We usually say it without giving much thought to it, “how are you ?”. A quick reply of “I’m fine” confirms that everything is good and keeps you moving to whatever is next on your ‘to do’ list. However, for that individual, nothing is fine, it’s quite the opposite and they feel they are losing the battle fast. Does this sound familiar? How often does this happen in your organization? Better yet, what can you do as an organization to support your staff?
Many people were shocked to hear of the sudden passing of Chelsea Krist. Not only was she a former Miss USA winner, she was a model and a television presenter. It appeared that she had it all, but there was something, something that we may never know or understand, that was enough for her to decide enough was enough. If you asked her how she was doing, she may have replied “I’m fine” and that may have been a good enough response to keep you moving to your next item on your ‘to do’ list.
I get it. We live in a society where time is money. In the business world we’re rushing from one meeting / project to the next and spend little to no time engaging with our most prized assets – our employees. We believe that our 30 to 60 minute weekly check-ins are enough for us to have a full understanding of what’s going on with our staff. Some people mindlessly ask the question, “how are you?” while tending to emails or texts, that the response or visual behavior that would indicate the person is not okay is missed. And then when the unimaginable happens, we’re lost for words.
Here’s the reality that can lead to change. For most of us, we see our work colleagues more than we see our own family. That means we have the opportunity to impact and change the course of someone’s life every day. That means if we ask the question “how are you?” and listen and observe the behaviors from the responding individual we may have the opportunity to save a life by referring them to a service such as EAP or HR. Will this be an opportunity to save every person? No. But for that one person who may be struggling, that question, and your willingness to listen, may save their life.
So, to all my readers, how are you? I’m listening.