CIOReview | | 19 MARCH 2022CIO INSIGHTSSTEP IN, STEP UP, OR STEP OFF!By Douglas Duncan, Chief Information Officer,Columbia Insurance GroupPeople are struggling. Even those who have a stable job with good health insurance, live in a safe neighborhood, and have a family support mechanism still have challenges to their Three E's - Economic, Emotional, and Environmental well-being.Every day can seem like a roller-coaster ride. Maybe you are forced to work from home amidst bored kids, barking dogs, inadequate Internet service, and endless video calls. Maybe you are forced to come into the office even though you do not feel it is safe. This takes a toll on your emotional balance, impacting your work, health, and social interactions. Maybe the economic turmoil, the political uncertainty, the safety of your neighborhood, the difficulty of schooling, or the constant stream of bad news about global issues weigh you down. These challenges create stress and make life more difficult. In a work environment, whose job is it to fix the problem? While everyone must take primary responsibility for their own well-being, it is the business leadership that must take action to foster an effective work environment. Our leaders must either step in, step up, or step off.STEPPING IN"Stepping in" is about caring. It is easy for a leader to say work is work, and home life is your own problem. True leaders understand work decisions will affect home life and visa versa. How can leaders step into the issues they are facing yet retain a professional working relationship?· Listen to what your people are saying. If someone frequently comments or jokes about an issue, it is probably a real issue. · Listen to what people are not saying. The non-verbal aspects of communication, which are more challenging to understand when not in person, can hold the most significant part of the communication. Without that understanding, how can you lead effectively?· All leaders must be people-persons in some way. If you struggle with relating to people, then work twice as hard to do so because a lack of connecting with people or lack of empathy for the challenges they are facing at work and home is a recipe for failure.STEPPING UP"Stepping up" is about ownership. It requires a leader to focus on more than data points. Focusing on current production output, stock prices, recent profits, or new expenses is critical for running a sustainable business, but just
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