Overcome Overwhelm.

One of my clients is a new people leader.  

His team is being handed more work due to recent changes, and he wants to lead without overwhelming them. He wants them to feel important and have the time and resources to complete projects. Deep down, he doesn't want them to leave, which will create more work for everyone else.

Maybe you know the feeling or have been in a similar situation?

People become overwhelmed for many reasons. Your job as the leader is to understand your people, remove roadblocks they can't remove on their own, advocate for them in rooms they're not in and bring out their best.

I gave my client a simple challenge to help him understand his people: Meet with each person and ask them how overwhelmed they feel on a scale of 1-10.

Then I put my attention on him and asked how overwhelmed he felt.

He was at a 9 or 10.  

We focused on what being at an 8 would look like for him.

You're less effective when you're overwhelmed.

Here are a few ways to overcome it:

• Get real with yourself.

Create a list of the overwhelming things in your life (personal and professional). Put pen to paper for this exercise.

• Ask why. 

Dig deep - Identify why you feel overwhelmed. What is it about the work that causes you to feel overwhelmed? There may be a conflict with your core values, you may be lacking tools or training, not know where to start, or the work could be boring.

• Open up.

Talk to your leader about what's overwhelming you and why. Discuss your solution and next step, and ask for any thoughts or opinions.

• Delegate. 

Stop feeling: guilty, like your team isn't ready for more responsibility (you probably weren't ready when you stepped into leadership), like you're pushing off your work, or like you're weak if you delegate. 

Or, said differently:

Your team is ready for more responsibility. Lead them through it. You're not pushing off your work, you're developing a team member, and it takes strength to delegate, as delegation requires trust.

Tip: Effective delegation is achieved first in the conversation and second in the series of follow-ups. When you delegate, be sure to include what's in it for the direct report, Org, and customers. Also, have the courage to be honest and say nothing is in it for them if that's the case.

What could you create if the overwhelm was no longer crowding out the important things? 

What if you had more space to think? Would you show up more boldly, or more innovative? You could spend more time with your team or actually have a healthy life balance - instead of just talking about it.

You deserve it, and so do your family, friends, and team members.

If you want more support, I've got your back.

hello@shermainmelton.com.

Be true. Be you.

Shermain.