What can Island post-pandemic leadership learn from farming?

Sponsored Content

DEVORAH Brous, the inspirational founder of FromSoil2Soul, recently explored the themes of resilience and burn-out, drawing on the age-old wisdom of agriculture. Her model offered a fresh perspective on how we might navigate these times of continuing uncertainty, and ‘build back better’.

Brous spoke of four phases, which will be familiar to our island community.

Fallow: Leaving ground unplanted so the soil can rest and regenerate, enabling its natural resources to replenish. This leads to fertile ground in which to sow seeds.

Sow: Scattering and spreading new seeds in the fertile soil.

Tend: Taking care of, paying attention to and nurturing the crop.

Harvest: Gathering the crops and
reaping the benefit.

In recent years, in our desire to harvest more and more, land hasn’t been left fallow enough and so becomes ‘burnt out’, with lower nutrients, fertility and less resilience to withstand adverse weather. As the quantity and quality of the harvest diminishes, we intensify our efforts… and establish a cycle of depletion.

Does this sound familiar? In a work context, the pressure for performance and delivery can lead to the fertile soil (our people resources) being depleted and eroded, creating stress, anxiety and burnout… even before adding a global pandemic to the mix.

Being on furlough is not the same as being fallow. Many people returning to work will not feel rested and replenished. They may be feeling the impact of isolation, illness, financial worries and other lockdown-related challenges. However, as they return, they may face even more pressure than previously.

So, what can leadership do to enable the nourishment needed for teams to feel ready, willing and able to contribute? What ‘seeds’ need to be sown now, in order to reap the ‘harvest’ next year? How can you, as a leader, tend to your people resources and so nurture growth?

Organisations, irrespective of size or sector, need the skills and principles of coaching, now more than ever before. Equipping your managers and leaders to hold coaching conversations will enable them to support your people in their workplace, whether at home or in the office, not just now but into the future.

Organisations with coaching capability and a coaching-inspired culture are more agile, innovative and better equipped to handle the complexity and speed of change in today’s environment. Research clearly indicates that these organisations are more likely to be high-performing and experience better financial performance and growth than other organisations within their industry sector.

Previously, training in coaching skills required travel to the UK or remote learning. This is due to change in April 2022, when, for the first time, managers, leaders and individuals will have the opportunity to participate in a globally recognised programme delivered locally. ‘The Science and Art of Coaching’ consists of three modules (each of three days, delivered in April, June and September 2022) with check-in webinars between modules. The programme is being delivered by Tracy Sinclair in partnership with local coach Tracey Turmel.

More information can be found at tracysinclair.com/programmes/science-art-of-coaching or by emailing Tracey Turmel at tracey.turmel@ciec.co.uk.

– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –