Feeling good about your career? You are probably happy with your prospects in life.
You know that coworker who does the minimum and is only there for the paycheck and health insurance. Based on the data compiled by Gallup, she probably does not feel all that great about the rest of her life as well.
Gallup in their recent book Wellbeing at Work connects the data on individuals thriving at work and the impact on their wellbeing for the long term.
Career wellbeing is the number one element affecting overall wellbeing. It is followed by social, financial, physical, and community wellbeing.
If career wellbeing dictates the direction of your wellbeing what impact is your leadership having on your wellbeing? Additionally what impact are you having on the wellbeing of those under your leadership?
What can you do to ensure you and your team thrives?
Let’s summarize a few points from Gallup’s research and look at potential actions.
Gallup Research Overview
Gallup used a survey to query respondents with two-part questions described as below:
Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you.
- On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?
- On which step do you think you will stand about five years from now?
From the results they created categories of Thriving, Struggling, or Suffering.
Thriving: (score of 7-10) positive view of their current and/or future state
Struggling: (score of 5-6) struggling in present situation and are uncertain about the future
Suffering: (score of 0-4) miserable in their current state and have a negative view of the future
The definition of the five elements of wellbeing from Gallup’s research
- Career wellbeing: You like what you do every day.
- Social wellbeing: You have meaningful friendships in your life
- Financial wellbeing: You manage your money well.
- Physical wellbeing: you have energy to get things done.
- Community wellbeing: You like where you live.
Coaching Connected to Wellbeing
What if you had someone to work one-on-one with to assist you in creating your desired picture of wellbeing, evaluating your current state, and helping you achieve your ultimate vision. That is a possibility with coaching.
In my coaching, I use a tool called “The Wheel of Life” to assist individuals create a vision of where they want to be in the future. The timeframe is of their choosing and using a scale of 0-10 they create a future vision of their ideal self.
They describe what “10” looks like in 8 areas of their life. The 8 areas correlate closely with Gallup’s 5 elements of wellbeing.
They then evaluate their current status in each of the 8 categories, creating a bumpy wheel. As a team we work on developing a plan of goal setting, behavior change, and action to move towards the outer “10” ring.
It is an iterative and learning process.
Actions for Consideration
Based on the above, what actions are you considering for yourself and your team?
Self-evaluations are always a consideration. Making an objective evaluation of your desired versus your current state is a good starting place. Getting some assistance with that process may be helpful.
What about your team members? Consider the ramification if you were to have individual conversations with each team member using the above as a guide. I have worked one-on-one with individuals and with cohorts in group coaching sessions to experience this process.
Leadership Impact
The ultimate question for leaders is: What is the impact of your leadership on wellness of those you lead?
Career wellness is the foundation of the other wellness elements. You have a direct and significant impact.
How to increase your focus on career wellness and measure that impact may be your next steps to consider.
