Six things every leader needs to know about dealing with mental health issues at work

If you are a leader of people, chances are at some point in your career you will manage someone battling mental illness, whether you know it or not.

Mental health issues do not discriminate, they are prevalent in people from all walks and stages of life.

One in five adults experience mental health problems in any year. Nearly half of the Australian adult population will experience a mental health difficulty at some point in their lives. 

Diminished work performance, morale and engagement, high rates of absenteeism and lost productivity are common and costly consequences of mental illness for many businesses.

Mental disorders are estimated to cost the Australian economy $20 billion annually. Depression alone is reported to cost $12.3 billion a year. Leaders are wise to take steps to nurture the mental health of their team as well as to address mental illness challenges that arise.

Here are six key things every leader needs to know about influencing mental health:

1. People with mental illness can and do work

People with mental illness successfully work across the full spectrum of workplaces and professions. While battling illness of any kind can,of course, impact progress at times, the world is full of examples of people who have battled mental illness while building successful careers. Some people will disclose their mental illness to their manager and others will not, especially if not actively encourage by the environment they are working in.

2. Culture is key

The most powerful influence any leader has on the mental health of their team is through the culture they create. The most important thing you can do is to build a respectful and compassionate culture that inspires people to look after themselves and one another. Make it safe for people to speak openly about mental illness and their overall wellbeing. Create an environment in which people know they can ask for help. Surrounded by colleagues who care, people are entirely more likely to acknowledge when they are struggling.

3. Leading by example really does matters

All too often I meet leaders nearing or at the point of burnout, despite being sincere in their desire to create a healthy workplace culture that nurtures the wellbeing of their team. Reflect for a moment on the example you set for your team in the work hours you keep and time you spend looking after yourself? Have you worked for a leader who said balance and wellbeing mattered but themselves worked ridiculous hours? What impact did their approach have on other people’s behaviour, including your own?

4. Education is essential to driving change

Despite growing focus on managing mental health in the workplace, many people remain relatively uneducated about both the signs of mental illness and what to do when they become aware of it. Employers can play a powerful role in lifting awareness and understanding as well as battling an unfortunately all too common stigma associated with mental illness. Not knowing what to do or feeling ashamed stand in the way of many people getting the help they need.

Give people the information they need to know which steps to take to begin on the road to recovery. Support them to build awareness and understanding, to find the courage, confidence and strength to battle mental illness.

5. Talking helps

The more hidden mental illness remains, the more people will continue to believe that it is shameful and needs to be concealed. Enable healing by bringing the issue out into the light. Share facts about mental health and illness, encourage people to ask questions and seek the information they need in order to regain or maintain a healthy mind.

6. Attitude makes all the difference

Supported by an employer who acts with compassion, people are more likely to ask for the help they need. What matters most is the attitude and approach taken. Be willing to make adjustments or accommodate flexible work practices. The steps you take to adjust how someone is expected to work can make a dramatic difference to their ability to hold down their job while getting the help they need. The support you provide could be exactly what they need to survive.

ASK US about our 9 to Thrive program – designed to encourage, nurture and propel your work teams to excellent heights.

3 Effective Ways to Build Rapport with Clients

If you're in the sales game then you know how important, how vital, building rapport with your clients really is. It makes all the difference displaying some good habits early in the process, to give you the results you desire further down the sales cycle. Even aside of sales it is useful - maybe you are a young entrepreneur trying to develop a comprehensive network, an employee trying to get on the bosses good side with hopes of a promotion, rapport building is what makes or breaks the outcome.

This is a list of our 3 favourite Rapport Building Methods.

Look for a Connection

So you're in their office, you see a picture on the wall of a cocker spaniel - "beautiful dog!" - should be what comes out of your mouth. It could be a dog, it could be a football jumper, a brand of coffee sitting on their shelf, anything you could relate to that person with should be one of the first things that you highlight. If you can do this well, naturally, it will put you in great stead moving into the conversation.

Mirror their Movements

This one is an old, tried and tested approach to rapport building, and it works! The idea is to sit in the same position, move your hands in the same way or talk at the same speed as the person you are speaking with. Unconsciously the person will feel increasingly at ease with you. You will know if you have reached a level of distinguishable rapport with this person when you go for a drink, and they do the same!

The Sneaky Compliment

Some people don't like compliments, it makes them feel uncomfortable, everyone else could be complimented all day long - either way this approach works. You've reached a meaty part of the conversation, the talk has moved onto business matters, you have just made a really inspired point, then you pause - "I really like that shirt" - then back to business talk. Sandwich a compliment within a strong point and it's follow up. The person will be thrown off guard, in a good way. It will give them a confidence boost, which they can relate back to being with you.

Really simple stuff, but effective! We encourage you to give it a try yourself and let us know how it goes by posting on our Facebook Page. We would love to hear from you!

Contact us for a free consultation today! Business Consulting like you've never imagined.

Consumer Confidence is Paramount

The Australian business landscape is currently in such a state that it is hard to have a monopoly on any given market. Niches are incredibly hard to find. With self-service website development tools, an increasingly connected social community & encouraged entrepreneurialism, successful businesses are quickly copied by people or companies who see room for another player in the market.

So if your business isn't unique in nature, how do you win customers?

Consumer confidence. Faith in your services. A trust in your Brand.

We believe your brand is more than just your logo and website, or services. Your brand is any point of your business that interacts with customers, or potential customers. Your emails to prospective clients, the way you speak to your suppliers, the speed in which you deliver your promises to paying customers, and of course your website, advertising and logo collectively make up a perception of your business.

For small businesses it is easy to take pride in what you do, and this will ensure all the touch points are well represented, what about medium to large businesses though? Do the employees care? Are they aware of the message your business is trying to send to the market? Are they brand ambassadors?

A lack of enthusiasm from employees has lead to a rise in '9 to thrive' services. 9 to Thrive audits focus on giving your employees what they need to feel rewarded and well-positioned in your business. It focuses of developing wellness sessions for them, so they feel well taken care of, reward programs and atmospheric improvements. Happy employees beget enthusiasm. Enthusiasm begets a good brand image.

Contact Excellent Company for a free brand audit and ask us about our 9 to Thrive services today!

How to be a successful start-up

90% of all start-ups will fail, and it can be for a few different reasons:

• Poor Planning
• Financial
• Under-resourced and over-worked
• Lack of a marketing strategy
• Motivation

The last point mentioned above is all about YOU! Drive is required to be a successful entrepreneur - if you are a driven individual, great - there are a few things you can do to make your start-up succeed.

Plan your journey

Know your industry and more importantly know what you will be offering. Compare that to your competitors and ask yourself what makes your business different to them? This USP (unique selling point) will determine your businesses 'journey'. Use this understanding to plan the 'journey', you can do this in the form of a business plan or keep it simple (and save time) by developing a lean canvas (created by Eric Reis).

Crunch the numbers

Are you selling something physical or are you offering a service, either way there will be costs - write them all down. Worst case scenario is you won't see any money in your account for a while, can you live with your business account being in the red for a while?

Don't do too much

Lean start-ups are smart start-ups. Don't make it complicated and offer every product that all your competitors offer. Do what you do well - the product or service that you are most confident in, start with that and see how potential customers respond. Are they buying? Are they even interested? Instead of wasting time setting up every product or service you want to offer just get information on each one, one at a time, your most basic offering - this is called your MVP (Minimal Viable Product).

Be your Brand

Your brand isn't just your logo, it's everything your customers touch when interacting with you. Your website, your business card, your emails, your voicemail, your speaking tone. Acquire a positive brand image and you'll have every chance of succeeding.

Be part of the 10% - be a successful start-up!

Excellent Company has Start-Up Packages for businesses wanting to give themselves the best chance of succeeding. Your success is our success. Contact us or email josh@excellent.company.

Why is Branding My Business so Important?

You have a great product and already get a bit of business, there's no need to put any effort into optimising your brand, right? Well, that is not quite the right approach.

Your brand can be a lot of things; it could be your logo design, the way you answer the phone, your website, your marketing collateral, even your invoice template, and so on. We believe you need to consider every single touch point with your customers, every nano second they are in contact with your business, to ensure your brand image is in line with your product or where you want your product to be positioned in your industry. It's imperative.

We know first-hand that changing something as simple as the logo or homepage of a website, or changing the message in your advertising, can result in a massive increase in leads and sales. Ask yourself:

• What do I want my customer to think when visiting my website?
• and, does my website achieve that?
• Does my website have a good flow?
• Does my logo represent my 'brand' accurately?
• Is my marketing/advertising resulting in many leads?
• What is the message of my marketing/advertising?
• Do I get the respect I deserve in my industry?
• Is my pricing representative of the quality of my service/goods?

The first step is to think long and hard about what your business is offering. Not your product or service, instead, WHY people should buy your product or service. What is your selling point?

Excellent Company offers complete brand audits, where our experienced team sits down with you for a discovery session and combs through all the aspects of your business. Then presents some ways you could optimise your 'brand'. Email josh@excellent.company for more information.