Supportive teams at Qantas

Supportive teams and looking after one another at Qantas

March 2015

Aims of the day:

Unpacking common work related problems, handling tricky conversations, dealing with difficult emotions and mental health issues and relating this to female empowerment etc…

Success/Blurb:

A great eye-opener on how small tweaks in our own self-care can make a big impact. A questions from a few at the end was: How do I actually look after myself and what can I do to support my colleagues?

Conclusion : a lot of questions around emotional resilient . Tips shared on self-care and maintaining balance. A very open-minded audience keen to learn more.

Supportive teams and looking after one another at Qantas

Teams are only as good as the players that are in them. They don’t need to all be the ‘best’ at what they do, but they do need to know how to work together as a cohesive unit. Personalities need to mesh and performance balanced to bring out the best in everyone. Most importantly successful teams need great leaders who can provide guidance, motivation and unity to the team.

In an outcome driven environment this can be a tricky thing to balance. Learning to handle hard conversations, dealing with difficult emotions and mental health issues are all tasks that are traditionally masculine based.

So the question is, how do we encourage empowerment, and in particular female empowerment to ensure that teams are supportive and working to the same goal?

Female empowerment is about understanding your true purpose. Once you know your purpose and vision, decision making becomes clear and decisive. Small tweaks in our own self care and understanding can make a big impact not only on your personal life, but your corporate one too.

At a recent Qantas event that I spoke at, I was encouraged by the questions relating to this last point. What exactly can you do to improve your own self care and most interestingly, what can you do to help others in your team to do the same? And how does this relate to female empowerment?

Simply being aware of this need to gift yourself time and space is the greatest step you can make towards female empowerment. Being emotionally resilient and cognisant of the need to acknowledge the past and how you can change in the future will hold you in good stead.

It’s just like the safety instruction that you receive before flying. Make sure your oxygen mask is fitted correctly first, and then help others. By ensuring you are in the right space mentally and emotionally, you will then be able to encourage others in your team to do the same. So by embracing female empowerment you can foster the development of supportive teams that look out for each other professionally and personally.