Blind Ambition. From Victim to Visionary.

Keywords

Resilience – Vision Loss – Adaptation – Trust – Communication – Virtual Work Environment – Technological Change

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled Chad E Foster talks about his personal experience of losing his vision due to an inherited eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa. He describes how he initially struggled with the loss, exhibiting a victim mentality, but later found solace and a new perspective after meeting and living with people who faced multiple disabilities. He emphasises the transformative impact of this experience, which shifted his attitude towards one of gratitude and appreciation.

Main topics

• Chad's Journey of relearning and adaptation after losing his vision

• Why effective communication is essential for safety and performance

• The challenges and importance of building trust and maintaining team relationships in a virtual work environment

• The need for intentionality in creating micro interactions before, during, and after virtual meetings to foster personal connections and demonstrate care beyond transactional work

• How the differences, including disabilities, can provide unique perspectives and skills, and should be viewed as gifts rather than obstacles

• The growing importance of resilience in the face of rapid technological change

• The five pillars of resilience: adopting a flexible mindset, reframing situations as opportunities, finding meaning in adversity, cultivating a growth mindset, and seeking help when needed

• The significance of cognitive reframing, and the necessity to visualise greatness even in unfavourable circumstances to inspire action and hard work for progress

• The importance of stepping outside one's comfort zone for growth and development

• How pushing through discomfort and terror can lead to expansion of one's comfort zone and improved clarity of thought

• The importance of taking advantage of perceived disadvantages and how every perceived disadvantage offers an advantage if used in the right context

• Overcoming fear by starting small and building up confidence through a series of small victories.

 Action items

 You can find out more about Chad at chadefoster.com

Chad’s book is Blind Ambition: How to Go from Victim to Visionary

Trust. Essential for individual and organisational success.

Trust is the foundation which successful organisations are built on. Whether it’s the relationship between employees or the one between employees and their leaders, trust creates a culture that allows organisations to become high-functioning, accountable and outcome-driven, with improved employee retention and increased commitment and loyalty.  

Without trust, organisations suffer from office politics, infighting and a lack of communication that slows down decision-making and reduces effectiveness. It breeds fear, disengagement a lack of loyalty and reduced productivity. Team performance suffers, and employees will have trouble making decisions or admitting mistakes, fearing negative repercussions if they do.

The role leaders play is therefore pivotal in creating a culture where trust is at the forefront. By being transparent, authentic, and reliable they can help to create an environment, where open communication is encouraged, and staff can seek guidance and support without fear. An environment where employees feel able to own up to mistakes and bring solutions to the table, limiting the fallout of an error and allowing the employee to see the mistake as a learning opportunity.

When employees feel inspired by senior leaders and see their actions leading to business success, they start to trust their leaders. They become empowered to own their success. They feel able to share their ideas and opinions and because they aren’t afraid to speak up, different perspectives, ideas or solutions are put forward. When employers own their success, they can push through adversity, take responsibility for their performance and results, and enhance their skills.

Trust is also necessary to drive organisational performance and plays an important role in implementing change or navigating uncertain situations. It fosters ethical decision-making, promotes loyalty, and increases the willingness to remain with a company. It also plays a vital role in reducing stress levels and hostility in the work environment so developing and nurturing trust within the workplace is essential for a healthy and productive work environment.

Building trust as a leader is a gradual process that involves consistent actions and behaviours. It takes time and effort to build and it’s hard to win and easy to lose but It’s the foundation of a healthy and thriving workplace. Leadership development programs and ongoing support for leaders to ensure that trust remains a priority are therefore essential because in an uncertain business landscape trust is needed more than ever if individuals and organisations are to succeed. 

Just ticking the boxes? The rise of wellbeing washing.

In a time of tight recruitment markets, employee wellbeing has gone from a nice-to-have to a must-have.  However, research from Claro Wellbeing seems to show that not all employers are as committed to their programmes as they might not be - they are not  ‘putting their people first’ and instead are ‘wellbeing washing’.

Wellbeing washing is the practice of superficially promoting or claiming to support well-being without genuinely addressing the underlying issues or taking meaningful action - offering employees gym membership, fruit boxes and stand- up desks but then not worrying about unrealistic workloads which mean instead of exercising and eating healthily the same employees are slumped on a sofa at home with a takeaway! 

The Claro survey was taken from a nationally representative survey of 1,000 adults in May 2023 and it suggested that over a third of those surveyed thought their employer was wellbeing washing with one in six thinking that their employer had lost trust as a result of this behaviour. It also found that seven in ten workplaces celebrated mental health awareness days, but only a third of organisations had mental health support that was seen as good or outstanding by employees. So, in the eyes of employees, company rhetoric is not matched by the robust structures, schemes and mechanisms needed to support better wellbeing.

The disconnect seems to be between what employers offer and what employees feel they need. Many employers’ wellbeing initiatives are well-intentioned but lack a systemic approach and are based on a poor understanding of the true state of workforce wellbeing. Others though are focused on boosting their brand reputation, using social media to pump out their support, cynically paying lip service to mental health issues without considering the real needs within their own organisation.

Now more than ever employee wellbeing is something employers need to get right. It isn’t a perk. A free gym membership will do nothing if someone is too exhausted to exercise. The aim has to be the creation of a company culture that really cares about wellbeing, because getting this right is a win-win for employees and employers. There are commercial risks in not engaging properly with employees and if the negative aspects of wellbeing washing are to be avoided, businesses need to lead by example.