Great points in this article about #recognition of employees. I like how there are links to #maslow's model. Here are some quotes from it that resonated with me:
"Positive reinforcement indicates for people exactly what you value -- what benefits the team and the organization -- and how they can do more of it."
"Employees want to know that their unique impact has been seen and valued. Writing “great job” in an email is not individualized #praise."
Read the rest of the article here.
From this excellently detailed article : "Feedback is not the reality but rather an opinion."
(This line has been in my head for the past 2 days - I would add the words "... opinion as per personal / societal norms")
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| Photo credit - pexels-lisa-fotios-1471991 |
This picture nearly perfectly describes me in my comfort zone.
What's discomforting to me? A few things. Top of the list (maybe near the top) would be dancing.
Now, I love music, and can find the rhythm of the song and can tap or sway reasonably well to it. Music, like dancing, is a kinesthetic experience. But for me, Dancing involves asking various parts of my body to do things in a particular sequence and coordination to music, at which it seems to rebel since my childhood. So I have developed some expertise in avoiding dance during parties over the years.
Recently I was asked along with a colleague, Varsha Chitnis, to co-facilitate the morning Plenary session on Day 2 of the IAF Asia Conference of the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) at Hyderabad along with a super facilitator from Japan, Mr. Hideyuki Yoshioka. We were allotted 45 minutes and asked to energize the group (of only 190 delegates of different ages) and connect it to the previous day's learnings.
During our initial zoom discussions, we brainstormed as to how this session could be energetic and fun. Among the various ideas we discussed was how to include music into the session. Hideyuki-san proposed that we incorporate Zumba into the session. With further discussion, the design took shape to combine learning and the Zumba dance. It was fortunate for us that Hideyuki-san was a Certified Zumba Instructor. While we became very excited about the design, my fear of dancing came to the fore. I would have gladly taken a back seat rather than be dancing on stage.
As we practiced our moves over Zoom with guidance from Hideyuki-san (he's a certified Zumba Instructor), my discomfort grew stronger. During a practice session, I spoke about my discomfort with dancing and how I was concerned that I might make huge errors and bring down the team. Both of them kindly told me that I have to do this, and not to worry too much. They encouraged me to keep trying and gave me courage to make mistakes and move ahead.
The result:
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| Us showing the way |
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| Delegates practicing their dance steps |
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| Delegates getting into the Zumba groove |
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| After our session. |
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| With Varsha Chitnis and Hideyuki-san |
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| Photo by Marta Nogueira: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ pink-and-blue-background-divided-diagonally-with-two-matching-colored-pencils-placed- on-opposite-colors-top-down-view-flat-lay-with-empty-space-for-text-17151677/ |
If you are human, cognitive bias comes with the territory. You cannot beat it, but you can fight against it. In a new white paper, we explain why it is particularly important for organizational leaders to understand and check their cognitive biases, especially when making critical decisions.
Cognitive biases present a serious risk to organizational leaders who bear any responsibility for high-level decision-making. Educating yourself and your team on these five common mental traps will help you neutralize them for improved decision-making, team dynamics, and workplace culture.
Read the rest of the article here.
I like helping and I regularly volunteer my time with the International Association of Facilitators (IAF) and other organizations as my schedule permits.
I recently did this for the IAF Asia conference which was held in Hyderabad on 30th Nov, 01st and 2nd Dec 2023. I was pleasantly surprised to receive this certificate.
The stress we face at work and home has been increasing only over the past 15 years, not that it was much less before. Because of the late hours, working lunches, extended working weekends, and family responsibilities, it's very difficult for folks to find the time to wind down. What aggravates the problem is that many people are caught up in jobs they don't really like doing and delivering results by putting in extra hours like never before.
This has increased over the past four years because the lockdown and the mandatory work from home policy blurred the lines between work and home. Achieving work-life balance seems to be an impossible dream, for most of us.
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| Photo credit: pexels-michael-judkins-1113552 |
For clarity - here's a basic definition of work-life balance from Google - "the division of one's time and focus between working and family or leisure activities."
With organizations competing heavily for growth, employees at all levels of organization are being pushed harder than ever before. Some days, you feel it's better to stay in bed and switch off the wi-fi and phone.
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| Credit pexels-pixabay-Stay in Bed 271897 |
Worse - it can lead to a feeling that you are stuck (due to a variety of reasons, particularly financial reasons).
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| Stuck Lift Button Photo by imustbedead httpswww.pexels.comphotoperson-holding-black-and-white-round-ornament-10835818 |
There's a lot of literature about work-life balance available online and in books. Managing the stress that one goes through (at home or at work) is a key theme. Meditation, diet and exercise are frequently prescribed and they are all effective to the extent that the employee is able to carve out the time to do it diligently. Most don't work on the root cause.
I also like the idea from Marcus Buckingham of doing more of what you love and less of what you don't enjoy. This would have the effect of unbalancing yourself in the direction of the things that you enjoy doing. Of course, easier said than done, but nevertheless, it is definitely worth attempting. A lot of artists, athletes, business and corporate folk have managed to do this. The example of Mr. Piyush Pandey from the Advertising world comes to mind.
I've an additional viewpoint to offer.
When I was in the corporate world, there were many days when we worked late in the office, leaving only around 8 pm. I used to sing regularly with my church choir at the time. We would have practices on two weekdays that began and ended late since the singers were all working people. I recall many days when I attended practices though I was extremely tired from the office day.
Instead of being exhausted on returning home, I would find that I was energized. I checked with other singers who also confirmed similar feelings and experiences. Subsequently, I spoke to other people at work, asking them how they unwound from a tiring day or week. Each of them had different methds or activities - from listening to music, playing with their pets, going for a long walk or even a jog at night, giving attention to the family members (including kids), working on their hobbies maybe twice or thrice a week, each of which contributed to improving the way they felt about themselves.
Whatever activity they chose allowed them to use some of their talents that weren't being used sufficiently (or at all) at work. Sometimes, of course, there was a similarity.
Here's my understanding of this:
We humans are a mix of structured and creative ways of being. Most of us prefer to have a structured routine on a daily basis, with a few minor changes, because it gives us a sense of comfort.
All of us are endowed with both skills for both structure and creativity. Some are wired more towards one side, and our upbringing, education and circumstances (environment) along with our own decisions play a major role in which side we end up using, along with the line of work we choose.
However, most of our jobs are demanding in a manner that requires us to work in an extremely structured manner in a strongly regulated internal (within the organization) environment that interfaces and interacts with an external environment where regular flux is the name of the game. This flux increases our work pressure and our stress. It is compounded by the reality that a solution that worked yesterday (or earlier) will not work sufficiently or as effectively today, and may be completely irrelevant tomorrow. Our jobs also require us to spend extended hours at work on a daily basis, and with remote work, the lines between home and work are quite blurred. This makes it difficult for us to switch off from work and, has increased the amount of stress we go through.
So what should we be doing to balance ourselves? Here are my suggestions:
By doing these things, you stand a better chance of balancing yourself and achieving your work-life balance.
In the corporate world, the HR team and line managers can look at hiring people based on their strengths so that they will be more engaged while at work.
Want to know more about Balancing Yourself by Using Your Strengths or Identifying a Career based on your strengths? Write to me at ryanbbarretto@hotmail.com or call on +919820155778 for a discussion.
