Leading a team is challenging enough without health issues affecting the workplace. Today, Linda is joined by author, speaker, and influencer Beth Caldwell. Beth is a prolific author, having written over ten books on leadership, success, and inspiration, and is more than equipped to tell us how to navigate physical and emotional health issues when they impact the workplace.

But first, who is Beth?

• Beth is the founder of Leadership Academy for Women, a leadership program that arose from her disappointment with the textbook-based approach of traditional leadership programs. 
• At the Leadership Academy for Women, experienced women leaders are the teachers, whether it’s a class about confidence, negotiation, or anything in between.

How to empower team members when they struggle with mental or physical health issues:

• We don’t need a pandemic to experience mental health issues, but the pandemic definitely brought the problem to light.
• Beth’s secret to empowering her team members? Be authentic, be truthful, and be realistic.

How can you handle events as a leader when a team member has an issue?

• Beth’s main advice: Don’t turn their vulnerability into your own story. You’re not being empathetic; you’re dumping even more onto their shoulder.
• Nobody likes awkward emotions. But in the workplace, an uncomfortable emotion is never going to last more than a minute. When someone breaks down in a professional setting, let the person compose themselves within that minute.
• One of Beth’s favorite sayings of transition: This being the case, how shall we proceed? This is a way to talk about a difficult situation with no emotions or judgments. 
• Be realistic in goal setting; create a timeline that allows for illnesses and unfortunate events.

How does Beth overcome interruptions in her work?

• Women are more likely to have coworkers or bosses step past the boundaries they’ve set for themselves.
• Beth has her phone ringer off at all times and reduces her email inbox notifications to once per hour because she wants to be fully present in what she’s doing.
• Beth closes her door with a sign that says “recording in progress,” which gives her team time to solve their own problems. 
• If someone does ask her for help, she either asks them to come back another time or asks that person, “tell me what you’ve tried.” 

To get in contact with Beth, connect with her on LinkedIn and visit her website https://www.coachbethcaldwell.com/. 

Do you have stories to tell? Connect with Linda to share them. This podcast is produced by TSE Studios. Check out other podcasts by TSE Studios, including this episode’s sponsor, The Sales Evangelist, helping new and struggling sellers close more deals and achieving their sales goals.

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