Operational Empowerment
Mental Health and Resilience Scholarships
Mental Fitness
January/February 2023
Kate Flory of Kapow Coaching
New for this year was our Mental Fitness scholarship, and we had 2 scholars take part in this Positive Intelligence Mental Fitness programme, run by experienced leadership trainer and certified Mental Fitness Coach Kate Flory of Kapow Coaching.
With hospitality being such a busy, fast paced and often stressful working environment, improving and protecting employees mental health is an important issue.
Kate said: “Building our physical fitness is something that is familiar to most people. However, it’s only recently that building our Mental Fitness and taking time to ensure that we are resilient, happy, stress-free, and working to our best mental abilities have become a shared focus.
“80% of people score below the minimum level of mental fitness required for peak performance and happiness, so teaching people how to shift from a negative to a positive mindset, to tame their inner critics and be back in control of their minds can only help a business.
“It’s all about fitness of the mind. You can go from feeling under pressure and anxious or with no-sense of direction to finding more ease-and-flow as well as a clearer purpose and focus.”
This programme was designed by Shirzad Chamine, author of Positive Intelligence and is uniquely delivered on your phone. Kate supports the PQ Pods in a weekly group coaching session, diving deeper into the material and relating it back to work and home challenges, helping Pod members to move from a negative to a positive mindset before working on how they can support those around them. Each week you go deeper into the science of your brain and better understand the impact a negative mindset has on your relationships, how you are effective at work as well as your stress levels. You get to know your inner top critics, your saboteurs, and learn tools to tap into your inner coach. You learn how to put your mental fitness into practice for you and those around you.
Joanne Wilson, Braehead Foods
Joanne Wilson, Credit Controller, Braehead Foods said:
“When I decided on the Mental Fitness Scholarship I wasn't sure what to expect but was excited to see where it would take me. I found the course challenging as I have never been good at looking at myself, critiquing but also praising myself. Although as the course progressed, I felt my mindset shifting and I felt myself becoming more positive with how I dealt with and reacted to situations.
“At the time of the scholarship starting, I was in the middle of changing role at work and I feel that it definitely made the transition easier. It also helped me step out of my comfort zone and have the confidence to progress my Mental Health journey as I had previously undertaken the Mental Health First Aider course, and I have since taken part in a Suicide First Aider course through my local council. If I hadn't been doing the scholarship, I don't think I would have been in the right head space to put myself forward for that.
“It was a really interesting 8 weeks, and Kate was a great tutor. The small group allowed for plenty of interaction and relationships to develop as we supported each other on our journey. I would definitely recommend the scholarship to others!”
Pauline Hutchison, Breakfast Manager, Doubletree by Hilton Queensferry Crossing said:
“I have been in hospitality for years, and was delighted to get this opportunity to learn about an area that is really important for hospitality, as it is such a people industry. I feel that after this course I have a better understanding of how my mind works, the areas that I should be focusing on, and the areas I shouldn’t be focusing on! I learned about my 2 main saboteurs, I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist and a pleaser, but things don’t need to be perfect, and it’s ok to say no! I think this course will really help me with communication and relationships at work, and I’ve really enjoyed learning about this topic.”
If this sounds like a programme that could benefit you, watch out for this opportunity again later in the year when the scholarships re-open.
Resilience Training 2022
Katy Jones - Groups, Conference & Events Manager at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian
With an aim to provide leaders in the hospitality industry with the tools to support their workforce and their mental wellbeing, HIT Scotland teamed up with Hospitality Health to offer a range of Mental Health and Wellbeing Courses, fully funded by the Scottish Government’s Tourism Recovery Fund through Skills Development Scotland.
One of the courses co-ordinated by Hospitality Health was the half day Resilience Training delivered by Heather Smith from Motivate, Inspire, Develop. This interactive workshop focused on 7 top tips for building resilience, with simple practices that will help to look after your mental health and wellbeing, and give you the ability to tackle the stresses of everyday life, more effectively.
Gordon McIntyre, from Hospitality Health, explains the importance of Resilience Training and the benefits that this type of course brings to an individual and an organisation within Hospitality:
“Resilience training is so important at operator level in the industry as it has become a more stressful business than it was prior to the pandemic. Staff need to be supported in being able to cope with the ups and downs of both work and personal life. This course has provided them with tools and strategies to manage a positive outlook. The benefits are wide ranging to the individual; they will have a more positive outlook each day they wake up, for work and importantly for personal time too. In addition, the business should see a decrease in sick days from the team. The team will become stronger as individuals and also, as a team, will be more cohesive especially in stressful situations.”
We caught up with one of the participants, Katy Jones, who is a Groups, Conference & Events Manager at Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - The Caledonian. Katy shared her experience of taking part in this Resilience Training course, and the ways in which she intends to apply her learnings throughout her everyday life and within her workplace.
Why did you apply for the Resilience Training and what did you expect?
“I applied for the training to ensure I had some good skills and methods to use with my team in the run up to our peak-season, especially with a number of new team members joining our team and following the easing of restrictions over the last two years.”
How would you summarise your learning experience?
“It was a great introduction to a number of new approaches and ways of thinking in regards to different personalities and learning styles. The course was varied in content which kept it interesting. Heather was really friendly and engaging, and offered a number of personal experiences to make everyone feel comfortable, and created a safe space for all to share.”
What was the highlight of your experience?
“Hearing other hospitality professionals’ experiences and observations, and also being given the tools to comprehend how vastly different everyone’s experiences have been over the last two years, as well as how to best accommodate these experiences as a manager.”
How will you apply your resilience experience at work and what was your most important lesson?
“I think the most important lesson that I learnt was to ensure that your team feels both trusted and supported by you.”
What is one thing that you will never forget about this workshop experience?
“Frequent and genuine reaffirmation, however big or small, can make a huge difference to someone.”
In your opinion, how will this workshop and the 7 resilience tips benefit your organisation as a whole?
“By both applying and leading by example, we can build a strong overall team at the hotel and ensure we are ready to go into peak-season again.”
Would you recommend taking part in a Mental Health training course? And if so, why?
“Absolutely – I don’t think there is enough overall understanding of different personalities in the workplace, and that it is such a simple concept that can make a huge difference to how we all work together.”
At HIT Scotland, we are passionate about working with organisations across Scotland, to provide the tools and opportunities to support people working in hospitality, by offering these courses and learning experiences to broaden the skills and knowledge of the outstanding industry workforce. Find out more about our courses and scholarships and how they can help you and your business flourish.
Some more feedback about the Building Resilience course:
“Heather was lovely and really engaging, and appreciated the personal approach when using examples. I have set up a "Brag and dump book", and we will use an egg timer to give staff 5 minutes out of the business, when they need it. We will also take the phone off the hook for 5 minutes when required.”
Lisa Sainsbury - Owner, The Whistlefield Inn