Polly Brennan is a renowned mental fitness coach who has helped not just me but all of my colleagues in TeamTubb. She supports organisations to bring themselves back to a healthier mindset, boosting resilience and wellbeing no matter what comes along.
An Interview With Polly Brennan
What is Mental Fitness and Why is it Important?
When Polly first started her career, the approach to mental health was that it was a shameful medical problem. Today, we’re all a lot more open to talking about mental wellbeing and speaking up when we’re struggling.
“So mental fitness is about your ability to handle life’s challenges with creativity and resilience. Just as with physical fitness we strengthen our muscles, with mental fitness we work to take better care of ourselves. You don’t wait for a heart condition before you look after your cardio health, so this is the same idea.
“And there’s a simple set of things you can do. I ask people to imagine their mental health on a scale. The bottom end is that you can’t get out of bed, and the other is you’re energised and full of purpose and joy. Mental fitness helps you to move up the scale, even when you’re feeling down.”
Polly’s Approach to Mental Fitness
Because Polly’s background was working in the NHS, she’s been able to build her skills and knowledge and apply that to her own business. She explains that the main reason she set out on her own was to help people to avoid burnout.
“I was working with people who’d already hit their lowest point, and came to the NHS to access support services. I saw that if they’d been supported to build resilience, they wouldn’t have hit crisis point. I wanted to help them spot the early warning signs that things weren’t right.
“So my approach is to help people who understand the importance of their mental fitness. That’s often senior leader who want their teams to thrive and realise that they need to be mentally fit first. I work with them to develop their own mental wellbeing roadmap.”
How to Build a More Connected and Motivated Team
It can be difficult to make team members feel connected when they’re working remotely, agrees Polly. She recommends putting things in place so employees know that you’re prioritising their wellbeing. “It can be something simple, like a quick check in to see how they are. And don’t always talk about work – make an effort to get to know each other.
“Show that you remember what they’ve mentioned in the past, whether that’s asking how a project went or a family event. Too often leaders go straight to asking how work is progressing rather than how their people are getting on.
“Give compliments when people have done a good job. Let them feel valued and appreciated. Encourage the team to share successes and celebrate each other’s wins. Do something fun like ‘star of the week’. And recognise when people have demonstrated their resilience. Praise employees as much as you can.”
How a Leader can Spot the Signs of Burnout
When a company is growing and the teams are fast-moving, signs of struggle and potential burnout can be subtle, but so significant, says Polly. And once you know what you’re looking for, there are a lot of red flags.
“They’re often simple things, like someone is subdued or flat. Perhaps someone who’s usually upbeat and jokey is now doing their tasks and not joining in. Often when someone is under pressure they go into ‘over-function mode’ so tasks get done. But of course that’s not sustainable, and they go into ‘under-function’ – burnout.
“Over-functioning is saying yes to everything but missing deadlines because they can’t do everything. People start to miss informal check-ins; they turn up late and leave early; they don’t engage on team calls. As a leader, when you know someone well enough those subtle changes are actually really obvious. And that’s when you can step in to offer support.”
Building a Supportive Culture to Talk About Mental Health
In any business, there are two competing factors at play. First, you want to be a responsible, approachable employer, but there’s still work to be done. But these can be balanced, says Polly, even if tasks need to be reassigned for a while.
“Make it clear to people that when they’re struggling they acknowledge it without shame. Make sure they know they’re not alone and that they can speak to someone they trust to help them recover. And support them to do a mental fitness scan, too. Are they sleeping well, eating properly? Do they feel stuck?
“Encourage them to check in with themselves and consider a circuit breaker like taking time out, delegating a task or setting new boundaries. As a leader, help your team to develop a safety plan so when they start to feel overwhelmed they know what to do to look after themselves.”
How Leaders can Support Their Own Mental Health
The red flags you look out for in your team are the same things you need to be aware of in yourself. And remember, as Polly says, that the challenges you’re facing might not be within your MSP. “It might be that work is spilling into personal time, or you’re supporting a loved one with something hard.
“It’s fine for you to take time out as well, and in fact you should model good behaviour to your staff so they know it’s ok for them to do the same. Yes, as the boss you will sometimes have to work more hours, but don’t lose sight of the reason you started a business in the first place – to manage your own time.
“And if you only have time off at weekends, make sure you still look after yourself. Don’t rush around and overdo things. You want to go back to work on Monday morning feeling refreshed, energised and motivated for the week ahead.”
Why Simplicity and Consistency are Key for Mental Fitness
Sometimes we expect there to be a revolutionary new approach to manage mental health and wellbeing. But really, it’s things we already know. These are simple, says Polly, but we do need to make the effort to apply them.
“These are things that I’ve suggested time and again with people I’ve coached, and they always work. But you also need to find what works best for you, so explore all of the options and choose your favourites.
“That could be meditation, journalling, breathwork, cold showers, a walk or listening to music. The important thing is, once you’ve picked your techniques, stick to them. Consistency makes all the difference, even if it seems hard at first or you feel that you just don’t have the time. You have to make the time.”
Why Anyone can Learn Resilience
The good news is, resilience isn’t something you’re born with. Polly explains: “It’s not a personality. Resilience is the result of a set of practices that people do. Those practices take them from just managing to keep their head above water to people who are at the top of their game.
“It really is that simple. It’s nothing to do with biology and it’s not fixed. Yes, what’s happened in the past influences who were are today, but you can absolutely train yourself to be more resilient in work and at home. You need to develop your own mental fitness plan.
“Develop simple habits that work for you and repeat them over and over. Prioritise your own wellbeing at all times, whatever it looks like for you. The people who I’ve found to be most resilient are proactive about working on themselves and having their roadmap in place. It does take time, so keep at it!”
One Daily Habit for MSP Leaders to Develop Resilience
Polly’s advice for developing your own resilience? “Be intentional about how you go through your day. Think carefully about what you do and how you do it. Stay calm in the chaos and try not to be reactive when a challenge appears. Don’t go onto autopilot and firefight.
“Little practices add up to big differences. One good approach is to bookend your day and being conscious of that. Start your day with a workout, a walk or five minutes of journalling. Commit to that before you check emails, open social media or make a call. Ease into the working day.
“And at the end of the day, let your body know that you’re in relaxation mode. Turn your laptop off and switch off notifications on your phone. Change into comfortable clothes, close the office door, walk around the block. Just do something to change modes.”
How to Connect With Polly Brennan
- Polly’s website: Adventurous Coaching
- Like Adventurous Coaching on Facebook
- Connect with Polly on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to Polly’s YouTube channel
- ***@*****************ng.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>email Polly
How to Connect With Me
- Subscribe to TubbTalk RSS feed
- Subscribe, rate, and review TubbTalk on iTunes
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- Follow TubbTalk on iHeartRadio
- Follow @tubblog_msp on Instagram
Mentioned in This Episode
- Koast Radio
- Richard’s interview on Koast Radio
- Richard’s book: The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide
- Academic: Brené Brown
- Personality profiling: i3 profiling
- Team communication tool: Slack
- Slack polling tool: Geekbot
- Podcast interview with Kevin O’ Laughlin of Nostra IT
- Podcast interview with Dray Aga of Huntress
- Free download: five first steps for MSP owners noticing mental strain
- Speaker and author: Karl Palachuk
- Podcast interview with Nigel Moore of The Tech Tribe
- Podcast interview with Dan Scott of Evolve/IT Nation
- Polly’s online on demand mental fitness programme: Adventure Map
- Polly’s membership: The Adventure Club
- Logi Firewalking
- Performing circus: Let’s Circus
- Comedian: Cal Halbert
- Book: Bob Burg: The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
- Book: Bill Perkins: Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life
- Book: Hugh van Cuylenburg: The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness Through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness
- Book: Belinda Kirk: Adventure Revolution: The life-changing power of choosing challenge
- Book: Brené Brown: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
- Brené Brown leadership programme: Dare to Lead
- Connected Coaching Northeast
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Richard Tubb is one of the best-known experts within the global IT Managed Service Provider (MSP) community. He launched and sold his own MSP business before creating a leading MSP media and consultancy practice. Richard helps IT business owner’s take back control by freeing up their time and building a business that can run without them. He’s the author of the book “The IT Business Owner’s Survival Guide” and writer of the award-winning blog www.tubblog.co.uk
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