The whole person concept

We all know the thing about icebergs - there's a whole lot more going on beneath the surface than we can see.

The same is true about people.

Picture an iceberg where what we see above the surface is someone's workplace behaviour.

So what's going on beneath the surface?

What do you think could be impacting that person and their behaviour that we have no idea about?

Let's dive in (see what I did there?)

Just beneath the surface is our feeling and thinking.

Say for example you're not feeling well - you have a headache, you're tired, you're hung over - or your thoughts are all over the place - you think you're not good enough, you're doubting yourself, you're questioning your value.

All of these things will impact how you show up - your above the surface behaviour - but others don't see that.

All they see is someone coming into work and they seem short, snappy, quiet, distracted...

If you dive a bit deeper, we have our values and beliefs.

If you were asked to do something that was in conflict of your values or beliefs, do you think it would impact how you show up at work?

Of course.

But no one would see that. They'd just see the resulting behaviour.

The deepest layer of the iceberg is our needs and wants.

Let's say someone was about to lose their house, or their partner was about to leave them.

Do you think that would impact their workplace behaviour?

Absolutely!

But all we see is someone making mistakes, snapping at their team, dropping the ball.

The whole person concept is an important reminder that there's always more going on beneath the surface than we realise.

Sometimes we might have context to what's going on that might help us understand the behaviour, but a lot of the time, all we see is the tip of the iceberg.

Be kind to others and make generous assumptions; there's always more going on beneath the surface than you realise.

As a manager, your ability to look beneath the surface and understand all the different elements that impact how someone shows up is critical for fostering an environment where everyone feels safe, seen and supported.

I'm not suggesting you have to know everything that goes on in every aspect of someone's life, but if you remember it's not just about the behaviour you see and you know how to dive a bit deeper, you'll have better relationships with your team and be able to achieve improved performance.

Are you ready to dive deep into understanding and managing the unseen influences that affect your team?

The Effective Manager Program helps you do this by improving your self-awareness and emotional intelligence, increasing your ability to understand and influence other people, improve your communication, refine your coaching skills (and so much more.)

The next cohort starts soon and theres only 4 spaces left, don't be the one to miss out

Comment or DM me 'Effectiveness' to start the journey to becoming an Effective Manager.

PS - what's one change you've made in your management style since realising that there's always more going on beneath the surface?