In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Brandon Laws sits down with returning guest Mark Mohammadpour, owner and Chief Well-Being Officer at Chasing the Sun. He and host Brandon Laws discuss the role managers play in talent retention and overall well-being. Mark also offers tips for how new managers can approach their leadership role with self-awareness and empathy.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Mark Mohammadpour is the owner and Chief Well-Being Officer at Chasing the Sun, an employee well-being consultancy that offers “relatable, practical, and applicable” solutions for employee empowerment and well-being.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
THE ADVOCATE
In Well-being and the New People Manager, Mark Mohammadpour quotes a recent Gallup poll saying that “the manager determines 70% of how a team engages with each other.” According to Mark, this reveals that, although an employee chooses to stay with a company for various reasons, a large determiner of attrition comes back to the immediate manager and whether he or she advocates for us.
He went on to say that we must allow the relationship between the employee and manager “to grow and evolve because we know what that impact has for the whole employee experience.” When employees feel that their immediate manager recognizes and advocates for their needs, desires, dreams, and general well-being, they are more likely to remain loyal to the company at large.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
The First Step of Engagement
“When you suddenly get promoted, or you’re in a position where you’re managing somebody, there’s a lot to learn very quickly. And I think one of the first things is recognizing the role that you have. People want to model their manager and their activity because, more often than not, […] people want to grow in their career and move up the ladder or evolve. And part of that is following those who are leading you.”
A Glimpse Inside
“We have to think about the perspectives of the people that we’re working with. And if the pandemic’s done anything, we’ve invited each other into our homes, and we’re able to get a sense and a glimpse into our lives and what we’re having to manage. […] These are opportunities for them to grow and be able to take a step back and say, ‘Okay, I have to think about this relationship with this person differently because now I’m aware of some of the things that they’re having to deal with’ — whereas before, when you came into an office, there was that separation. It was a little bit easier to separate that, and now that that’s not the case.”
A New Take on Well-Being
“What we need to think about is a broader holistic look at employee well-being, and companies are starting to do that. And these are things that I’m working with companies on because they have all this information, but we need to be able to help design a strategic plan that takes data from our employees and then ask, ‘What do they really need and want?’ — then map that to the benefits that either exist or identify other benefits. Pair that with training and development options and […] then ultimately communicate that to employees. There’s a lot of data that says there are a lot of great benefits that are offered to employees as it relates to employee well-being, but they’re not being used.”
The Impact of the Direct Manager
“That low-level employee, that junior employee, that sole worker that is reporting to somebody — are they gonna be following the lead of that executive who’s four or five levels away? Or are they gonna be looking at that direct manager who is impacting their raises, their bonuses, whatever compensation, all those factors? They’re the ones who are the most influential, and they’re gonna be following that lead. And that’s why there’s a huge opportunity to make sure that the new manager is prioritizing their well-being because it impacts the entire organization.”
New Managers: Where to Start
“Let’s say that you’re promoted to a new manager tomorrow. One of the first things I would recommend is to sit down with your existing manager, look at all of your roles and responsibilities, and get agreement on what you are keeping and what you are delegating to somebody else. […] It’s really this mental shift around what your relationship is with your employer. […] The other thing to think about here is putting yourself in the lens of somebody who’s gonna be taking over your role and reminding yourself of what you were experiencing when you started that position. What are the things that you wish that you knew?”
Putting Yourself in Their Shoes
“One of my values is that I’m gonna treat you like a professional from day one. I’m tired of leaders who say, ‘You have to prove you’re worth to me, and then if you pass some tasks, then you’re okay.’ If you’re getting paid to do a job, I’m gonna treat you like a professional from day one, and then you have to break your trust with me, which of course rarely happens. […] It comes down to empathy. It comes down to being able to look at someone’s perspective and say, ‘Okay, they may be nervous, but I want them to feel like they’re prepared to take this on and not have Imposter Syndrome.’”
LEARN MORE
Connect with Mark Mohammadpour on LinkedIn, or for some free resources on well-being, check out Chasing the Sun.