Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime

 Fascinating read on the importance giving downtime to your brain on a regular basis instead of just being extremely busy in the pursuit of your goals. This reminded me of Tom Hodgkinson's book 'How to be Idle' which has mentioned these ideas sans the research (which probably wasn't available).

From the article:"Throughout history people have intuited that such puritanical devotion to perpetual busyness does not in fact translate to greater productivity and is not particularly healthy. What if the brain requires substantial downtime to remain industrious and generate its most innovative ideas? "Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets," essayist Tim Kreider wrote in The New York Times. "The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration—it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done."

Read the rest of the article here.

75th Independence Day

 

The Michealangelo approach to leading change

https://www.talentmgt.com/articles/2022/07/13/discover-the-statue-the-michelangelo-approach-to-leading-change/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=The+Michelangelo+Approach+to+Leading+Change&utm_campaign=CIR_TM_TM+Digest_071422&vgo_ee=Pw2K4vCymA7Wzrk%2B0LPJp087ds4XICbVrvV4Rb2%2FVOg%3D

Fascinating read on making #changemanagement initiatives work without adding too many additional responsibilities.

From the article - "Tremendous impact can be gained by eliminating obstacles versus adding more incentives and “solutions.”"

Read the rest of the article here.

How to have candid conversations at work

Most conversations at work are compartmentalized into what I can reveal and what I shouldn't reveal.  This applies to conversations with your team, as well as your boss and peers.  This calls for Confident Vulnerability and can be quite testing and stressful.

From the article: "Transparency goes hand-in-hand with a positive employee experience. #Leaders must make an effort to be accountable to employees and work harder to surface the negative, even if it may be uncomfortable."

Read the rest of the article here

Developing and Sustaining a Culture of Conversation

A thought-provoking article about enabling #conversations in the #workplace.

From the article: "Switching from Slack to Teams or vice versa may streamline processes and access to information, but these are merely tools whose power depends upon the intention and effectiveness of the people using them. Technology platforms can facilitate conversations, but only if people are willing to engage in them."

Read the full article here.

Biggest Organization Design Challenge

Excellent article on how to push your thinking forward on the current hot topic of #hybridworking

From the article- "Hybrid working is not just about individual flexibility, it also offers valuable #opportunities to #design adaptability into your organisation."

Read the article here

Embrace a ‘systems perspective’ to move the needle on women’s leadership

A fascinating article on addressing the #gendergap gaps for #women in #leadership  

From the article - "Too frequently, in evaluating #leaders, we mistake confidence for competence. People often allow the most vocal and confident person — rather than the most competent person — to gain undeserved influence."

Read the article here