Blog

Are you THRIVING at work and home?

It’s a simple question, but sadly few people are able to answer it with a resounding yes…for either area of life.

The failure of High Performance Leadership and hard driving corporate cultures has a simple fix, but it requires leaders to think differently about high “performance”.

Have you heard the term “Human Sustainability” before? It’s the newest buzzword to describe an age-old concept and has important implications for your health, wellbeing, and success at work, and in life.

One conversation that comes up regularly in my coaching work with clients is EQ. However, I believe it’s the little known and poorly understood PQ that really moves the needle on personal growth and performance in work and life.

At its heart, PQ is about turning your inner critic, monologue, and emotions into your best cheerleader and action taker. Let’s look at how PQ can transform your perspective and life.

 Let’s talk about the difference between wellness and wellbeing. The important difference between these two common terms could be the cause of your frustration, and a way to move beyond the barriers you are facing.

These terms are often thrown around interchangeably and few people don’t recognize the difference. However, when you stop for a moment and consider each word, they are fundamental and critically different.

Hiring a Chief Wellbeing Officer is the first step towards fixing the corporate wellness disaster that companies are currently facing. With the steadily increasing levels of stress, burnout, turnover, and disengagement, executive teams are increasingly focussed on providing wellness amenities to employees. Unfortunately, traditional wellness strategies have not improved working conditions, stress levels, and the wellbeing of employees.

This is why the new executive level role of Chief Wellbeing Officer (CWO) is gaining popularity. This role sometimes called “Head of Wellbeing” is a signal by an organisation and its board to take the health, happiness, and engagement of employees seriously. It’s a decision to move beyond “checking boxes” to generating tangible, positive improvements in wellbeing, performance and ROI across the entire organisation.

Let’s look at the key responsibilities of a Chief Wellbeing Officer and why having one is essential for the growth and prosperity of your people and organization.

Employees and businesses are struggling to adapt to the new reality of work. Almost every survey and research study highlights that people are more stressed, disengaged, and burned out than ever. This is despite the billions of dollars being spent each year on wellness, benefits, and employee engagement tools. Science and practical experience show us a clear solution, but most companies have failed to take the simple steps necessary for change to happen.

The fitness industry and corporations are missing a massive opportunity by viewing “wellness” through a series of narrow lenses (Fitness, HR, mental health, stress management, benefits programs, etc.). The fact is, Wellbeing is a state of mind that encompasses all aspects of human life and includes wellness skills and actions in each of the following areas: work, home, finances, mental, physical, environmental, social, spiritual, occupational.

It’s been 18 years since a UK press release and marketing campaign popularized Blue Monday, yet people are still falling for the false notion that the 3rd Monday of January is the “most depressing day of the year”.

This time of year gets a bad rap for so many reasons. In fact, you are probably being bombarded from every angle with “resolution” messages. I’m sure your inner cynic is rolling its eyes! (Mine is).

As for resolutions. Some people set them every year, others don’t. I’m not a big fan. I believe it’s time to move past them. To do something different…and better.

At the base level, there’s no right or wrong way to transition from one year to the next. It’s more about what’s working for you, and what’s not.

This conversation is all too common these days and drives to the heart of the consistent failure of workplace wellness in most organizations. Despite the billions spent on benefits plans and fancy features, people are more stressed, disengaged, and unhealthy than ever.