As the financial year 2023/24 draws to a close, leaders worldwide are reflecting on what’s been achieved across their organisation whilst looking ahead to their future priorities.
We too have been reflecting. Exploring how PRINT® has unlocked individual and team performance. Inspired people to bring out their Best Self. And united people so that their personal achievements combine to create one mighty shared success. After all, whether you work in the public or private sector, your achievements are driven by your people!
One of the things we love most about PRINT® centres around its diversity. We’re not simply talking about its broad application that unlocks benefits in multiple ways but also how it celebrates and promotes diversity.
At H&H we’ve always incorporated PRINT® into everyday working life, from recruitment and onboarding to making sure we understand and better connect with each other.
This year we’ve taken it a step deeper, using it to underpin our new H&H coaches’ programme. It’s enabled our coaches to get to the heart of what drives their coachees, recognising their motivations to power meaningful conversations and ensure brilliant communication and tailored personal development.
We’ve continued to use PRINT® in one-to-one and group sessions with clients – providing a vehicle that gifts us a deep understanding of their core motivations and means we can tailor our communications and approach specifically to them.
And we were chuffed when our Leadership in the Spotlight Programme – a programme built on PRINT® – was shortlisted for the Learning Excellence Award in recognition of its innovation and impact.
As we look ahead to the coming financial year, we’ve been examining how PRINT® can help navigate some of the biggest trends predicted for 2024 – trends identified by industry research and one-to-one feedback sessions with our coaches, clients and H&Hers.
Let’s take a look…
- Resilience and wellbeing
Individuals and organisations now understand more about the importance of health and wellbeing – and how to preserve it – than ever before. A 2023 survey by the CBI discovered about six in 10 companies are increasing their investment in employee wellbeing whereas the global wellness industry in 2022 raked in a staggering $5.6trillion.
And yet burnout, poor mental health and stress are on the rise.
Research from Deloitte found poor mental health costs UK employers alone up to £56 billion a year, and yet every £1 invested in mental health initiatives delivered around £5 in increased productivity. Clearly, it’s an investment worth making – not only for making sure employees remain healthy in mind and body but also for keeping a business’s bottom line tip top.
In 2015, the World Health Organisation identified burnout as an occupational phenomenon – a classification that was updated in 2019 as ‘a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed’.
In their Model of the Organizational Context of Burnout, Michael Leiter and Christina Maslach identify six primary worklife themes that, when unbalanced, can lead to burnout: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values.
So it’s super reassuring to know PRINT® can promote health, resilience and wellbeing by bringing balance to each of these six areas. Let’s take a peek at how:
Managing workload and taking control
PRINT® empowers us, and our managers and teammates, to recognise our strengths so we can play to them. And it shines a light on our areas for development – helping us understand when and where we should seek support from others. This powerful blend allows us to focus on where we can add most value, enhancing our job satisfaction whilst ramping up our confidence.
Building unity and community
Understanding ourselves and each other, being able to put ourselves in others’ shoes – these are the foundation for building empathy and trust. This in turn leads to inclusivity and positive communication, creating a psychologically safe environment where we feel safe to be ourselves and speak our minds without fear. And they’re all possible thanks to PRINT®.
The most effective form of reward and recognition
PRINT® accurately reveals the root cause of why we do what we do. It pinpoints exactly what drives and fulfils us gives us the understanding we need to do things in a way that makes us happy and productive. This deep self-awareness empowers us to take ownership and shape our work in a way that keeps us motivated and firing on all cylinders. And, it gives managers and colleagues a crystal clear guide on the most impactful way to reward and recognise us. Win win.
Promoting fairness and values
Ever felt as though you’ve been given the raw end of a deal in the office? Does your work – or the way you go about it – compromise your values? Maybe you feel like a colleague or team is being given ‘special’ treatment – a belief that can easily spark resentment and low morale. PRINT® arms people with the ability to take a step back, reflect and understand where these feelings are coming from. Plus, it provides a neutral language through which to voice any concerns. The result? An open dialogue that minimises conflict and helps teams reach a harmonious way forward.
- AI powered leadership
Artificial intelligence (AI) is sparking a mixed bag of emotions both in and outside of the workplace. Many view it as something that has the potential to augment human capabilities – enhancing what they already do whilst freeing them up from more menial tasks so they can focus on innovating, creating and advancing their careers.
Others, however, see it as a threat to their jobs – the recent strike among Hollywood actors, directors and screenwriters being one famous example.
According to Ranstad’s latest Workmonitor Pulse Survey, 47% of employees are excited about the opportunities AI presents, compared with 39% who are concerned about it.
Whichever side of the fence you sit on, AI is increasingly being adopted in the workplace. And PRINT® is a powerful tool to help navigate the changes. Here’s how:
Tailoring an AI strategy that gets everyone excited
Some team members will thrive on the opportunities AI presents to do things differently. Others tend to dig their heels in when change is on the cards.
Likewise, some individuals are motivated by opportunities to climb the career ladder. Others get fired up about feeling appreciated.
PRINT® gives leaders a robust insight into their team members’ unique personalities, preferred ways of working and motivational drivers. So, they can offer meaningful incentives, inspire engagement and tailor AI implementation strategies that leave everyone feeling excited and reassured.
Upskilling an AI-enhanced workforce
Would team members prefer hands-on AI workshops or online learning? Self-serve learning modules or peer-to-peer learning opportunities? PRINT® ensures leaders are clued up on exactly which styles of learning will resonate with their team member. So, they can create personalised training plans that encourage everyone to immerse in AI, in a way that feels right for them.
Communicating the changes
Should convos around AI be delivered face to face – or will an email do? Detailed explanations and opportunities for discussion, or short, snappy and to-the-point memos?
We all have our preferred ways of receiving information. PRINT® empowers leaders to adapt their communication style specifically to each individual. Meaning they can tailor their messages and use of communication channels in a way that guarantees they’ll strike a chord with their selected audience. Helping employees to navigate AI via open dialogue, collaboration, and trust. And that sounds like a conversation worth being a part of, right?
- Hybrid leadership
The global pandemic presented one of the biggest changes to the way we work in decades. The vast majority of the global workforce suddenly found themselves setting up home offices in their kitchens and living rooms. It was a shock to the system. Yet arguably the biggest surprise came from how readily employees adapted.
Today only 20% of remote-capable employees spend their entire working week on-site – down from 60% pre-Covid. And whilst the debate rages on as to whether bosses will demand their employees head back to the office, a 2023 Gallup survey found eight in 10 Fortune 500 companies had no plans of decreasing remote work flexibility in the next 12 months.
Managers have had to adapt their leadership styles faster than ever before. They now not only have to keep their on-site teams engaged and connected but their remote teams too – usually at the same time.
Flexibility, social cohesion, employee engagement and internal communication – they all need to be embraced and enhance for a new landscape. Let’s explore how having PRINT® in their toolbox can help…
Enhancing internal communication
Keeping people in the loop has been critical to employee engagement long before the global pandemic. And PRINT® has been lifting the lid on peoples’ preferred communication styles for decades. Knowing how to communicate with your team results in enriched team interactions and a vibrant hybrid culture – whether your colleagues are based in the same building, just down the road or on the other side of the world.
Cultivating trust and autonomy
We’ve already touched on how psychological safety positively impacts wellbeing and resilience by building trust. It gives people the confidence to be open and honest, to take risks, to share ideas and to be authentic. And when we have a deep understanding of our teams’ preferred work styles and motivational drivers, this trust means we can have honest two-way conversations about how, where and when we’ll add the most value – from home, in the office or a blend of both.
Uplifting team dynamics
It feels fitting to wrap up our exploration with team dynamics. PRINT® is scientifically proven to providing the insight, tools and strategies that enhances team performance.
When we understand the core motivations of our colleagues, we work more effectively and productively with others. We’re empowered, happier and more fulfilled – great for keeping us healthy and reducing the risk of burnout. We have the insight to navigate change, whether that’s new technology like AI or a fresh strategic direction. And we have the knowledge to effectively lead and collaborate with others.
Discover your PRINT® and see how you can power up for success in 2024.