In The Middle of Nowhere

Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall and no one would hear?

These words, sung by Sam Smith and Summer Walker on the recent cover version, You Will Be Found, highlight the aloneness felt by many.

Maybe you've been there; maybe you currently are; and there's a high chance that some of your friends and family, colleagues, and employees, are feeling that they also, are in the middle of nowhere. It's a hard and desolate place and in the busyness of life, it's too easy to run past people who are doing it tough. We get focused on the next project, deadlines to meet, and stakeholders to satisfy, while often neglecting those who need us most.

One thought I'd like to leave with you this week is to use your organisational chart as a care chart. Org charts are typically created to reflect levels of reporting authority from the top down with leaders overseeing relevant departments. What if, care was embedded into the very fabric of the org chart, with the lines on the chart symbolising connection, care, and professional belonging? What if, as part of our management meetings, we established a care performance indicator and managers reported regularly on certain care criteria in addition to the usual indicators of business success?

I am fortunate to work alongside leaders who embrace this kind of approach to their people; and their businesses are flourishing for it. With the increasingly high rates of anxiety, depression, alienation, and suicide, it’s encouraging to see leaders and businesses actively care for others’ wellbeing as a foundation to optimising performance.

*Photo by Keegan Houser