Both within and outside the world of sports, COVID-19 has impacted mental health in ways that demand introspection and action. On the most recent episode of “SBJ Unpacks: Weathering COVID-19,” our Bill King speaks with Human Advantage management consultant Dale Caldwell to discuss techniques that help navigate a time of unprecedented, wide-spread stress.
On ways to lessen the psychological burden of COVID-19
Caldwell: One of the best things that we find helpful is if you recognize that you’re not alone. … Other people are going through that. You know the old saying “misery loves company,” there’s some truth to that. It’s also to become aware of self-sabotage. 'I’m eating a pint of ice cream everyday just to deal with this.' That’s not good, that’s not healthy. … Then you begin to think about the good things in your life. Instead of saying my life is just horrible, you start to realize ‘I’m spending more time with my parents than I would have or my (child) than I would.’ There’s some good things about that. One of the best panaceas is helping others.
On translating your mindset of awareness to positive steps to find success in day-to-day life
Caldwell: It’s one thing to be aware. … I’m a big tennis guy. I can be aware that my backhand needs work, but I’ve got to do something about it. I can’t just be aware about it. The success mode is really beginning to implement some solutions to my problems. To begin to think about, ‘All right, what are the problems. I’m aware of them. How do I improve? What do I need to do to do that?’ That improvement could be volunteering some time, giving some time. Exercising more. … Seeking out positive information. Instead of reveling in the negative, really go out of your way to find positive information to find out what’s good out there.
On leadership skills required to pull a team closer together during a time when face-to-face interaction is limited:
Caldwell: The good leaders, the 21st century leaders, the pandemic leaders are the ones that understand the little touches that apply differently to different people. … A good boss is going to say, ‘Dale, you’re trying to work on your bass guitar. How are you doing?’ Those little things (are useful), because there’s a humanity about this. It’s not about the work. It’s really about the people. One of the things that I’ve always said is technology has made people more important than ever, and this time is really highlighting that. We can fly around the world, but we have trouble getting along as people. What we need to do is really become better at this human interaction.
