TiQi leaders recognize that burnout and quiet quitting signal serious issues in organizational culture and leadership. As “guardians for love,” we take proactive steps to nourish team members’ well-being and reignite their passion.
1. Connecting, Caring, Listening, and Acting
TiQi leaders make concerted efforts to deeply connect with, care for, listen to, and act upon insights from their teams. We apply a trauma-informed lens to all we do, so we are ever-attuned to the physiology of our team embers and other stakeholders.
We engage with team members regularly through channels like one-on-one meetings, roundtables, anonymous surveys, and open office hours. Frequent interactions demonstrate genuine interest in their experiences. Actively listening without judgement is crucial. We create psychological safety so everyone feels comfortable voicing concerns, dissenting opinions, uncomfortable truths, and suggestions. Even if we ask team members to first voice “possible dissent” from another’s perspective, this helps surface latent issues, potential issues, and paves the way for people to feel more comfortable voicing their opposing views and concerns down the line.
Caring means ensuring workloads are manageable, checking in on obstacles, removing blockers, and making ourselves available to help problem-solve. We also show care through small acts of kindness and celebrating achievements.
Once insights are gained, timely actions matter. We advocate for team needs across the organization, remove unnecessary red tape, and implement ideas. Following through on promises and commitments builds trust.
Connecting authentically, listening compassionately, caring deeply and acting decisively describe our leadership approach. We hold space for humanity in all its complexity, meet people where they are, and support their highest potential.
By continually elevating each voice, understanding struggles, nurturing spirits and making improvements, TiQi leaders demonstrate their dedication is to service and stewardship. Our teams’ needs come first.
This ethos of lead to serve, not to control, underscores that TiQi leadership isn’t about seat authority. It’s about expanding capacity, catalyzing human potential, and guiding others to shine for themselves and the world.
2. Balancing Healthy Urgency and Joyful Engagement
Balancing performance with sustainability, we advocate for reasonable workloads and self-care. Breaks and rest periods are essential to avoid fatigue. We set ambitious yet achievable goals collaboratively. The right equilibrium combines healthy urgency with joyful engagement in meaningful work. We aim for motivated focus, not stressful strain. Urgency is emphasized through clear (mutually agreed) deadlines, aligning priorities (e.g. our next tactical objectives) to strategic goals, and defining accountabilities. Constraining time creates focus and fuels action. For example, Scrum teams work within self-constrained timeboxes called sprints. The team commits to a sprint goal and is accountable for achieving this goal within the stated timeframe. The team gets to establish a sustainable, comfortable pace for performing their work.
TiQi leaders are attuned to whether urgency is energizing or exhausting for their teams based on factors like:
- Workload balance
- Availability of resources
- Clarity of objectives
- Psychological safety
We also watch for signs of burnout like cynicism, listlessness and deteriorating performance.
By blending care and compassion with accountability and action, TiQi leaders are attuned to their team’s productive drive and towards delivery while retaining a nurturing culture where everyone can thrive.
As a PMO Director, I would have every single team member watch this:
3. Nurturing Positivity, Growth, and an Uplifting Culture
TiQi leaders actively nurture workplace positivity, continuous growth, and an uplifting culture aligned to our guiding principles.
We celebrate milestones, praise efforts, and look for genuine opportunities to recognize achievements. Humor and levity have an important place when appropriate. Our language and behaviors consistently reinforce people’s value. This positivity fuels engagement and morale.
Also, as TiQi Leaders our 3-FOLD MISSION is to:
- amplify love
- call back to love that which has become unaligned
- be a guarding for love
This post is a mix off all three, but written with the intent of being the good steward, the guardian, the protector. When we think about amplifying love: Investing in team members’ professional and personal growth never stops. We provide mentorship, learning resources, new challenges, and skills training. Collaboratively mapping growth plans helps uncover talents and strengths to optimize role alignment. But we are not the one to ever force someone into a role or career path. Take the cue from people like Craig Handley (author of Hired to Quit, Inspired to Stay), who are literally hiring people and saying you’re hired and we are training you to quit. Read that again: You’re you’re hired and we are training you to quit. Craig Handley says, “My dream is to build a world-class call center, it’s not theirs.” And guess what? His turnover decreased 20%. Why? Because his employees feel supported in their dreams, and are happier and inspired to stay.
An uplifting culture stems from feeling valued, respected, heard, and cared for. We foster psychological safety to encourage speaking up. Needs are addressed with compassion; struggles met with support, not blame.
This trauma-informed approach calls distress back to love through understanding and healing. We onboard new members into a community of openness, belonging, and mutual dedication to excellence. When positivity, development, and an uplifting culture intersect, teams flourish. People align their inner spark of human spirit with worldly purpose. They lean into growth with excitement and urgency.
By championing continuous improvement and uplifting human potential, TiQi leaders inspire teams to reach for what previously seemed impossible. With care, sky’s the limit.
4. Supporting Holistic Wellness and Balance
TiQi leaders champion holistic wellness spanning 8 dimensions: emotional, physical, intellectual, spiritual, vocational, social, environmental, and financial dimensions. We view team members not merely as workers, but whole humans with diverse wellness needs. Together we define ideal states across all dimensions and map traction versus distraction from these goals. When aspects are at odds, like financial versus spiritual wellness, we have candid conversations to find creative solutions. There are always synergies to uncover.
Flexible environments allow tailoring to individual rhythms and energy levels. We provide space for reflection, creativity, learning, and connecting with purpose. Carefully balancing stimulation and restoration prevents fatigue. We advocate for rejuvenating breaks and reasonable workloads that honor sustainability. By promoting regular check-ins on holistic well-being, TiQi leaders help uncover obstacles early before frustration sets in. We brainstorm improvements and celebrate milestones.
This bird’s eye yet personalized approach allows us to see each member’s humanity and nurture their highest potential. When we invest in their whole person, they invest their whole selves in service.
5. Being It
Walking the talk, TiQi leaders model healthy boundaries, continual learning, and commitment to excellence and purpose. Our passion is infectious when we love what we do.
As a leader, you set the tone and culture for your team. If you’re stressed, overworked, and burned out, your team will likely follow suit. That’s why it’s critical for TiQi leaders to lead by example when it comes to preventing burnout. By modeling healthy boundaries, genuine passion for meaningful work,
and commitment to inspired action, you can create an energizing and uplifting environment for your team. What this looks like:
- Showing true passion, motivation, and excitement (no faking!!!!)
- Doing great, inspired work
- Setting healthy boundaries
- Standing up for your values
- Being the change you wish to see
TiQi leaders walk the talk when it comes to preventing burnout by embodying the very attitudes and behaviors they aim to cultivate in their teams. We showcase genuine passion and excitement for their work, taking time to explain the deeper purpose and meaning behind projects. This helps the team stay focused on their shared purpose and connect more deeply to it. We prioritize and protect time for inspired work. This might mean incorporating the DREAM Coaching approach. We undertake work that that aligns with our values, and we’re modeling strong boundaries and avoidance of unnecessary busywork.
We advocate for principles of wellness, diversity, inclusion and holistic balance, giving team members permission to also state and stand up for their needs. By leading by example in these ways, TiQi
leaders set the tone for an energized yet sustainable culture, empowering their teams to find inspiration and avoid burnout. Their mindset and actions ripple through the organization, as they live out the balanced leadership approach they wish to see. TiQi leaders know that lasting change starts with them.
By addressing well-being holistically, giving voice, co-creating solutions, fostering growth, and leading through service, TiQi leaders uplift teams to envision the extraordinary. Purpose unified with care is the antidote to detachment and burnout. Rather than accountability through control, we champion the generation of shared objectives, we provide support, understanding, and compassion. As one heart connected to many, we hold space for all members to unleash their brilliance.