SKILLS
Developing a healthy state of mind is a key skill
By Maria Iliffe-Wood (pictured), Executive and Leadership Team Coach and Coach Supervisor at Meridian Iliffe
What kind of leader will you be in the future? That’s not easy to answer, because predicting the future of organisations is difficult. What we can predict is how to
lead people – and that a healthy state of mind is the one thing we can be sure will help our leaders of the future. If you want to know what kind of
leader you’ll need to be in the future, just look at what is happening in the world right now. There is less appetite for war or
conflict; people want to live more ethical and healthy lives; there is a demand for mental illness to be recognised, helped and alleviated without stigma; people want to be respected and accepted for who they are; and people want to speak up against injustice. That is the environment of the
future. That is the culture for the future. That is what leaders of the future will need to provide for their people and teams if their organisations are to grow and thrive.
How you translate that to the
workplace is the key, and sets the template for the culture of the future. Leaders want these things for themselves also. They want to feel less stress, pressure, they want to be heard, they want to make a difference, to feel fulfilled. They want less conflict in the workplace and don’t want to suffer from mental illness, or risk heading in that direction. When a leader is in a healthy
state of mind, they are better equipped. They know how to listen to their people; how to motivate them; how to treat people with respect; how to enable a culture of wellbeing; how to spot signs of mental illness; how to help their people feel fulfilled; how to create a purpose that people will buy into and how to bring out the best in people – these are all fundamental skills on the road to personal and professional success. A healthy state of mind is the
best prerequisite for a successful leader today. The same will be true
‘A healthy state of mind is the best prerequisite for a successful leader today’
A leader with a healthy state of mind is better equipped to lead their team
for leaders in the future. Having a healthy state of mind
means you are clear, confident, have perspective, are calm and are positive, optimistic and hopeful. It has a feeling of naturalness. Compare to an unhealthy state
of mind, filled with low-quality or negative thinking, stress, pressure, aggression, anxiety, worry, unease, low self-esteem, lack of confidence. It is learned conditioning. A healthy state of mind is easier to achieve
than you might imagine. Stop buying into negative or low-quality thinking. When you stop buying into it, a healthy state of mind surfaces. Recognise when you’re in a
healthy state of mind already, you probably overlook it. People pay more attention to the times they’re in an unhealthy state of mind. When you notice your healthy states of mind, they happen more often.
Partnerships key to developing students By Mark Cottingham (pictured), Principal at Shirebrook Academy
The start of the school year normally involves getting back into the groove and helping new year sevens find their way to their lessons. This year we had an
added bonus, winning the Business Partnership Award in the Chamber’s Business Awards. A few days later we won the regional prize in the same category, setting us up for a trip to London for the national finals. Winning awards
is pleasurable, but there is extra joy in receiving such a powerful endorsement for the work we do alongside local companies we are proud to count as business partners. Through their generosity, our students are given the chance to undertake work experience or take
part in mock interviews and CV workshops. This is especially valuable in Shirebrook, where young people’s aspirations have traditionally been lower than they might be elsewhere.
68 business network December 2018/January 2019 In addition, they’re able to talk to
people who work for a living and find out what’s required of them. I believe our successful business
partnership works both ways and that we help employers understand more about young people. We hear how business wants schools to do more to prepare young people for work, but less about the work companies do to accommodate the younger generation. At times it can feel some
companies expect the finished article to walk through the door. However, just because they might not perform in an interview, or
they make mistakes, doesn’t mean we haven’t tried to prepare them. Doing these things is not easy
for many young people, and there are limitations in what schools can achieve alongside other work on healthy lifestyles, staying safe, being a good citizen and so on - not to mention our core business of examinations and qualifications. It falls to companies to take the
students we send out into the world and develop them, but if schools and businesses work in partnership, we can help companies benefit quicker from taking on a young person desperate to show what they can do.
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