I do my little turn on the catwalk.

On the catwalk. 

Yeah. 

(Right Said Fred anyone? Or did I just age myself?)

Oh wait, wrong kind of modelling. 

At the end of every workshop I like to leave time for reflection.  This past week, during the reflection of a leadership session, the common theme our leaders recognized as *needs improvement*  was modelling healthy behaviour. 

Encouraging staff to take breaks but closing their own office doors and working through lunches.  Answering - and sending - emails at all hours of the day and any day of the week.  Not slowing down during vacation.  Never truly taking the time to disconnect. 

But then wondering why employees don’t listen to their encouragement to take breaks.  Hearing the boss say one thing but do another, sends mixed signals. 

Does the boss actually want me to take a break? Or are they tallying some secret score chart for who actually works through lunch? Do they just SAY I shouldn’t answer emails on weekends, but then send them during off hours as some kind of test?  Do I lose points when I don’t answer? 

Bob from accounting ALWAYS answers no matter what time of day. And NEVER takes a lunch break.  The boss must have him on some fast track to the top. 

The sad thing is that in many workplaces, Bob from accounting really is celebrated for this unbalanced working style.  

Based on the conversations I participated in this week, however, this is NOT what the leaders want.  They genuinely do want their employees to take breaks and disconnect on weekends.  After some discussion, they realized that they have to practice what they preach. 

It kind of reminds me how I will yell at my kids to JUST BE NICE ALREADY and then wonder why they respond with questionable attitudes… and yell at each other. 

I know it’s not rocket science but I think that until we truly take the time to stop and reflect, it’s hard to recognize that sometimes our behaviour is not helping us achieve the desired result. 

So what can you do? 

Actually take lunch and coffee breaks. 

Disconnect when you’re away from the office as frequently as possible. 

Create and implement a break schedule for the staff - AND yourself. 

Create a cozy, inviting area where people will actually want to hang out on break times. 

Be approachable. When people stop by your office, stop what you are doing, don’t look at your phone or computer, give them your undivided attention. 

Take time to get to know people you work with.  Learn their birthdays, kids names, favourite movies.  Building solid relationships is certainly modelling healthy behaviour! And it comes with the added bonus of building trust, respect and camaraderie among the team.

If you were to take a look in the mirror, would you see someone who is modelling healthy behaviour?