Leading Across the Gap: Prioritizing Leadership, Performance and Mental Wellness in High Pressure Environments

Mainstage: AHF FISH Talks | 10:00-11:15 AM | CEUs: 1.25

Speakers: Chef Jasmine Parks-Papadopoulos (CHOW) | Lisa Shoopman (Baptist Health) | Anne Phillips (Baptist Health) | Jess Legge (Sifted) | Annemarie Vaupel (Hormel Foods) (Moderator)

In today’s high pressure environments foodservice workers and leaders are facing an increasingly complex web of stressors. Leaders are working to protect their own mental health and fight burnout while having the added pressure to keep their teams happy, healthy, and high performing. All this while being told that they need to do more with less. AHF’s FISH Talks are a series of short TED -talk style presentations focused on a themed topic.

This year we are focusing on mental health, wellness, and performance in healthcare and senior dining foodservice. Join us as we explore topics such as teams in crisis, high performance teams, mental health, and wellness, LGBTQIA+ topics and gender affirming care. Then continue these critical conversations with your peers during the break and throughout the conference.

10:00-10:15 am – FISH Talk 1: Mastering Resilience: Protecting Your Mental Health While Defending Your Operation

Lisa Shoopman (Baptist Health) | Anne Phillips (Baptist Health)

Being challenged can activate resilience as a skill set. But the greater the challenge, the greater the chance of burnout and fatigue. Lisa Shoopman learned this firsthand when her EVS and FNS operations were slated to be outsourced after a local healthcare system purchased their 250-bed community hospital. After presenting a proposal for maintaining self-operated EVS and FNS operations, Shoopman was told to expand her scope. She would need to persuade the other eight hospitals to end their 30+ year agreement with a contract management company and convert to self-op. It was all or nothing and she only had months to prepare. A few months turned into a few years. Mastering resilience would be key to her team’s success, but resources for navigating the emotional burden of a project this large were scarce. Shoopman and her team spent equal effort researching strategies for defending against a contractor threat as well as strategies for setting boundaries and building resilience. Today, they will share their methods for developing resilience and staying motivated under increasing work demands and stress. Attendees will learn to:

• — Set manageable targets to cultivate confidence
• — Engage with your emotions to control them
• — Communicate with strategic transparency and remain authentic
• — Develop a “growth mindset” – learn from challenges and adapt quickly

10:15-10:30 am – FISH Talk 2: Mental Health, Wellness, and Recovery in Hospitality

Chef Jasmine Parks-Papadopoulos (CHOW)

Let’s talk about issues affecting workplace wellness and how we can create a healthier food/beverage/hospitality industry for all! Join Jasmine Parks-Papadopoulos as she discusses mental health, wellness and substance use recovery. Jasmin will explore how to support wellness within the hospitality industry and to improve the lives of our community through shared stories, skills, and resources. She is an expert in providing support to those supporting others throughout the hospitality industry. Attendees will learn: 

• — Attendees will learn how to identify team members in crisis
• — Attendees will learn how to how to “take the temperature” of their team to assess team wellness and health and provide support.
• — Attendees will learn how to create a healthier environment and promote mental wellness for themselves and their teams in high-pressure environments.

10:30-10:45 am- FISH Talk 3: Immersive Leadership: Enhancing Team Productivity and Well-Being through Empathy and Technology
Jess Legge (Sifted)

In my FISH talk, we’ll be exploring a critical aspect of effective leadership: immersing oneself into the roles and responsibilities of your team to identify friction points and ultimately create a less stressful work environment. Leadership is not just about giving directions from above; it’s about understanding your team’s day-to-day challenges. By stepping into our teams ‘ shoes, leaders can gain invaluable insights into the obstacles that impede productivity and well-being. Our discussion will focus on the practical steps leaders can take to delve into their team’s experiences and identify opportunities for improvement. We will also examine how technology can play a pivotal role in addressing these issues, ensuring long-term solutions that enhance efficiency and reduce stress.

— By the end of this talk, you will have a clear understanding of how to leverage immersive leadership and technological advancements to foster a more supportive and effective workplace. Learning Objectives:

• — Develop Strategies for Immersive Leadership: Learn practical methods for leaders to immerse themselves in their team’s daily tasks and responsibilities to identify key friction points and areas for improvement.
• Implement Long-term Technological Solutions: Understand how to utilize technology to address and solve identified issues, ensuring sustainable enhancements in workflow and employee well-being.
• — Enhance Team Productivity and Morale: Gain insights into creating a less stressful and more productive work environment through targeted improvements and supportive leadership practices.
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• MODERATED PANEL

10:45-11:15 am- Moderated Panel Discussion with FISH Speakers led by Annemarie Vaupel.