As we approach the end of the calendar year, many of us will be looking ahead to a well-earned break after a long, and at times, challenging, year. Do you, as a leader, find the lead into the Christmas holiday a uniquely challenging time of the year?
December can be a hectic period for workplaces. There’s pressure to wrap up projects and hit those final targets before the year ends, and it doesn’t help that many of us are already running on empty after a long year’s grind. While some are getting into the holiday spirit, looking forward to parties and time with family, many will also be fighting against stress, tiredness, and emotional highs and lows, which can make the workplace a complex place to navigate in the final weeks of the year.
Although the festive cheer is infectious, we must also acknowledge that this season is not universally joyful. For some, this time of year can be particularly challenging, distressing or downright painful. Earlier this month, Beyond Blue1 released new data illustrating the impact of the rising cost of living on mental health. The survey reported that 77% of people feel stressed heading into the end of the year, with financial pressures named as the number one stressor for people. For those who live alone, loneliness and isolation can have an equally detrimental impact. Last year, a Red Cross2 survey reported that 31% of people feel lonely around the festive season.
These hidden pressures that can weigh heavily on us, as leaders. Even at the best of times, those in leadership roles can find themselves stretched with the competing demands of their teams and the business. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report3 revealed that 50% of managers in Australia and New Zealand reported daily stress in their jobs, and almost one in five reported daily feelings of anger. At year’s end, these pressures are amplified. In the rush to finalise projects and meet year-end goals, we too can experience mental fatigue and feel the strain of high expectations.
Balancing the emotional and mental wellbeing of our team can also draw on our limited emotional reserves. Leaders may feel as though they are indeed languishing under the weight of expectation. Once the domain of caring professions, such as doctors and nurses, workplaces are now seeing an increase in compassion fatigue4, especially in middle management. The holiday season presents a challenge and an opportunity for leaders to find new and innovative ways to lead engage and inspire. But how can we engage and inspire when we may ourselves be tired, burnt out and running to the finish line? Leading others is an adaptive challenge and one that calls upon all leaders to put themselves first. While it might sound counterproductive and self-centered, it’s just like when we need oxygen in an airplane, we must apply the oxygen mask to ourselves first. Only then can we truly help others, our teams and colleagues.
