Hannah Rock

Vulnerability = Connection

Tuesday 12th Mar

Reach does amazing work in Australia running targeted- youth led programs aimed at promotion, prevention and early intervention of mental health in young people.

I work for Retail Prodigy Group and as a business we have partnered with Reach to support their work in helping the youth of Australia. Here’s why I have decided to get amongst the Very Uncomfortable Challenge;

 

Working in retail a huge portion of our teams are made up of young people.

Every day we rely on our teams to support our goal of providing the Ultimate Customer Experience. To show up and show Care, Energy and Accountability. We want them to be open to feedback from their coaches and to Coach their teammates, and lastly to Innovate- to bring their bigger and better ideas to the table and help us Break Barriers. 

I’m really passionate about our Blueprint. Not only has it helped to shape my idea of customer service and pave the way for my career in retail, but it actually helped me a lot through my self-development journey as a 20-something with not-so-great mental health. Having clear values I could relate and align to, helped me tap into my authentic self- to understand what was important to me and give me a sense of purpose.

I’ve been working for RPG since I was 20 and its safe to say my managers have probably seen the worst of me through the last 7 years- having struggled with many of my own mental health challenges as well as watching as some of my closest friends and family members suffer.

I wouldn’t be where I am without the support and advice of my managers I’ve had along the way and it’s for this exact reason I do what I do.

 

Throughout own management journey, it took me a while to realise that it was not only OK for me to be vulnerable with my team but it was necessary. I learnt that you can’t have consistent high performance without strong team culture, and that the key to strong culture was the ability to be able to connect with and trust your team.
It started with me being open. How could I be kind to my team if I couldn’t be kind to myself? I learnt that I didn’t need to be always be strong or ‘show face’ at work.

When I opened up to my team and let them know how I was feeling and what I was struggling with, they had a better understanding of why I was acting the way I was at work, they wanted to help me. Turns out a bit of extra help releases a lot of pressure.

 

The reality is that this journey was Very Uncomfortable!! Its taken me over 3 years to learn the art of being open, but this process has allowed me to have more empathy and understanding for my team. I am a better communicator- in and out of work and more importantly, through expressing my own vulnerability it has allowed them to do the same with me. I only hope it gives them the confidence to continue this with their own teams- keeping the cycle alive.

 

Your team should know its OK to not be OK, and the reality is that can be really, really hard being a young person. The best we can do is attempt to support in the way we know how. I challenge you to reflect on your own vulnerability- how do you think you demonstrate this in your everyday and work life and how does it impact your role as a leader, teammate, friend or partner? Maybe even thinking about it is Very Uncomfortable… how do you think your young person feels?

 

I would love for your support in raising money for Reach to continue their work in delivering transformative experiences for youth- anything counts!

 

Thank you in advance,

Hannah 😊

 

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