected to that vision.

  • c) next steps.

  
  It engenders a sense of meaning and belonging. Uncertainty will negatively impact productivity and success downstream. It may also cause people to disengage.

• 6. Music is powerful, choose it wisely. It can transport you to times and places and can help create and alter your emotional and mental state. As leaders we invest time preparing our presentations, figures and strategies, but leave our own personal energy states to chance. If you want a particular energy state for your business, you need to plan for it and model it.

• 7. And finally, believe in yourself. Something I didn’t know for the longest time was that I’ve always had the power. As a leader, be a coach and mentor of talent. Take a chance on that young, eager person. Help your team to the realisation of their potential. Support them with development, promotional and learning opportunities.

  
  
  

Source: positivepsychology.com