Karlin Sloan, Kevin Cuthbert and I have been exploring the concept of resilience and how it impacts leaders in the workplace. We have put together our ideas, collected stories and compiled exercises into a forthcoming book titled, Lemonade: A Leader’s Guide to Resilience at Work.

When we consider the concept of resilience, we see it as being all about relationships. This includes three relationship domains, which are: our relationship to ourselves, to others and to our external environment. Under the umbrella of those three domains, there are attributes that play a critical role in our ability to “make lemonade” by turning challenges into opportunity.

Leadership requires us to know ourselves, to take care of our health and well-being so we are fit and ready for what comes and to develop ourselves so we can master new skills as required. It requires our self-confidence and self-management, and an overall perspective that we have the power to effect positive change.

This first arena of resilience is maintaining a positive relationship with ourselves - from belief in our capacity to make a difference in our world, to taking good physical and emotional care of ourselves. When we are confident in our ability to address whatever comes our way, we are more likely to succeed. Belief is half the battle.

Our relationship to self is based on the stories we choose to focus on to affirm our identity and our beliefs. Do we tell ourselves stories of our failures, foibles, problems and woes? Or do we select those stories in which we are the star of the show? Those are the stories where we exemplify our values, triumph over odds or succeed.

The resilience attributes that make up our relationship to self are:

Confidence - Being confident in our ability to cope with the world. Believing in our abilities, skills or attributes and our capacity to succeed in what we set out to do.

Optimism - The ability to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect more favorable outcomes.

Positivity - Cultivating positive emotions to find the good in life and not dwell on the negative. The ability to hold onto positive emotions despite challenges.

Self-Awareness - Having the ability to reflect on what we think and how we feel. This includes having an understanding of how we are perceived by others.

Self-Management - Exhibiting self-care and managing our own energy and emotions. This includes adapting our behaviors to socially appropriate norms and exhibiting self control.

When we coach executives around their relationship to self, three issues tend to surface that sabotage resilience:

1. Focus on the negative or areas that need improvement to the exclusion of the positive (sabotaging confidence and positivity)
2. Focus on the past and the present, never stepping into a vision of the future without carrying forward negative experiences from the past (sabotaging optimism and positivity).
3. Focus on others and neglecting self-care and self-reflection (sabotaging self-awareness and self-management).

We often tend to focus not on our strengths, our successes or our wins, but on what we haven’t done yet. Unfortunately that’s a great way to sabotage our confidence. This is when we have to retrain the brain to focus on what is working, and to compensate for any weaknesses or challenge through the use of strengths.

It is easier to improve a strength than it is to improve a weakness. But what are your strengths? There are a few strengths inventories available that can help you identify your strengths. Some of the more well-known strengths inventories are: VIA Signature Strengths Survey; Gallup Strengths Finder; and Realise2. Take one or more of these inventories and start working from your strengths. It is only then, when you realize your strengths that you can begin making lemonade from lemons.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/Joe Utsler / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In the knowledge era, organizations have more challenges than ever before, which calls for creativity, innovation and new developments. In order to be successful, organizations need to have the best talent, which means they need to recruit the best employees, retain the best employees and keep employees performing at their best.

To make this possible, a structured talent development program is necessary.

The words “talent” and “development” have interesting origins, which highlight their importance. Talent is a old word, which started to be used in the late 13th century as an inclination, disposition, will, desire, a special natural ability and an aptitude.

Development appeared later, with two definitions - advancement through progressive stages (1836) and bringing out latent possibilities (1885). In Spanish, it has a much more interesting and compelling meaning: des-arrollar (meaning don’t throw away).

Talent is about getting the best of people through the discovery of their strengths and developing it in a gradual manner with more or less structured activities. Organizations should not waste their talent.

The first step in creating a strong organization begins with having employee selection programs in place, which provides for the appropriate definition of the jobs and selection of the best candidates with the competencies and the potential to contribute to the organization now and in the future.

A development program does not need to be costly. Organizations with modest resources can develop programs with the knowledge that they have within the organization. Strategies for talent development include:

1. special job assignments
2. cross-training
3. job rotation
4. job enrichment
   
5. job shadowing
6. mini-conferences
7. in-house training programs
8. mentoring
9. coaching
10. developing communities of practice
    

Learning in organizations creates a positive wave that keeps employees energized. It helps them realize that they can contribute in unlimited ways to their own development, their peers and the organization. The most important thing is to create in each member of the organization a positive disposition toward continuous learning, which includes seeing the possibilities to contribute to each other’s learning. In order to be successful, as any other initiative, employee development programs need the support of upper management, along with modeling of the behaviors and activities that they want to see in their employees.

Organizations from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada that have developed these practices well have been recognized with Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards. Examples of these initiatives are:

• brown bag lunches for personal and professional development
• meetings to share the result of learning experiences
• “train the trainer,” coaching and mentoring programs
• leadership academies formal training programs
• certification and tuition reimbursement programs
  

Investing in the development of your organization’s talent is one of the most important things you can do as stewards of your organizational success. Benefits to the organization include development of a cooperative environment, enhanced organizational communication, improved employee satisfaction, better organizational performance and retention of the best and brightest employees.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/kryzb / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

A recent study in the Journal of Family Psychology found that mothers who work part-time report less work-family conflict than those who work full-time. Results also indicated that mothers who work (full- or part-time) are healthier than non-employed mothers.

Researchers Cheryl Buehler and Marion O’Brien examined mother’s well-being, parenting and family functioning of 1,364 mothers from the time their child was born until the child entered 5th grade. The parenting and family functioning measures included how mothers’ rate their partner’s sharing of household chores, as well as how sensitive mothers were in responding to their child and how involved they were in learning and school activities.

Another study recently highlighted in the news found that relationships fare better when partners do equal amounts of housework. I am a firm believer in the power of equality, especially when it comes to splitting housework and both partners are working outside of the home. It makes sense that if mothers have supportive partners at home and aren’t overburdened with housework then their relationship and well-being would benefit.

In the conclusion of the Journal of Family Psychology article, the researchers state that if organizations recognized part-time work as “a legitimate approach to building a career while maintaining a healthy family life” it would benefit employees, as well as the organization’s bottom line. This leads me to ask:

What policies and practices does your organization have in place that support part-time work (as opposed to using part-time work as an approach to cost-savings)?

How does your organization approach part-time employee benefits?

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/winton / CC BY 2.0

Micromanaging employees can be wrought with challenges. Of course, there are obvious issues, like increased stress on the micromanaged employee and potentially poorer results. In addition, exerting one’s limited resources for the purposes of actually engaging in micromanaging employees takes time, energy, and attention away from other workplace endeavors. After all, if you are micromanaging someone, you can’t be doing something else at the same time, right?

So that got me thinking: Why do some of us default to micromanaging employees? I reviewed a host of resources, trying to identify some common issues that cause supervisors to micromanage their subordinates. It didn’t take long to identify a couple of big, interrelated issues that surface over and over again:

1. Probably the biggest issue concerns lack of trust in subordinates. We don’t like to take our finger off the control button when we don’t have faith in those to whom we are relinquishing control. To borrow from Situational Leadership, this is often a supervisor’s perception that employees either lack the competence or the commitment necessary to do something the right way. If this is the case, mentoring or coaching can be a useful way to help eliminate this barrier.
2. However, many supervisors lack expertise in mentoring and coaching employees. An effective mentoring or coaching process could help transition supervisors and employees from a micromanaging style to a more autonomous style. But, therein lies the rub: If you have no process in place for mentoring or coaching (or you don’t know how to do it well), that systematic development may not be occurring.

Of course, managers are recognized and rewarded based on the ability of their employees to produce results. This can lead supervisors to try and ensure results are achieved by taking on too much involvement in subordinates’ day-to-day work activities. The logic seems sound: “If I stay highly involved, employees will do things exactly the right way,” which is code for “exactly the way I would approach things.”

The problem with this logic is that trying to foist one’s own work style or approach to problems on everyone else can actually have the exact opposite effect. Instead, managers need to learn how to cultivate a work culture that builds trust, competence, and engagement among all staff. That is the best way to cut the micromanaging tether.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/cimmyt / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The use of financial incentives to promote health behavior change is all the rage in the world of corporate wellness, but what do we really know about the effectiveness of this approach? There is definitely a role for incentives. They can get employees who wouldn't otherwise participate to take action. They can be particularly effective when they help remove barriers that would otherwise prevent the recipient from getting involved. But, incentives generally work best for simple, discrete, short-term behaviors. I don't know about you, but making significant, sustainable health-behavior changes doesn't sound simple, discrete or short term to me.

Employers aren't just pushing incentives at the workforce. Employees tell us that to participate in their company's wellness offerings, they want incentives.

There is much more to be said on the topic of incentives in wellness and health promotion, including discussion about rewarding participation vs. outcomes, the role of readiness for change, what extrinsic rewards might do to intrinsic motivation and more. But for now, I'll leave you with these questions...

• Is your organizational culture really healthy if you have to pay your employees to participate in your wellness program?

• How do we provide wellness offerings that people actually want to use?

Joe's message was simultaneously simple and complex, as he painted a broad view of what makes us "different" and challenged audience preconceptions about how we define and approach diversity in the workplace.

Watch a brief message from Joe and then check out some additional resources, below.

Additional Resources

From Joe's Blog:

Future of Diversity and Inclusion Work-prologue
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion Work (part 1) Social Media
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion Work (part 2) Human Nature
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion Work (part 3) Conflict
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion Work (part 4) New Way of Work
The Future of Diversity and Inclusion Work (part 5) New Way of Leadership
Toward a general theory of Diversity and Inclusion…

Visit Joe's website

Follow Joe on Twitter

Customer service and brand loyalty go hand-in-hand. So often, when I experience bad service, I harp on this point. A consumer’s experience can make the difference in where they shop and how much money they spend, but most importantly, how often they come back and how many friends they refer. When employees aren’t treated fairly or don’t receive the training and support they need to be successful in their jobs, it often shows in the way they treat customers. It’s not hard to tell a company’s business structure and gauge how many healthy workplace practices they have in place just from interacting with their employees. Happy employees lead to happy customers, which leads to more happy customers.

I don’t think it is a stretch to say that most people prefer to shop where they are comfortable and know they will receive reliable service. A majority will even pay more for it. Organizations, retailers and brands that create a loyal following have customers who praise them openly and drive business their way, for free. And with such abundant online reviews, blogs and rating sites, customers who are not happy with the services or products they receive have many avenues to share their woes. This goes for employees too. Look at Zappos and REI, just to name a few good examples of organizations that understand the importance of treating employees well and also have a following of fans that rave about their customer service. Treat your employees well and they in turn will treat your customers well. Take care of your employees and they will make your organization’s mission their own.

I have to admit that reading the latest news about Netflix spurred this post. I have been a loyal Netflix customer since the beginning. I remember toting those skinny red envelopes around my neighborhood and receiving quizzical looks as I plopped them into the postbox. I was such a loyal customer that I would try to convince anyone who would listen to join (and try it risk-free for 30 days!). Besides, I was not a fan of Netflix’s competition, and ultimately their dated business model and inability to keep up with current technology, not to mention their lack of customer service made them obsolete anyways (case in point). As an unofficial brand ambassador, I watched as the Netflix craze caught on and began exchanging knowing smiles with strangers that passed by with Netflix envelopes in hand during my morning commute.

What worked for Netflix 10 years ago doesn’t work as well anymore, and leadership has recognized that and is building ways to sustain long-term change. I understand this and can appreciate it, as I think most customers would. However, the expectation of Netflix’s raving fans was not to be hit with a 60 percent price increase out of the blue, which eroded trust and brand loyalty. After being bombarded with negative feedback, Netflix issued an apology with an explanation as an attempt to rebuild and reconnect with customers. That’s a good first step. Then, Netflix decided to abandon plans they had announced to split the company into two, after receiving negative customer feedback. That’s also a step in the right direction, to listen to your fan base, but left me wondering how Netflix could have avoided all of this in the first place. What came to mind was communication. Would it have helped if Netflix asked employees and customers for their input and took that into consideration before changing directions?

Failing to communicate and leaving your customers in the dark can have unintended consequences, much like that of an organizational leader who changes direction without involving employees. Change is hard. People need time to adjust. Communicating change and direction, especially changes that involve money is a big part of customer service. It goes back to your mission – if your followers are not with you, how can they help support the mission? Failing to communicate also hits at the heart of reliability and trust, and once you lose customers’ trust, it’s hard to gain back. The same goes for the employees who you trust with running your day-to-day operations. Including a communication strategy in your overall business plan is essential to sustaining a loyal following, whether it’s your employees or your customers.

The content provided above is for informational purposes only. The inclusion of any product, service, vendor or organization does not imply endorsement, recommendation or approval by the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program, the American Psychological Association or the APA Practice Organization.

I read many great and insightful articles every week. But, sometimes, I come across something that just makes me shake my head. For example, take a recent WorldatWork survey. This survey was conducted worldwide and solicited the perceptions of managers regarding various work-life interface issues.

Here’s a sample of some of the results:

Over 50% of managers believe the best employees are those who will complete their work regardless of the number of hours they are forced to put in;

40% of managers believe that employees who do not have personal commitments outside of work are more productive;

30% of managers believe that workers use of flextime will difficulty obtaining a promotion.

But the same study also reported that 80% of the managers surveyed stated that they support work-life balance. Really? How can you “support work-life balance” when you are toting assumptions that are antithetical to the very concept?

Let’s follow the logic of the three results stated above through to their conclusions:

1. Employees should put in as many hours as is necessary to accomplish all the work they have to do, regardless of the previous research showing that work overload can produce poor quality results, job burnout, higher turnover, and increased healthcare costs. With this assumption running amok, it is no wonder employers in a down economy use downsizing as a primary means of cutting costs.
2. Looking at the second result, we can infer that workers without personal commitments have no need for time off and can simply work any amount of hours that managers desire – because they don’t have a life outside of work. However, there aren’t many people who have absolutely no “personal commitments.” And what is this supposed to mean anyway? Does it mean that workers shouldn’t have a life outside of work? This completely disregards the “life” portion of “work-life balance,” which can also be hazardous to an employee’s health.
3. Finally, for the third result, organizationally-sanctioned policies and practices – such as flextime – can be used against you when it comes to moving up the hierarchy. That means that if you flex your time so that you can optimize your work engagement (and not be stressed because of competing demands), we’re going to punish you. That sounds fairly logical to me.

Kathy Lingle, the Executive Director for WorldatWork’s Alliance for Work-Life Progress called the results a “conundrum.” However, I would call it what it is: Hypocrisy! An organization cannot effectively create a positive work-life interface for employees if management is walking around harboring conscious or unconscious biases toward those who wish to effectively manage their personal resources. Until those assumptions are made explicit and unlearned, the work-life issue will continue to be a problem for employees.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/navonod / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

A new study suggests that working mothers who have a supermom, “do it all” attitude are at a greater risk for depression than women who expect it will be difficult to raise a family while working outside the home. The research also found further support for working moms – despite work-family conflict, working mothers have better mental health than stay-at-home moms. One could surmise then that working moms who accept the reality that they cannot be perfect in all areas of their lives are less prone to depression.

The study was led by Katrina Leupp, a University of Washington sociology graduate student. Leupp used data from the Department of Labor’s National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and analyzed responses to questions about work-life balance and gender roles from women who were between the ages 14 and 22 in 1987. This data was then compared to depression measures collected from the women at age 40 (from 1998-2006).

I find this supermom-depression link interesting for a few reasons. The research looks at expectations – expecting more than what you can handle, or taking on too much isn’t good for your mental health.  If we posed the same set of questions to today’s generation of young moms, would the results be the same? The role of working mothers was different 30 years ago, even 10 years ago than it is today. We also have more (although not enough) flexibility in the workplace and Dads who spend more time with their children than they did 30 years ago. I would think after seeing our own mothers navigate the workplace, our views have changed as we have gained a better understanding of what is realistic and what is not. It would also be interesting to see what expectations today’s generation of Dads have as well.

It is through experience that people realize what works for them and what is really necessary. This holds true for figuring out how to be a parent, as well as how to juggle work and family, or work and a personal life. Parenting is a good lesson in time management and prioritization. Which is why I identified with this quote from Ellen Galinksy, president and co-founder of the Families and Work Institute, taken from the article Supermoms At Higher Risk For Depression: Study:

[Work-life] "Balance" is a guilt word; it implies you have to have everything on an even keel and that if you give to one side, you take from the other. [Work life] "Fit" on the other hand implies that what works best for me might not be your best solution.

With support, I do think it is possible for moms to accomplish all their personal and professional goals. Work life fit is about having the flexibility to do what works best for you, which may not be what works for your co-worker. Although Leupp’s research did look only at mothers, the idea of work life fit applies to all employees. Deciding what works best for you to be able to successfully meet your work obligations and have a healthy family helps define your own meaning of “supermom.”

Instead of accepting that we must “let things slide” to create this elusive “balance,” why not figure out how we can help support moms, and all working parents, as well as employees who want a life outside the office. A supportive partner or support system at home is a great start. As leaders and managers, we can also provide our employees with greater flexibility in the workplace. This can empower supermoms to be everything they want to be, without risking their health.

Here are some video resources that will inspire ideas for how to establish more flexible practices in the workplace from some of our winning organizations:

• eXude Benefits Group

• WorldatWork

• Northeast Delta Dental

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_queenofcurves / CC BY-SA 2.0

WISDOM
Knowledge gleaned from previous experiences does not become wisdom until it is consciously applied to new circumstances. Great leaders don’t just think about what happened, they think about why it happened.

TIP: Build wisdom by designating time for self-reflection. Reserve an hour each week to think about the “Big Stuff.” What decisions did you make? What have you learned in the last 7 days?

SOCIAL JUDGMENT
Social judgment is the ability to analyze people and situations, then making good decisions based on that information. Leaders who possess this intangible have a deeper appreciation of what is motivating the person across the table.

TIP: Step back and observe meeting dynamics. The pace and flow of the discussion provides important clues as to: what the group cares about, topics that are uncomfortable, and which issues will require the most guidance.

INTEGRITY
No leader can maintain steady performance at the top levels of business without his or her decisions being anchored by a consistent set of values. This stability and steadfastness affects every relationship.

TIP: It may seem basic, but stick to “doing the right thing.” Be nice to people, let others win occasionally. Be thankful, polite, and respectful. People will notice these positive characteristics and define you as having integrity.

PRESENCE
People with presence are not easily forgotten. It isn’t simply because they have power; it’s because they know how to use it. Understanding the impact of your presence is crucial to running a successful team.

TIP: When you step into a room, look people in the eye and offer a firm handshake. Let the conversation unfold and then create a strong impression by pulling together the main discussion points.

SELF INSIGHT
Self-insight is the primary tool for growth and development. If you know where your strengths and weaknesses lie, you can become the most effective type of leader: strong and focused, yet adaptable.

TIP: Do you have trusted advisors you can talk with? If necessary, look outside the organization. Include people you can trust to give honest feedback, no matter how difficult it may be to hear.

EXECUTIVE MATURITY
Awareness of your emotional patterns and triggers, and the ability to manage those feelings, are paramount to fully formed leadership. Many business leaders have similar skills, but only a remarkable few master their emotions.

TIP: Executive maturity depends on your ability to recognize not only your own signals about how you are really feeling, but also those emitted by others. See if you can spot subtle hints in your team.

FALLIBILITY
People aren’t looking for their leaders to be ineffectual, but they do want to see a willingness to take risks and fail. Leaders who admit when they are wrong are perceived more favorably.

TIP: A very important part of being fallible is being, simply enough, real. Let people in. Show them a bit of the real you. It will make an enormous difference in the way they trust and invest in you.

WILL
Some leaders exercise their influence so delicately that those around them happily follow without questioning why. Others are more insistent, forcefully staking out their territory at the front of the pack. Both methods require will.

TIP: Will requires “stick-to-itiveness.” You can’t quit. When obstacles keep getting in your way and it seems that you’ll never meet your objectives, remember this: You are probably just a hair’s breadth away.

FORTITUDE
In a study of world-class performers, few had been considered prodigies. The most accomplished subjects had worked hard for years to succeed. The conclusions are powerful: Drive, energy, and persistence propel people to the top.

TIP: Do you shy away from “big” issues? Don’t! Take them on. See what you’re made of. The more you force yourself to invite such challenges, the more confidence you’ll develop in your own ability.

SELF-EFFICACY
Leaders need an underlying belief in their ability to attain a set of objectives. Those lacking this tend to make safe decisions, adopting a CYA approach. Extraordinary leaders know their boundaries of competence and masterfully exploit them.

TIP: Seek the help of a mentor or role model. Spend time with someone you look up to build confidence through osmosis. Extraordinary leadership is contagious and you need to get the bug.

Careful attention to these “Intangibles of Leadership” can bring tangible results to your leadership style and your organization’s bottom line.

Dr. Richard Davis is a management psychologist and partner at RHR International. He is author of “The Intangibles of Leadership: The 10 Qualities of Superior Executive Performance” (Jossey-Bass, 2010): http://www.intangiblesofleadership.com.

I was perusing the web the other day, and I came across a blog on the website Dynamic Business. This particular blog argued that work-life balance should be re-defined as “flexible working,” the idea that workers should have greater control over how, when and where they interface with work. The author argues that technology makes it possible to create this flexibility but also cautions that “it means recognising that we’re unable to give 100 percent all of the time and establishing a personal routine that helps us balance long-term the work and personal demands we face.”

It’s about time we start talking like that! Why is it that new doctors are creating a better work-life interface than call center employees? Why haven’t we figured out how to create work cultures and structures that support flexible working across a broad spectrum of jobs?

Too many people automatically argue that flexibility can’t be a reality in a particular job. The most common arguments I hear are:

• The job requires that employees be in the office, so there is no possible way to provide them flexibility.
• Employees will abuse flexible working, especially if we give them the opportunity to work from home.
• We can’t implement workplace flexibility because it will create unfairness.
  

Each of these arguments falls apart when you start considering the various types of workplace flexibility. And some consultants regularly work with organizations to dismantle those arguments.

The reality is that flexible working is possible, but you have to be willing to do three things:

1. Think outside the box. Don’t confine yourself to assuming there is one right way to create flexibility across an entire organization. Flexible working doesn’t just have to involve scheduling or telecommuting.
2. Find out what sorts of demands employees face from work and non-work life that decrease their ability to optimize their performance in either domain. If you don’t know what kinds of issues help to erode their work-life interface, you cannot possibly hope to make improvements there.
3. Be willing to truly support a more flexible workplace culture. If you don’t truly support it, employees will not benefit from it. That means that if you are concerned about “abuse of flexibility,” then you need to take steps to ensure that cannot happen (e.g., introduce outcome-oriented performance, offer flexibility with greater autonomy as recognition for past performance). You might even try rolling out pilot programs (which I generally recommend anyway) to ensure that flexible working is producing no ill effects on performance.

Of course, there are going to be barriers and challenges in creating a more flexible workplace culture. It can be difficult any time there is change, but if you implement a sound, data-driven, systematic process, you may find yourself with a more flexible workplace culture and improved employee performance.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohit_saxena / CC BY-NC 2.0

A few weeks ago, I was invited to go down to Houston to work with a group from NASA as they were anticipating changes due to the Space Shuttle Program ending, the biggest change for NASA since the ending of Apollo 40 years earlier.

My job was to talk to them about the psychological tools they could employ to assist them to respond to those being laid off, to those who would be surviving the cuts, and to identify how to move forward during the uncertainty of what happens next for this vital agency.

As part of the arrangements for bringing me down, I received a personal tour of the Johnson Space Center. I was a young boy when the Russians put the first man into space (yes, I am that old). During the tour, I saw one of the Atlas rockets that propelled the Apollo astronauts to the moon and I sat at the controls of one of the space shuttle simulators.

But the part of the tour that I found most interesting was a little piece of organization employed since the early Mercury and Apollo missions.

In mission control, there are two separate rooms set up for each mission. One room is the room that I saw frequently when I watched Apollo missions as a boy. That room is filled with screens that report data from the space vehicle, with a mission director who monitors the information and keeps the mission on track.

There is a second room, located on the floor directly below mission control for a group of engineers. In this room, when there are difficult problems that must be solved, the engineers work to solve problems that might endanger the mission. In the movie, Apollo 13, they showed a scene where the engineers dumped a box full of random parts on a desk and said these were the things the astronauts had in the capsule to fix the problems they were encountering. That scene was a replication of something that actually happened in this second room. It is located directly below the mission control room because it was designed before the advent of sophisticated computer networks. There were a series of vacuum tubes where data from mission control could be put in the tube and sent down and the solution could be sent up in the original rooms. Now, of course, they exchange messages through the network.

The reason I found this so interesting is that I was going to talk to them about this psychological process during my presentation. The process for solving problems, in the human brain, is sophisticated but it is all consuming. When a person is dealing with a (real or perceived) threat, he or she will be fully immersed in reacting to the threat. It is very difficult to attend to anything broader, which is not related to the threat when this mindset is established. The functions of the brain when we are attempting to survive are separate from the way the brain operates when we are thriving. By separating the functions in the planning of a mission, the scientists at NASA freed the team in mission control to be able to continue to think about the broader mission (thriving) while a second team was tasked with resolving the problem (surviving).

This is a process that many companies could explicitly replicate with positive effects. Business is frequently stressful. When something goes wrong, it is important to understand that the resolution of a problem will occupy a significant amount of mental energy and focus. It should do that. But the problem is that the broader picture will get lost while the focus is on the resolution of the problem. By separating the two processes, you can keep your mission on track even during difficult times. If your business is in a survival mindset, it is only seeing part of the whole picture. You also need to have some individuals in your business dedicated to thinking about how to make your company thrive.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/sideshowblues / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Most employees who return to work after maternity leave face a difficult adjustment period. After recuperating from giving birth or a long adoption process, sleepless nights and diaper changes, a new addition to the family brings much joy, but also hard work. Then, it’s time for mom to go back to the office. The stress of transitioning back into a 9-5 routine can take its toll on mom’s health, as well as her job performance. Organizational leaders who help employees ease back into their jobs after leave are more likely to inspire productivity and better work-life fit. It also sets a good example from the top-down that your organization is supportive of parents, which helps define an organization’s status as an employer of choice.

The best part is that helping employees through this transition period is (relatively) easy. There are no laws to change or rules that need to be broken – just managers extending flexibility and understanding to a mom that is returning to work can go a long way. TIME touched on this topic last week in an article titled Study: Why Maternity Leave Is Important. The researchers pointed out that for new moms, a smooth transition back to work is the key to better long-term maternal health, mental health and healthier children.

What helps make back-to-work transitions easier? One thing the maternity study authors suggest is time. More specifically, having enough time to go from being pregnant or adopting a baby, to returning to work. How much time is enough? It depends. If you consider that the U.S. has one of the least generous maternity leave policies in the world, that’s a good indicator that American employees could use more. Here’s a list of countries and their maternity benefits, which is interesting to look at for comparison. Other ways managers can help their employees ease back into work include telecommuting, temporary part-time schedules and Fridays off. What will be most successful however, is what works best for the individual employee, depending on their work and personal preferences, while also taking into consideration the needs of management and co-workers.

What’s the upside for organizations that offer an extended maternity leave and/or a slow transition back to work? Healthier and more productive employees. Moms who have more time before returning to work benefit and by extension, so do organizations. Having additional time off before returning to work helps support breastfeeding, which benefits a mom’s health, baby’s health and saves organizations money because breastfeeding moms take fewer sick days. Another recent study supports that the longer maternity leave mothers take, the more likely they are to breastfeed, and for a greater period of time. Even if you cannot extend an employee’s maternity leave, there are plenty of ways to help them transition slowly back into work, such as telecommuting.

Employees, especially parents or parents-to-be value organizational benefits such as maternity leave and flexible work arrangements. In fact, there was a recent discussion on The Juggle about negotiating maternity leave benefits for a future pregnancy as part of accepting a new job. Unpaid maternity leave affects employees and their families, and that new mom is coming back to work with added financial stress on her shoulders. The “cushion” of a flexible or telecommuting schedule could help those employees financially by saving money on new clothes, transportation, food and the stress of adjusting to a new childcare provider arrangement.

Employees who plan to take maternity leave should work out a return to work plan before going out on leave. Although it is not possible to anticipate everything in advance of a baby’s arrival, arranging a plan that works for both the employee and manager will benefit the employee and organization. Managers should check with HR to see what options exist, and also to ensure that proper procedures such as accommodations for breastfeeding mothers are followed. See 8 Tips for a Smooth Parental Leave for ways to get started.

Photo Credit http://www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

It's the height of summer and everyone is either on vacation, planning for vacation, or wishing they could go on vacation. However, many employees may be reluctant to take time off with the uncertain economy. Messages they receive from their managers about taking a vacation may empower them to feel it's permissible to request time off.

So what's in it for your company to encourage employees to take some vacation time?

Recently, CNN (May, 2011)  published an article entitled "Why Your Brain Needs Vacations" based on the research, among others, of Adam Galinsky of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, and William Maddux of the business school of INSEAD. In the article, writer Elizabeth Landau points out that a number of subtle changes occur to your brain when it is unplugged and on vacation which are greatly advantageous.  

While on vacation, there is a detachment from the familiar and the rote. The effect is even greater if you travel abroad to encounter a new language and culture. There are extraordinary benefits to the individual and those can return dividends to the company.

• Gaining new perspectives in everyday life, especially if the vacation is not at home, as you see things from a detached, outsider's perspective.
• If you completely unplug from work on vacation, and seek a new environment, many people report having epiphanies, according to the article.
• Traveling abroad increases your creative thinking as you must incorporate cultural expectations and rules in new situations.
• In research, Maddux and Galinsky found that traveling abroad gives you a more nuanced understanding of yourself as well as a better sense of who you are. This is particularly the case when you truly immerse yourself in the culture.
• To gain some of these benefits when not on vacation, use mindfulness techniques to focus on daily interactions and new things you see and learn.

So while working long days and pushing deadlines may be a part of worklife, including vacations, and encouraging those for your employees may also help your company's bottom line.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/obvio171 / CC BY-SA 2.0

Most people who have read my blogs know that I am an advocate for improving the engagement experience. I am also an advocate for finding ways to improve the work-life interface of employees. Much of my current work centers on this issue. And there are many others out there who focus on similar things.

Occasionally, in the context of both engagement and work-life balance, I hear people throw out the term ‘happiness.’ Sometimes, happiness is used as a synonym for work engagement or job satisfaction, and other times I hear it used as an outcome of achieving ‘work/life balance.’ I don’t consider either engagement or work/life balance to be the key to happiness, and I certainly don’t consider them to be synonymous with happiness.

But, here’s an even bigger issue. Happiness, as an end-goal pursuit, may actually be a maladaptive goal. A recent article entitled “A Dark Side of Happiness? How, When, and Why Happiness Is Not Always Good” actually suggests that the pursuit of happiness as a goal may cause people to end up more unhappy than people who do not pursue happiness as a goal.

Huh? Would you mind explaining that one?

I will do my best. According to empirical research, people tend to experience positive emotions when they achieve their goals and negative emotions when they fail to achieve them. Happiness, as a state, occurs when we experience positive emotions in the absence of negative emotions.

When we achieve a tangible goal (e.g., receive a promotion), we experience a state of happiness. However, if happiness itself is the desired end-goal, then individuals will live in a constant state of disappointment. That is because it is impossible to always experience positive emotions and never experience negative emotions. As such, if happiness is the end-goal you are pursuing, you are never going to achieve it.

To make matters worse, check out some of these results that were highlighted in the article (remember, these are all based on empirical research):

• When people are primed to value happiness, they tend to experience less happiness in positive situations (like watching a happy movie).
• When people place a higher value on happiness, they tend to report feeling lonelier.
• People who actively try to avoid negative feelings end up demonstrating more symptoms of depression than those who don’t.
• People who experience happiness too frequently tend to demonstrate less creativity and adaptability and greater risk taking and mortality.

When I teach or consult around the issue of goal setting, I tell people that their goals need to be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and timebound). Happiness, as a goal, is just not SMART. It is a state of being that will ebb and flow, which is why the pursuit of happiness will increase your chances of moving from one disappointment to another.

In that way, I would say happiness, engagement, and work-life balance all have a lot in common. They are elusive targets that cannot be achieved permanently – because they will ebb and flow based on the dynamics of life. Yet, if those are the goals you are pursuing, you may end up sorely disappointed.

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/niemster / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0