How we stayed mentally strong as a team
By May Al-Karooni, CEO and Founder
It is estimated that 1 in 6 people every week experience a common mental health problem, and in the current global pandemic, this number could be a lot higher.
Start-ups are known to be stressful and fast-paced, I have always said that to succeed, you will need to embrace that 80% is mental, 10% business and 10% craziness. As the CEO of a start-up, I know that I am not only responsible for my own mental health but also my staff. This has been important during lockdown to ensure that everyone was able to feel supported and connected, even more so as the team was building the new site to be launched in lockdown.
During this time we have also crossed the line and entered each other’s personal space virtually by seeing their homes and families on the calls, usually, this was kept quite separate. This has allowed us to see the team members from a different perspective. In addition the work pressure, there are personal challenges amongst the team adding to the stress levels. Some of our members are getting divorced, had to move home, start homeschooling, and needed to send money to family members that were made redundant. Most of the team’s families live in other parts of the world and the uncertainty of when they would see them again added another layer of emotional stress. Normally you would be able to “escape” the home environment by coming to the office and having a change of scenery, but now you have had to deal with work and personal life all in the same space, which can be quite mentally and emotionally testing.
As we acknowledge Mental Health Awareness Week, I am going to share how I support my team and how the team supports each other.
1.Be open, available and involved
Recognise that each member of the team is unique, and they will need something different from you. For some, I have regular, scheduled “health” checks that allow them to discuss what is on their mind. What everyone in the team knows is that I am always available to talk to anytime. Before lockdown that meant asking for a chat, during lockdown it’s been video calls. I believe as the leader; you need to balance between allowing and trusting the team to be able to execute and deliver on their OKRs and being on top of what is happening. Collectively as a team, no one is afraid to ask for help, whether from other members or me, we recognise the importance of success is achieving together and not as individuals. This prevents a minor problem from becoming a major crisis and alleviates the unnecessary pressure and stress.
2. Team culture
Maintaining our team culture during this period has been paramount to ensuring that we still feel like a unified team. Our culture is one of working hard while having fun, and you will often hear lots of laughter from our office and witty banter. I have kept this by having a daily morning catch-up where everyone has to share something funny, inspiring or interesting and weekly virtual team lunches. I introduced Friday fun at the end of the week where we have taken turns to host a game such as a quiz, charades and 30 seconds. This has been so popular that it will be kept when we return to the office. Our daily meditation practice also continued online.
3. Create structure and accountability
The key to the team maintaining their productivity levels over the last few weeks has been to create a structure. Every morning each division has a stand-up, and each one has to report back on what they did the day before, what they are doing that day and if they need help from anyone. I have weekly individual meetings with the managers, giving them time to discuss any ideas or challenges. This structure has allowed the team to remain focussed, motivated and achieve their goals.
While this lockdown period has definitely been stressful and challenging, I believe that my team will come out more united and stronger. There are definite learnings, with a clear emphasis that clear, open communication in lockdown and post remains a crucial ingredient for success. One of our operating principles is “Be Kind”, and I can say that the level of empathy and support showed amongst the team during this time has been incredible.
