Hi everybody, I’m Mike Staver. This is Mondays with Mike, a weekly video series where I answer questions from people just like you. Here’s this week’s question:
I’m a manager of a sales office. People seem overwhelmed and stressed. How can I best help them?
That’s a good question! First, don’t be overwhelmed and stressed yourself. You have to take care of you before you can take care of them. Very, very critical. So the first thing is to do your gratitudes, do your meditation, do your breathing, slow down. People are going to follow you as the leader of that office, so you need to just take a second and slow down.
Second thing, acknowledge their stress, difficulty, sadness, feelings of being overwhelmed. Say something like this “I totally get how you’re feeling, I’ve had moments like that too.” Don’t be trying to talk them out of it, don’t be playing them happy tunes, don’t be buying them balloon bouquets… don’t do any of that! Just acknowledge that it’s difficult and give them time.
Then, ask the magic question “How can I be the most helpful?” and then be helpful in the way that they need you to be helpful. If that still doesn’t work then you want to create spaces where people can get help and can find resources in the community so that we don’t take it lightly.
So, keep calm yourself (meditating, breathing, managing your pace, pitch and volume), acknowledge their perception is real to them, offer ways that you can help, and if that still doesn’t work then find them resources.
I hope that’s helpful, take care.
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