Everything appears so gloomy, cloudy, and devoid of hope nowadays, right? And it has nothing to do with a sky covered in clouds and temperatures approaching zero. It's simply that you, the CEO or C-Level executive, have been unable to persuade your financial team to endorse that crucial financial investment needed to steer your company back on track. Or you are the executive coach of the company, and you are struggling to help your coachees make conclusive decisions that could result in a definitive change in their behavior and career paths.
As the CEO, doubts may arise about your own risk analysis capacity, or as the coach, you may begin to consider that perhaps your GROW model is not as effective as you initially thought. This could be the reason, but then again, it might not be. In business, as in most aspects of life, everything must be viewed in context. The context you may be facing in the coming months until the beginning of spring could be influenced by Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD.
SAD is a type of depression that occurs at a specific time of the year, typically during the fall and winter months when there is less natural sunlight, and it improves with the change of season. However, for some people, it may be suffered during the summer. According to the DSM-V, SAD is a variant of major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern, and the main symptoms include:
- Feeling sad or having a depressed mood.
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite; usually eating more, craving carbohydrates.
- Change in sleep; usually sleeping too much.
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue despite increased sleep hours.
- Decrease in purposeless physical activity; lack of exercise.
- Feeling worthless or guilty.
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions.
- Thoughts of death or suicide.
While the exact cause of SAD is not entirely clear, several factors may contribute to its development:
- Serotonin Levels. Reduced exposure to natural sunlight during the winter can lead to decreased serotonin levels in the brain, associated with depressive symptoms.
- Melatonin Regulation Altered melatonin production and release in people with SAD can disrupt their sleep-wake cycle.
- Biological and Circadian Rhythms. SAD may be related to disruptions in the body's internal biological clock, triggering depressive symptoms and disrupting sleep-wake cycles.
- Vitamin D Deficiency. Reduced sunlight during winter can lead to lower vitamin D levels, contributing to SAD by affecting brain function and mood regulation.
- Genetic Factors. Genetic causes may play a role in a person's predisposition to SAD.
- Environmental and Psychological Factors. Stress, lifestyle, and environmental influences can contribute to SAD.
But why is it important for you as an executive or coach to understand to some degree what SAD is and what it brings with it? SAD can significantly impact employees' productivity and general well-being during the holiday season. For example:
- Risk Aversion Behavior and Decision Making. Individuals suffering from SAD may display risk aversion behaviors impacting financial and audit decisions. According to research SAD patients had stronger inclination for safe choices during the winter than individuals not suffering from SAD
- Learning, Memory, and Information Processing. People with SAD symptoms may exhibit a detriment in information processing, memory and learning, impacting productivity in an organizational context.
So, what can you ask yourself, your team, or your coachee that may help you deal with the issue at hand?
- Does your team's financial risk aversion during this time of the year vary compared to the rest of the year?
- Is your team or coachee more reluctant than usual to make decisions or finding it harder to perform information analysis and make decisions?
- How would you describe their overall mood and energy levels during different seasons, especially during the fall and winter months?
- Can you identify specific patterns in their decision-making process that coincide with seasonal changes?
- Are there certain times of the year when decision-making feels more challenging or when hesitation is more prevalent?
- Have you observed shifts in their motivation and goal-setting during the winter months compared to other seasons?
- Are there any recurrent thoughts or concerns that tend to surface during the colder months, influencing their decision-making process?
- How do they typically manage stress and pressure during the winter, and do you notice any differences in their ability to handle challenges compared to other seasons?
- Have you sought support or implemented any strategies to address the potential impact of seasonal affective disorder on their decision-making?
- How can you work together to develop strategies that align with your or their goals, considering the seasonal variations in their well-being?
The answers to these questions may help you to have a clearer picture of your context and provide you with some of the information that you may need to develop a concrete strategy to organizationally deal with the SAD among your team and coachees, either if it is by implementing wellness initiatives, employee assistance programs, or developing mental health training programs at the workplace.
For more information about SAD you may read: This is Your Portfolio on Winter: Seasonal Affective Disorder and Risk Aversion in Financial Decision Making, Seasonal affective disorder and audit quality, Cognitive Impairments in Patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder
