The Challenge of Promoting Wellbeing A study in Nature Human Behaviour published this week shows promise for mindfulness and positive psychology to improve mental states of wellbeing. (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01093-w). I was invited to discuss the findings on the Morning Show today with TV3 in New Zealand. We asked viewers if they practiced mindfulness. While 30% answered […]
Suffer, Bounce or Grow?
Data behind the human experience In New Zealand, we have been lucky. Enjoying summer with total freedom to travel locally, we watched the world suffer through winter with second and third peaks. Perhaps we were even a little smug. We were ranked as the country with the best Covid response by Lowy Institute[1]. In February, […]
Presence: Stand and Deliver
I love tennis. The Australian Open is one of my favourites. Despite the late nights, watching these gladiators confront the boundaries of their skill under sustained pressure is thrilling and inspiring. It also highlights the important role of presence. Whether a fan or not, to watch these women and men master their on-court presence is […]
Bounce Forward Faster
Lockdown for the third time. Calls cancel work booked. Rain pelts down. Businesses are pummelled. We lifted ourselves up, reinvented work and again, we face adversity. No-one has escaped. Many have worked from home for months, some through long, dark winters. Millions of jobs have disappeared. Families are bereaved and separated. Governments wallow in debt. […]
Leading Resilience and Wellbeing
How to communicate solutions with clarity Imagine your team in a meeting with a consultant is pitching a wellbeing solution. The consultant may be a doctor, nurse, psychologist, neuroscientist or lay person. They will present what they think is “wellbeing”, “resilience”, “psychological safety”, “mental health” or many other labels. Seldom do they define what they […]
Resilient Mindset
A journey to flexible, resilient minds A resilient mindset appears as a simple, compelling concept. If we could just acquire such a thing – perhaps with a pill or an app – life would magically become better. A resilient mindset could solve all sorts of problems. For a critical mind, the concept is complex and […]
How to Overcome Anxiety
5 Steps to be Playful in your Life He dare not come into company for fear he should be misused, disgraced, overshoot himself in gestures or speeches, or be sick; he thinks every man observeth him. Robert Burton, 1621, quotes Hippocrates describing a patient. If you are feeling a little uncertain, uneasy, anxious or worried, […]
How to Lead and Support Remote Work
Covid-19 has catapulted us into a strange new world of work. Many of your people are working from home. The initial novelty is wearing off. Business and team leaders wrestle with how to lead and motivate. People leaders wonder how to support people, manage risk and continue learning and development. A New Reality Presents Those […]
How to beat burnout with a growth mindset
A search of “burn-out” delivers 485 million results. The term has little clinical or biological substance but it has become increasingly popular. A year ago, the World Health Organisation included “burn-out” as a syndrome resulting from chronic workplace stress. They agree that it is not a clinical diagnosis. First, humans do not burn out. Second, […]