Wellness, And Starting With The End In Mind

Hey everyone,

As we at the Delforge Group look at ‘wellness’ over the next few weeks, I thought I’d take a look at what Wellness means and how starting with the end in mind might help you and your people achieve this.

The term Wellness is used to describe lots of different things these days and as with everything, there are a number of different definitions. However, there does seem to be a consensus that it’s far more than being just okay; it’s more than just passively accepting that everything’s all right – it’s an active pursuit of physical, mental and social (or spiritual) wellbeing.

For me, this issue of being active rather than passive is a really important one, and one that reaches across many areas of business and leadership. Take for example, being clear about what outcomes you’re looking for in any given business setting; the setting of Aims and Objectives. Although often informally, we regularly set Aims and Objectives for many different sets of circumstances – including of course when we meet with members of staff at work (well, personnel IS my thing!).

And as leaders, it’s crucial for us to understand what the difference between an Aim and an Objective is.

A good way to look at it is that the Aim sits above the Objective (or Objectives), and describes what you’re trying to achieve, albeit in relatively general terms.

The Objectives though are the specifics – clear measurable statements of how you are going to achieve your Aim.

So, let’s link this back to Wellness and look at a hypothetical example – if you were looking to set up a Wellness programme for your team, what might its Aim and Objectives look like?

Well, the general Aim might be something like:

• “To develop and implement a Wellness programme for the benefit of our people AND our business.”

The specific, measurable Objectives however, might look something like:

• “For all staff members to provide feedback about what looking after Wellness in the workplace might look like by the end of November 2021.”

• “To publish a draft Wellness schedule for consultation by all staff members by the 14 th December 2021.”

• “To implement a Wellness programme for all staff members by the 10 th January 2022, to include headings of Physical, Mental and Social (or Spiritual).”

• “To hold a team meeting and review Wellness in the workplace on the first Friday of every month.”

As I say, only examples, but you’ll see that by including exactly what you’re going to do and by when, you can measure whether an Objective has been completed – and remember, each Objective needs to contribute towards your Aim.

So, let’s summarise today’s blog, as I do go on a bit :-) ….

Whether it’s Wellness-related or not, be really clear about what you want the outcome to be when dealing with workplace matters and issues; yes, start with the end in mind.

To do that:

1. Describe your end in mind by turning it into a more general, but succinct Aim

2. Set Objectives – be clear about the specifics that you and your team will do to achieve your Aim, and when they will be done

3. Always build in a review to check that you’re achieving what you set out to.

Aim – Objectives – Review

And that’s it for today. Here at the Delforge Group you will find a subject matter expert to help you, no matter what your query. If you’d like to speak further about any of the issues raised in today’s blog, or indeed anything else, you can find our contact details here.

Thanks all! See you next time.

Jon

Jon BACK

Head of Personnel – The Delforge Group