Support or Rescue?

With the pressures of lockdown impacting organisations, one trend I'm seeing in my work, is the accelerated path to burnout for leaders wanting to "be there" for their teams. There is a genuine intent of care, yet the boundaries between supporting your team and 'rescuing' them can become blurred quickly. A sure path to burnout.

The question to ask yourself is, are you supporting your team or rescuing them? Are you clear on the distinction between the two?

As uncertainty pushes people into all sorts of threat responses, (think fight, flight, freeze, appease/defend) it can be tempting as a leader to step in and take over, thinking you are supporting your team. In a crisis, one company I used to partner with called this "wearing their undies on the outside" (moving into 'hero' mode in a crisis which only lasts for a very short period of time).

Rescuing looks like this:
*"I'll do that for you" - diminishing your team's ability to try new things, learn and 'have a go' before giving up
*Continually being the one who stays late while others relinquish responsibility and accountability
*Thinking that you are irreplaceable, and speaking to that in the workplace - "I have to do that I'm the manager"
*Taking responsibility for things that aren't yours to lead.

Support looks like this:
*Encouraging team members to have a go at something new first, before 'problem solutioning' for them
*Acknowledging their feelings and fears, letting them know they have what it takes, and helping reframe their focus to where they are heading rather than what they are avoiding
*Remaining calm and committed, responding rather than 'reacting'
*Providing certainty and consistency in your leadership communication.

These are times when we all need to level up and support each other. As a leader, ensure you don't fall into the trap of taking everything on, so you can last the distance and be the stability in the chaos your team need.