How To Support Mental Health, From The World’s Toughest Workplace

Top 6 tools

The Antarctic winter is harsh – temperatures hover around minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit, constant blizzards, months of darkness, and you can’t get in or out of the place. Work becomes tedious and your sense of purpose is sapped by the knowledge that nothing will change until the re-supply ship arrives, a distant nine months away.

It sounds extreme, and it is. But there are many similarities to the global crisis we suddenly find ourselves in. In times of intense pressure, leaders must find ways to inspire their people and retain their best staff, ready for the inevitable upswing.
 

Managers also have the challenge of ensuring their teams are resilient and robust and remain optimistic in the face of uncertainty. It is important to check in regularly and to normalize conversations around mental well-being.

In Antarctica, I used 6 tools to keep my team both inspired and motivated through the long Antarctic winter and resilient and optimistic through the tumultuous times.

1. No Triangles

The practice of only having direct conversations built respect within my team and resulted in very high performance. We had a simple rule that went ‘I don’t speak to you about him, or you don’t speak to me about her.’ No Triangles, go direct to the source.  

It’s a powerful tool that reduces conflict and clarifies accountability. 

The practice of No Triangles also ensures your time is spent dealing with issues that matter. Those that have the most impact on your business, not handling personal disputes that simply burn energy.

It also shuts down “answer shopping”, people who keep asking the same question and go over people’s heads, or around people, until they get the answer they want. 

In small teams, the practice of No Triangles is even more important as there is simply nowhere to hide. If the behavior of another person is affecting you it can’t be ignored and needs to be addressed professionally, courteously and immediately.

I have researched the use of No Triangles across 200 teams – from Fortune 500 companies to school hospitals, government departments and small businesses. From these 200 teams, 100% reported that practice of no triangles improved morale and built respect. It had a significant impact on mental health because people knew that no one would be complaining about them behind their backs.

2. Manage Your Bacon Wars

A major dispute once threatened to shut down the Antarctic station: Should the bacon be cooked soft or crispy? 

Every workplace has its bacon wars. They are seemingly small, irrelevant issues that grate on people but build up until they become distractions and affect productivity. It may be dirty coffee cups; people who are consistently late for meetings; people playing on phones while someone is presenting…they appear to be small offences but in reality, they are usually a symptom of a deeper issue.

For us, it turned out the bacon war was a manifestation of something deep and important: respect between two teams. The diesel mechanics thoughts the scientists were deliberately cooking the bacon the opposite way to irritate them. So the issue wasn’t about bacon, it was about feeling disrespected.

In stressful times, it’s critical to raise and discuss bacon wars early and professionally. Leaders need to identify and resolve the issue fast and not let it fester.

3. Find a Reason to Celebrate

Recognize milestones and important moments. If you don’t have one readily apparent then create one. Find a reason. 

In Antarctica, we celebrated big events but also the smaller successes such as a month without a power blackout, significant scientific data collection or uninterrupted internet access with a fully functioning server.

Usually, it was just a notice on the whiteboard in the dining hall, or a mention at a staff meeting, or a private word to someone - but it was important to find the time to stop and celebrate. Because these moments create momentum. They give a sense of progress, moving forward and getting closer to your outcomes. 

4. Peer Support Is Gold

Leadership can be a lonely road, we must retain a strong boundary between ourselves and our staff. 

I had no one I could talk to about issues on the station. But I did have a peer at one of the other Australian stations. I could phone this Station Leader and explain what was going on with confidence that he would fully understand. He’d call me and I’d have the same empathy.

A peer who understands the challenges of your role; someone you can relate to and can discuss options with is something to foster, nurture and treasure.

5. Respect Trumps Harmony

My expedition team was the most diverse team I’ve ever worked with.  I didn’t recruit them, I was handed them…. We were from vastly different backgrounds, a mix of professional skills including scientists, engineers, IT, trades, pilots and weather specialists. The only generalist role was mine: Station Leader. 

With such a mix of people, it was impractical to think we’d all get along with each other all the time. The interpersonal pressure was intense and privacy was scarce. It would be unreasonable to expect total harmony, so I didn’t. Instead, we aimed for respect. Simple, professional courtesy and respect. 

I have grave concerns for any team that, explicitly or implicitly, strives for harmony at the expense of productivity and respect.  It’s dangerous for three main reasons. Firstly, dysfunctional behavior still continues, it just goes underground so the illusion of harmony remains. Secondly, it stifles innovation. People are often too afraid to put up their hand and offer a different view, or opinion, because they don’t want to rock the harmony boat. Finally, and most importantly a focus on harmony can lead to people getting hurt – physically and mentally. People turn a blind eye to unsafe behavior, and equally people are afraid to put their hand up and say, “I’m not OK right now” and reveal their true feelings in case it disrupts the harmony.

Instead of harmony teams should aim for respect because “respect trumps harmony”, every time.

6. Shine Through the Crisis Spotlight

Right now, every leader is managing through a difficult period.  In Antarctica, I had to manage the search and rescue following a plane crash. We’re drilled on how to manage these events, but what is our leadership role? 

While the context of the crisis will change whether it’s the current pandemic and associated economic downturn, a PR nightmare or the resignation of key staff, the role of the leader remains the same, no matter what the crisis is. Clients and staff must know you’ve got it in hand, and are on their side:
 

• Visibility: be seen about the place. It’s natural to want to bunker down with your leadership team and manage the detail but you need to be front and centre. It’s not enough to be leading, you need to be seen to be leading.
• Verbal Palette: Chose your words with care: during the plane crash I spoke about a retrieval, not a rescue. I had ‘concerns’ but I wasn’t ‘worried’. Different words convey different messages. 
• Composure – make sure your body language mirrors your optimism. Be calm and poised. Carry yourself confidently and it will instill confidence in those around you.
• Communicate – all available information – all the time. If you don’t send regular updates people will fill in the gaps themselves, and often these ‘gap-fillers’ are worse than the reality.

These 6 tools were instrumental in developing a high performing team that operated in an intensely challenging environment.  We built a culture based on respect, we delivered under intense pressure, we maintained strong mental health and most importantly, we negotiated a peaceful resolution to the bacon war.

Rachael Robertson is a Leadership and Teamwork Speaker, Author and Expert. She is the best-selling author of Leading on the Edge – Extraordinary Stories and Leadership Insights From the World’s Most Extreme Workplace. Her latest book, Respect trumps Harmony analyses the business case for diversity. She is an international keynote speaker and has delivered over 1500 presentations – in person and remotely – all around the world. She is an Ambassador for ‘R U OK?’ – a mental health initiative that highlights how a conversation can change a life. She led the 58th Australian expedition to Antarctica and managed a team of 120 people throughout Summer.   Visit www.rachaelrobertson.com  Connect Rachael Robertson Follow @Rachael_Rob