Leadership advice/how do you cope when you're the one looking after everyone else?
Hi, new to the group and recently diagnosed with two relapses in the last 3 months. Anyway I am a CEO of a charity with 70 employees. Struggling to find any resources or guidance on how you cope when you are the "Employer". Today I've had one member of staff complain that when I told some of the team I hadn't been as available because I've had an MS relapse "it felt unplanned and some people were upset" and another signed of sick with stress because I've not been available to support them enough. Just finished work and can feel my stress levels increase and my symptoms worsen. How do you cope when people look to you to be the person who solves their issues? I know I've failed my team.
Ah this is tricky. I noticed you’re newly diagnosed, sorry to hear that. Guilt is such an underestimated factor in ms. I don’t think you’re going to beat it easily… Im so sad that your staff have behaved like this, it’s a reaction like this is why I no longer tell my staff beyond the top team that I have ms. Thanks to covid, they know I’m immunosuppressed and have to take time off for treatment - but I let the rumour mill run around why… reconciling the long term implications of ms is for you to deal with and not them… In terms of what helped me. I upskilled 3 members of staff - between them they can cover my role - they do it without asking and step up when I’m not there. Having them around has helped a lot with resilience and we do better as a whole…. I’d also try and get that staff member who’s gone off sick due to you being off sacked. They sound like a headache and you deserve better 😅
Are they salaried employees or volunteers ? If they each receive a salary then you need to get them in line. I assume you have some leads/managers, maybe segregate some groups via their area of responsibility’s and give the leads some wiggle room to direct. The notion of any sort of pushback from them is ridiculous and a terrible attitude which should be come down on like a tonne of bricks. If they are volunteers then the incentive isn’t readily available and besides telling the bad apples they are not required I am not sure of the way forward.