Prevent Team Burnout

The World Health Organization has identified burnout as chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.

Three dimensions characterize burnout:

• Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion.

• Increased mental distance from one’s job or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job.

• Reduced professional efficacy means essentially not feeling like we're good in our roles or we don't have the resources to do our jobs.

Unsustainable workloads have always been, and continue to be, the leading cause of burnout. We have this idea that more hours of work equals getting more work done. This is such an unfortunate myth. The truth is that working more than 10 hours a day is associated with a 60% jump in risk of cardiovascular issues, and working more than 40 hours a week is associated with unhealthy weight gain in men and depression in women. Plus, science has proven that very little productive work actually occurs after 50 hours per week. Those who work 60 hours per week have a 23% higher risk of injury.

So, how do you spot the signs that your team may have unsustainable workloads? We need to check if employees are struggling to disconnect.

Our job as leaders is to monitor overwork and advocate for our leadership team to have more space, time, and support so that they can achieve their goals sustainably.

According to Jennifer Moss, an award-winning journalist and author of the book The Burnout Epidemic, there are six root causes of burnout:

1. Overwork. Overwork is defined as working too hard, too much, for too long, or all of the above. Unsustainable workloads have always been, and continue to be, the leading cause of burnout.

2. Lack of Control. It can show up when we feel an inability to influence decisions that affect our jobs, like our schedule, which assignments we get to work on, our workload, and the resources we have access to.

3. Lack of Rewards for Effort. We see persistent pay gaps across the global workforce, and not only is it unfair, but it leads to burnout. When someone on our team feels underpaid, it doubles the probability that they will report experiencing stress, depression, and problems with emotions on a majority of days in any given month. Underpayment increases complaints of headaches, stomach, back, and chest pain. All of this affects sleep quality. Underpayment also hurts because it amplifies other stresses, such as interpersonal conflict and having too much work and not enough time to focus on simply enjoying life.

4. Lack of Community. When we have healthy, productive workplace relationships, it offers huge benefits. According to Gallup, having a best friend at work makes us 43% more likely to receive praise, 27% more likely to feel like we can speak up, which promotes psychological safety. And our burnout is reduced by 41%.

5. Lack of Fairness. Fairness at work, or organizational justice, is a key element in preventing burnout. When there's a lack of fairness, it reduces morale, and several studies have found that it can actually cause depression. A truly fair workplace requires trust, openness, and respect. If any of these three key elements are missing, it will contribute directly to burnout.

6. Value-Skill Mismatch. Hiring someone whose values and goals do not align with the values and goals of the organization's culture has negative consequences for the individual and the company. They include increased physical and mental exhaustion and stress, low morale within the team, lack of motivation, low productivity or unsatisfactory work, increased costs for hiring and training, and higher turnover.

Here are four strategies for burnout prevention:

1. Active listening for burnout signals: As a leader, Dr. Martha Bird believes that by practicing empathetic listening, we can learn so much about our people, their history, their fears, their motivators, and their joys, and we can only get there by sharing stories and listening with interest and then passing on those stories. Dr. Bird says that we need to be professional eavesdroppers. Keeping non-work-related check-ins is a good practice. The frequency could vary from person to person; someone may need weekly meetings, and monthly will be fine for others.

2. Manage Team Workload. We just have to press pause, assess which habits are worth keeping, and identify the ones that need to stop. Look at priority alignment and ensure you and your team are on the same page. Make agreements about what is urgent and the time to answer that you expect. Make sure everyone is working on their number one priority objectives.

3. Encourage your Team to Speak up. Invite people to the table and encourage them to speak up. In healthy and innovative cultures, different opinions are celebrated. Amy Edmondson, Professor at Harvard Business School, says, "Psychological safety refers to a climate in which people are comfortable being and expressing themselves."

4. Lead by example. Great managers love to lead, and the best way to do so is by example. If we really care about preventing burnout, we need to be models of self-care.

Addressing and preventing burnout in the workplace is imperative for maintaining a healthy and productive team. Paying attention to signs of burnout, like too much work and feeling not appreciated, and taking action, is key.

We all have the opportunity as leaders to make a real impact in people's lives. We can show genuine interest, empathy, and compassion, and be open to sharing that we want to improve. Even if we make mistakes, we can learn from them and improve as a team. When we show genuine care, we make all the difference.

Write the History of Your Life

I recently had the opportunity to hear Santiago Álvarez de Mon, Professor of the Managing People in Organizations Department at IESE, talk about leadership.

Here are some reflections about how we can become the best version of ourselves:

• We are all humans in process. It's crucial to remember that we're not perfect, but we can get better. Yes, it takes effort and discipline to learn, build our character, and have strong values to do good for everyone. Our character is like a muscle; we need to work on it, be consistent, and take time to think about whether we're doing things right. Álvarez de Mon said that we should ask ourselves questions, be quiet sometimes, and appreciate things with humility and gratitude.

• We need moments to reflect. Why should we ask ourselves personal questions when we talk about leadership? It's about being coherent in values and actions. People can't give what they don't have, and being a leader is about serving, not about having power. Power and authority are different things.

• Leadership is about serving others. Think about this: What kind of impact do you have on others? Leadership is not about you; it's about how you impact the people around you. Do they feel safe, confident, eager to learn, responsible, amazed, and good about themselves because of your leadership? True leadership is about others.

Leadership is a decision and what actions you're taking to be a better person and a better leader. How you are forging your character so you can stay calm in tough times, be fair under pressure, act consistently in complex situations, and be courageous when things are unfair.

Have you ever thought about the kind of person you want to be?

Satya Nadella on Flexible Work

This interview from two years ago- is still relevant in so many topics, especially on how people have new expectations about work.

It's not only about when, where, and how to work but also why they work and what's the real meaning of work.

HR Priorities in 2024

One of the greatest abilities of leaders is to see around the corners —to see what's coming next— and to get prepared for it.

Now that it seems that changes occur faster than ever, this requires that we not only prepare but act.

These changes require us to use our ability to adapt with agility and an open mind to see the opportunity that could give us leverage and allow us to be more competitive.

We are in a moment when we need to embrace multiple paradoxes, and they require us to find the balance between business needs and employee expectations.

People are at the center of many strategies. And certainly, when we talk about organizations that have strong foundations of trust, respect, and people relations, you are moving your organization to a higher level.

Diane Gherson, one of the greatest thinkers about the future role of HR, says that we need to more intentionally and systemically redefine the relationship between workers and organizations. New work models, new business requirements, and new employee expectations are coming together at full speed, putting at risk our status quo arrangements in the organization—and even the role and scope of HR. 

What would be your HR organizational strategies to achieve a competitive advantage?

Gartner identified, as HR's number one priority, the development of leaders and managers who are overwhelmed by the growth of their job responsibilities. In most cases, it's not that they are not equipped for change, but they will need to define new role expectations and simplify processes to make the workload sustainable. In simple words, define what are the things that they are not going to do: What are the trade-off. The lack of focus on this will result in a negative impact on the well-being of the employees, an increase in burnout, and turnover.

Mercer highlighted the importance of fostering a digital mindset within the organization. "In the face of rapid technological change, it's essential to not only adapt but to lead the way."

The decisions HR leaders make today can impact their organization’s business outcomes and brand for years to come. The most common concerns that we are all hearing are:

1. Organizational Culture.

2. Embracing AI.

3. Change Management.

4. Career Management and Internal Mobility.

5. Flexible work (where and when). Align to hybrid and remote work.

6. Mental health and well-being.

7. Upskilling and reskilling.

8. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Work in psychological safety and increase the sense of belonging.

Most people's strategies required us to be more intentional in our proposals. There is a clear opportunity to embrace the changes and move ahead. However, the most brilliant strategy will get you nowhere if you don't have a culture that supports it.

 The most immediate action that you could start is to understand your organizational challenges (internal and external). Increase your people connections and moments that matter. Listen to your team. Learn. Identify what's working well and what opportunities you need to address. And take action on initial solutions.

What’s the antidote to fear?

When I was in my twenties, a friend asked me if I could join him to do bungee jumping. At that time, I liked to practice different extreme sports, but I was not particularly interested in that one. However, at the last moment, I decided to join him.

I got up very early in the morning, and with a group of people who had also signed up for bungee jumping, we initiated our adventure to Autisha.

It took approximately 2 hours and a half to get to Autisha Bridge, which is located in Autisha Canyon, in Santa Eulalia Valley (73 km east of Lima, Peru). The free fall was 20 meters, and you remained suspended 140 meters above the ground.

All the way, people were sharing stories, and fear started to surround the group. It was the first time for the whole group and a group of journalists were joining us to share the history.

When we arrived, I was relatively calm, listening to the instructions and not knowing what it was that I didn't know.

People started to prepare, putting on their harnesses and helmets and checking all the safety systems. We had great weather, and everything was exciting. Without noticing, it was my turn. I still wasn't nervous, so without much hesitation and a smile, I jumped.

It was probably one of the worst feelings in my life. Suddenly, I was falling; I had a stomach-lurching sensation. I saw the rocks, the river, and a thousand images and questions passed through my head... you felt like nothing was holding you down... you're just falling. I was afraid.

From that experience, I can recall many learnings. My point of view of practicing extreme sports switched. But that wasn’t the biggest shift.

I wondered, What is it for? What was the purpose? Was it worth it? My world perspective changed.

Yes, it was worth it, not because of the adventure, but because it helped me question myself, look at my life from another perspective, and ask myself the meaning that I was pursuing.

My life perspective and meaning changed.

The antidote for fear is courage. But you need to have a meaningful purpose, so you take action because it is worth it.

When you walk uncertain roads, you can feel scared. But if you know that the journey that you are taking is important, that you have the possibility to do important work, share your learnings, help others, and add value... you are walking the path of possibilities.

Why we need to develop our character

We all have bad days. We all have challenging moments, but it doesn't mean that we have to stay that way.

When times are challenging, we cannot let spontaneity or emotion lead our actions. Among other things, because we cannot always control our emotions or invoke them at will. We need to develop our character so that we can act according to what we think is the right thing to do.

Being aware and willing is not enough to make a good decision, as only those who have the habit of acting rightly are capable of following their conscience. Additionally, besides knowing what is good, they also have the strength to act accordingly.

Talent develops in solitude, character develops in the stream of life.
― Goethe

Kevin Kelly — We Can Shape Our Future

In his TED "The Future Will Be Shaped by Optimists," Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine and a former editor and publisher of the Whole Earth Review, says that "every great and difficult thing has required a strong sense of optimism." He believes that we have a moral obligation to be optimistic.

In this incredible talk, he also shares three reasons for optimism during challenging times, explaining how it can help us become better ancestors and create the world we want to see for ourselves and future generations.

Here is an excerpt of the points that I like most:

We are confronting tremendous problems in this world. Things like global climate change, which seems almost impossible to solve, or social inequality, which seems endemic and difficult to eliminate.

The scale of these problems, though, is even more reason why we should be optimistic. Because what we know is that in the past, every great and difficult thing that has been accomplished, every breakthrough, has, in fact, required a very strong sense of optimism that it was possible.
(...)
And it’s no guarantee, just because we believe something will happen that it will happen. But we do know that unless we believe that something can happen, it’s not going to happen inadvertently by itself. And so, it becomes really important that we imagine a world that we want, that we imagine solutions we want, and believe that we can make them happen. And that belief in making something impossible happen is what has shaped our future so far.

So, our own history has been basically shaped by optimists, and if we want to shape the future, we need to be optimistic. That world that we’re shaping is not a world that’s perfect. It’s not perfection; there’s no lack of problems, there’s no absence of bad things. It is totally not utopia. It’s what I would call pro-topia: a world in which things are a little bit better. And that sense of optimism is a perspective where we expect the world to yield a little bit more good than bad, to have a few more reasons to hope than to fear.

Creating a Culture Where People Thrive

Have you ever wondered what makes a person feel engaged, show a high commitment, and go further from what's expected?

People who go beyond not only make a positive impact in your environment but also on your business results. Now, imagine that you are not talking about one person but about your whole team or even your entire organization.

Having the right culture will make all the difference in your business outcomes.

People thrive when they see the impact of their contributions. If a person can demonstrate their contribution, they will also want to continue contributing. 

But how can we make sure that we create an environment where people can succeed? How do we create an environment where people can be curious, flow, and keep their commitment to do things better? 

It’s a good start to really care about people and believe in the impact they can make.

Here are four ways that you could put in place to be intentional about how to create the right environment:

1. Create a trusting environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute their unique talents. A safe environment promotes that people feel comfortable asking questions, concerns, and suggestions.

2. Promote learning and growth opportunities; people are more likely to commit and contribute when they see a real interest in their learning and growth. Provide them the opportunity to lead projects, participate in initiatives from different areas, provide mentoring, or take on new responsibilities.

3. Show appreciation is a great way to boost confidence and reinforce the behaviors that you want to promote and continue to see.

4. Be consistent. This is the only way to build credibility in the employee experience journey. Consistency is the foundation for building trust, and it will allow you to increase job satisfaction and increase performance.

People want the chance to make a difference, to work in an environment where they can be challenged and grow. It's our responsibility to build the right environment and help them to thrive.

Where do you put the tired?

Seth Godin has been a huge inspiration over the years. One of his books that I always come back to, and I've given to many as a present, is "What To Do When It’s Your Turn (And It’s Always Your Turn)." This book provokes the reader into action. It invites the reader to do things that matter.

It is hard to pick the best part, but I want to share one page that resonated with me.

Where do you put the tired?

Everyone who runs the marathon gets tired.

Yet there are no books called, "How to run without getting tired." That's because you can't.

And everyone who takes their turn gets scared.

So why is everyone always talking about how to do important work, give talks, make a ruckus without the fear? Of course you're going to be afraid.

The thing is, to finish the marathon all you need to do is find a place to put the tired. Not to avoid it, merely put it somewhere.

And the same thing is true for the important work we need to do.

We have choices, and reading this book is one of those that you will never regret.

Embracing the unexpected in your career

One piece of career advice that I received early in my career was to avoid overplanning. And it really helps me a lot to the point that I now share it with many others.

There’s nothing wrong with having an idea of where you want to go in your career. However, I’ve found a more interesting approach. Instead of focusing on a specific job, I look at what skills and experiences I want to gain. This means taking on challenges that are outside my comfort zone, like leading projects, tackling new responsibilities, or volunteering for tasks that others avoid. There are countless opportunities if you're willing to step up, to go further, understand what the opportunities are to keep it simple, to do it better, to connect more… to care about others.

I can say with confidence that you won't regret being open to new opportunities, exploring uncertainty, and learning new things. Experiences that take you out of your comfort zone often offer significant potential for growth.

If you are not afraid, you are probably not challenging yourself enough.

If you want to grow, I recommend starting a list of everything you genuinely desire, even if it seems impossible. Embrace these challenges as a journey into the unknown because in uncertainty lies the abundance of possibilities.

What are you going to do next

Are you at a point in your career where you're trying to figure out what to do next? Regardless of your age, life stage, background, or career experience, there are moments in life when we are looking for more. Sometimes, even when people enjoy their work, they might feel like something is missing or find themselves feeling stuck and looking for a way out.

When people feel unnoticed, undervalued, or unsafe, they might start doing the bare minimum at their job to keep it until they find something better. But it doesn't have to be this way. You could do things differently. You can make a different choice and work to make a positive impact.

If we want to do better, we need to understand what is possible. For me, it begins when we start to feel grateful for the present moment, when we see the world through the lens of possibility, and feel excited about the future we can shape. When we find excitement in both learning new things and letting go of old ideas. When we look at things not just as they are but for what they could become. When we combine our skills and our passion to do work that really matters, make an impact, and create value.

When we view the world with a sense of possibility, we fall in love with the present because every action becomes meaningful.

It's a better place since you came

There are songs that touch your heart. When I saw this video, it definitely touched mine.

My family is my biggest inspiration in life, and my children are my greatest source of strength... However, raising a child is challenging work! Raising a child with special needs has its own set of challenges.

In a world full of challenges, actions speak louder than words.

To celebrate World Down Syndrome Day, 30 families came together to sing and make a video of the song "Better Place" by Rachel Platten. These families wanted to show a new mom that her future will be full of love. Hopefully, we will hear more stories like this, where we can listen and learn how each person contributes to making this world a better place. In our case, our son Massimo changed our lives, only for the better.

Diversity enriches our humanity and makes us better. Our empathy, compassion, humility, and respect make our world a better place.

What's the biggest impact you could make today?

Marc Lore is an American entrepreneur, businessman, investor, and NBA owner. Lore is currently the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Wonder Group. He is a serial entrepreneur who has started and sold four companies. He served as the President and CEO of Walmart eCommerce when his company, Jet.com, was acquired by Walmart in 2016 for $3.3 billion. Before Jet, he was the CEO and co-founder of Diapers.com/Quidsi, which was sold to Amazon in 2011 for $545 million.

He was recently asked what advice he would give to someone just starting. For him, the best advice is to be willing to take risks, be tenacious, and go all in. There is no such thing as going half in or trying something just to see what happens. You have to believe in what you are doing and commit fully.

Second, you must have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and take the initial steps toward that vision. Think big. Identify the actions you can take today that will bring you closer to your vision, and then continue this process day by day to build momentum.

Are you willing to take that risk? If you genuinely want to make a difference, you must keep moving forward. Learn to dance with fear and embrace uncertainty. Embrace discomfort. You have the power to decide what kind of person you want to be and how you want to live. Be generous, listen with empathy, and connect with others.

Ask yourself, what's the biggest impact I could make today? Remember that fear is the mind-killer. If you seek certainty, wait for someone else's instructions, or for the right mood, or for someone else to discover you, you may never have a chance. There is no guarantee that your efforts will succeed, but it's worth trying.

Charlie Munger: The Essence of His Wisdom

Some things make a significant impact on your life and change the lens of how you see the world. For me, one thing that made a big impact on how I learn, analyze, and make decisions was when I discovered the mental models of Charlie Munger and how he applies them to live a life that matters.

Charlie Munger is the billionaire, closest partner, and right-hand man to Warren Buffett. He is not only one of the most exceptional investors the world has ever seen but also a foremost thinker of our time. During the 2007 USC Law Commencement speech, Charlie Munger shared his most useful principles, ideas, and values with humility and grace. This compelling essence of wisdom is the framework he uses to make most of his business and personal decisions in life.

Here are the core ideas he shared:

The safest way to try and get what you want is to try and deserve what you want.

It’s such a simple idea. It’s the golden rule, so to speak. You want to deliver to the world what you would buy if you were on the other end. There is no ethos, in my opinion, that is better for any lawyer or any other person to have.

By and large, the people who have this ethos win in life and they don’t win just money, just honors and emoluments. They win the respect, the deserved trust, of the people they deal with, and there is huge pleasure in life to be obtained from getting deserved trust. And so the way to get it is to deliver what you’d want to buy if the circumstances were reversed.

Love and admire the right people, alive or dead.

A second idea that I got very early was that there is no love that’s so right as admiration-based love and that love should include the instructive dead. Somehow, I got that idea, and I lived with it all my life, and it’s been very, very useful to me.

Wisdom acquisition is a moral duty.

Another idea that I got, and this may remind you of Confucius too, is that wisdom acquisition is a moral duty. It’s not something you do just to advance in life. (...)

And there’s a corollary to that proposition which is very important. It means that you’re hooked for lifetime learning, and without lifetime learning, you people are not going to do very well. You are not going to get very far in life based on what you already know. You’re going to advance in life by what you’re going to learn after you leave here. (...)

The same is true at lower walks of life. I constantly see people rise in life who are not the smartest, sometimes not even the most diligent, but they are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than when they got up, and boy, does that help—particularly when you have a long run ahead of you.

So, if civilization can progress only when it invents the method of invention, you can progress only when you learn the method of learning. I was very lucky. I came to law school having learned the method of learning and nothing has served me better in my long life than continuous learning.

Have a multidisciplinary attitude and ideas.

Another idea that was hugely useful to me was that I listened in law school when some wag said, “A legal mind is a mind that when two things are all twisted up together and interacting, it’s feasible to think responsibly about one thing and not the other.”

Well, I could see from that one sentence that was perfectly ridiculous, and it pushed me further into my natural drift, which was into learning all the big ideas and all the big disciplines so I wouldn’t be a perfect damn fool who was trying to think about one aspect of something that couldn’t be removed from the totality of the situation in a constructive fashion. And what I noted, since the really big ideas carry 95 percent of the freight, it wasn’t at all that hard for me to pick up all the big ideas and all the big disciplines and make them a standard part of my mental routines.

Once you have the ideas, of course, they are no good if you don’t practice. You don’t practice, you lose it. So, I went through life constantly practicing this model of disciplinary approach. Well, I can’t tell you what that’s done for me. It’s made life more fun. It’s made me more constructive. It’s made me more helpful to others. It’s made me enormously rich. You name it, that attitude really helps.
(...)
There are all these other things that you should know in addition to history, and those other things are the big ideas in all the other disciplines. And it doesn’t help you just to know them enough just so you can prattle them back on an exam and get an A. You have to learn these things in such a way that they’re in a mental latticework in your head and you automatically use them for the rest of your life.

Apply inversion thinking and solving problem principles.

The way complex adaptive systems work and the way mental constructs work; problems frequently get easier and I would even say usually are easier to solve if you turn around in reverse. In other words, if you want to help India, the question you should ask is not, “How can I help India?” You think, “What’s doing the worst damage in India? What would automatically do the worst damage and how do I avoid it?”

You’d think they are logically the same thing, they’re not. Those of you who have mastered algebra know that inversion frequently will solve problems which nothing else will solve. And in life, unless you’re more gifted than Einstein, inversion will help you solve problems that you can’t solve in other ways.

But to use a little inversion now, “What will really fail in life? What do you want to avoid?”

Be reliable and diligent.

If you’re unreliable, it doesn’t matter what your virtues are, you’re going to crater immediately. So doing what you have faithfully engaged to do should be an automatic part of your conduct. You want to avoid sloth and unreliability.

Eliminate the tendencies of self-serving bias, envy, resentment, and self-pity.

Generally speaking, envy, resentment, revenge, and self-pity are disastrous modes of thought. Self-pity gets pretty close to paranoia and paranoia is one of the very hardest things to reverse. You do not want to drift into self-pity.

I have a friend who carried a big stack of linen cards about this thick, and when somebody would make a comment that reflected self-pity, he would take out one of the cards, take the top one off the stack and hand it to the person, and the card said, “Your story has touched my heart. Never have I heard of anyone with as many misfortunes as you.”

Well, you can say that’s waggery, but I suggest that every time you find you’re drifting into self-pity—I don’t care what the cause, your child could be dying of cancer, self-pity is not going to improve the situation—just give yourself one of those cards. It’s a ridiculous way to behave and when you avoid it you get a great advantage over everybody else, almost everybody else, because self-pity is a standard condition and yet you can train yourself out of it.

And, of course, a self-serving bias, you want to get out of yourself: thinking that what’s good for you is good for the wider civilization and rationalizing all these ridiculous conclusions based on the subconscious tendency to serve one’s self. It’s a terribly inaccurate way to think and, of course, you want to drive that out of yourself because you want to be wise, not foolish.

You also have to allow for the self-serving bias of everybody else, because most people are not gonna remove it all that successfully, the only condition being what it is. If you don’t allow for self-serving bias in your conduct, again, you’re a fool.

Avoid Perverse incentive system.

You don’t want to be in a perverse incentive system that’s causing you to behave more and more foolishly or worse and worse. Incentives are too powerful a controller of human cognition and human behavior, and one of the things you are going to find in some modern law firms is billable hour quotas. I could not have lived under a billable hour quota of 2,400 hours a year. That would have caused serious problems for me. I wouldn’t have done it and I don’t have a solution for you for that. You have to figure it out for yourself, but it’s a significant problem.

Work with people you admire.

And you particularly want to avoid working directly under somebody you really don’t admire and don’t want to be like. It’s very dangerous. (...)

The way I solved that is I figured out the people I did admire and I maneuvered cleverly, without criticizing anybody, so I was working entirely under people I admired. (...) . And your outcome in life will be way more satisfactory and way better if you work under people you really admire. The alternative is not a good idea.

For a correct thinker, learn to maintain your objectivity.

Objectivity maintenance. Well, we all remember that Darwin paid special attention to disconfirming evidence, particularly to disconfirm something he believed and loved. Well, objectivity maintenance routines are totally required in life if you’re going to be a correct thinker. And they were talking about Darwin’s attitude—special attention to the disconfirming evidence—and also to checklist routines. Checklist routines avoid a lot of errors. You should have all this elementary wisdom and then you should go through and have a checklist in order to use it. There is no other procedure that will work as well.

Give the power to the right people, people who have the most aptitude to learn.

I think the game of life, in many respects, is getting a lot of practice into the hands of the people that have the most aptitude to learn and the most tendency to be learning machines. And if you want the very highest reaches of human civilization, that’s where you have to go. You do not want to choose a brain surgeon for your child among fifty applicants, all of them just take turns during the procedure. You don’t want your airplanes designed that way. You don’t want your Berkshire Hathaway’s run that way. You want to get the power into the right people.

Footnote: You can find the complete transcript published on James Clear.

Career Advice: Your Next Move is the One That Matters

In a time of constant change and transformation, when we talk about careers, we cannot speak anymore about the traditional straightforward linear ladders. Some people describe it more like a career playground. I like to describe it as a mobile home screen analogy, where you can find different apps meaning alternatives according to your own needs and interests. Likewise, there are opportunities in the company's workplace and options people could proactively choose to explore, learn and grow.  It would be a mistake to assume that everyone should follow one path or the other or to judge one as categorically better or worse. The really important thing is to make your growth a priority.

Indeed, Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trend Index reported that 53 percent of employees were more likely to prioritize health and well-being over work than before the pandemic. Also, according to an Ivanti Survey of thousands of workers in several countries, 71 percent said they would pass on a promotion to protect their own happiness and choose not to climb the ladder. The peak of a career is not always at the top.

As people become more empowered by market opportunities, the challenge for leaders is ensuring that workplace structures and reward systems keep up. In other words, don’t put your people in a box.

If you want to continue growing, these insights can help you thrive:

1. Embrace a Growth Mindset: Start by adopting a growth mindset, viewing change as an opportunity for growth rather than a setback. Understand that your career journey is dynamic; each shift presents a chance to learn and evolve. Embracing this perspective will help you approach new challenges with resilience and enthusiasm.

2. Assess Your Assets: Reflect on your strengths, skills, interests, and values. Take time to assess what truly makes you unique and passionate. This self-discovery process will be the foundation for your development and growth choices. Regularly revisit this assessment to ensure you're aligning your path with your evolving strengths and passions.

3. Start Small and Experiment: Begin making intentional changes by starting small. Experiment with new projects, side gigs, or learning opportunities related to your interests. These experiments serve as valuable testing grounds, allowing you to gather feedback, refine your approach, and build confidence in new areas.

4. Build a Skill Portfolio: Focus on building a diverse set of skills and experiences rather than relying solely on a single job or role. This approach provides flexibility and a safety net during transitions. Continuously seek out opportunities to expand your skill set and contribute to various projects, both within and outside your current role.

5. Seek Feedback and Network: Connect with mentors, peers, and advisors who can provide guidance and different perspectives. Actively seek feedback to refine your ideas and approaches. Building a strong network can open doors to new opportunities and help you stay informed about industry trends.

6. Manage Fear and Uncertainty: Understand that fear is a natural part of the change process. Instead of avoiding it, acknowledge and embrace it as a sign of growth. Break down your goals into smaller, actionable steps, and celebrate each milestone along the way. This positive reinforcement can help you build confidence and navigate uncertainty more effectively.

7. Commit to Lifelong Learning: Continually invest in your personal and professional development. Stay curious and proactive about learning new skills, technologies, and trends. This commitment to learning ensures that you remain adaptable and relevant in an ever-changing work landscape. 

Combining these strategies and recommendations will enable you to continue growing and thriving in your career. Embrace change, leverage your strengths, experiment with new opportunities, and maintain a proactive and open-minded approach to ongoing development. Remember, your journey is unique, and each change is a chance to craft a fulfilling and impactful career journey.

Maintaining a growth mindset is critical to navigating a pivot successfully. By seeing change as an opportunity rather than a personal shortcoming or obstacle, you will be much more likely to find creative solutions based on what excites you rather than subpar choices clouded by fear.
— Jenny Blake.

How are you preparing to the Future of Work?

On November 30, 2022, OpenAI launched the latest version of ChatGPT. In just a matter of days, the chatbot captivated the attention of over a hundred million users who tested its capabilities. The chatbot quickly went viral on social media as users shared examples of what it could do. Stories and samples included everything from travel planning to coding software programs.

Technology is really transforming the world of work. And that means companies must learn how to do things differently than what they’ve done over 50 or a hundred-year history. Over the last three years, we have been shaped by a challenging combination of health, economic and geopolitical volatility, growing social pressures, and environmental concerns.

These rapid transformations have reshaped the world’s labor markets and changed the demand for skills and job opportunities.

According to the Future of Jobs Report 2023, over 85% of organizations surveyed identified increased adoption of new and frontier technologies and broadening digital access as the trends most likely to drive transformation in their organization. Some key findings are:

• The impact of most technologies on jobs is expected to be a net positive over the next five years.

• Employers estimate that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted in the next five years. Cognitive skills are reported to grow in importance most quickly, reflecting the increasing importance of complex problem-solving in the workplace.

• Six in ten workers will require training before 2027, but only half of the workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities today.

• Analytical thinking and creative thinking remain the most important skills for workers in 2023.

This transformation also means that companies must transform the skill base in how they’re approaching employees and talent.

One of the approaches that most companies will appeal to is to put the company's purpose in front of employees. When employees find purpose, learn and grow, and feel valued and respected, the organization can reinvent strategy, respond to customer needs, improve customer service, increase investor confidence, and build community reputation.

When we talk about the future of work and employee experience, we have to put in front that people matter. Caring for people in organizations is a timeless principle. Beyond employer practices, my sense is that this may come from more personalization than generic solutions. Personalization helps individuals find their personal pathway from their work setting. When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none.

According to Dave Ulrich, in organizations, personalization is about caring for the person through leadership emotion, empathy, engagement, and efficacy. These E words show up with increased attention on affinity in relationships. Personalization at work also refers to creating more customized work experiences through turning workplace flexibility practices (benefits, hours worked, locations, workweek, sabbaticals, job sharing) into personal choices tailored to the needs of each employee.

Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most.

The future of work is a big challenge. We have to get in front of that. But most companies haven’t necessarily figured it all out yet.

However, one of the big initiatives that some companies have undertaken is how to help people create more flexibility in their roles, so they can discover new ways of working, explore new skills, and grow.

The biggest challenge of the new future-forward workplace is to build a culture and process that embraces work flexibility alongside productivity. It will require operational agility, flexible processes, and technology adoption — and a willingness for organizational leaders to see change as an opportunity to innovate, grow and lead.

Why is it important to set boundaries

Since I started working with global teams, I knew that I would find myself in meetings very early in the morning or very late at night. As global teams, we try to find a time zone that works for most of us. We know that this is part of the role. What I didn't realize was how this could impact my family.

I have three beautiful kids, and when I start to work very early, even when working from home, there are days I can hardly say goodbye when they leave for school. Similarly, when I have meetings at night, I can't join them for dinner, read their favorite books, or put them to sleep.

At first, I told myself that those days were the exception. But after a while, you find yourself more often on those schedules. You find that it takes work to set boundaries.

If you're a responsible person, sooner or later, you will probably find yourself planning to work late because you spend most of your day in meetings and can't finish your 'real work.' It's almost like an involuntary reaction. You tell yourself, 'I need to finish,' or 'I need to respond to those emails,' etc.

We end up immersed in a routine of accomplishment and short gratification, and sometimes we are unaware of the impact on our lives. Are we aware of how not stopping affects our lives? How does it really affect us not spending time for ourselves and our families? Personally, I enjoy having time with myself for reflection that allows me to put things into perspective and set the right priorities, so I decide in advance the time that I'm going to block to share with my family, read, do sports... the things that I define as important.

The pandemic changed the way many people work. But it also invites us to be clear about the boundaries we need to set on how we spend our time. If we don't take the time and make a conscious decision and define those limits in advance, we can very easily find ourselves breaking them.

I'm writing this during the weeks I decided to be fully dedicated to my loved ones on a family trip.

What boundaries work for you?

Critical Human Skills

In a world that is constantly transforming, one thing remains certain: individuals must be prepared for the future. The World Economic Forum urges us to equip current students with three indispensable skills: problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability. Also, Harvard Business School underscores the importance of adaptability, curiosity, creativity, and comfort with ambiguity. Furthermore, Gallup proposed seven skills for successful managers: building relationships; developing people; leading change; inspiring others; thinking critically; communicating clearly; and creating accountability.

Yet, amidst this mosaic of skills, there exists one that resonates profoundly—empathy. Empathy is the critical skill for taking the lead, connecting, and opening our minds to the opinions and perspectives of others. However, leading with empathy can be challenging. It requires courage and effort to understand that people don't see what you see, don't know what you know, and probably don't want what you want. But when you lead with empathy, you demonstrate care, concern, and understanding for other people's circumstances. And it could make all the difference in how we interact with and understand others.

Most of the skills listed above are human skills and seek possibility. How would the world be if most of us put our effort and focus on things that could be better? That's what we call progress.  To be successful in the future, it's important to understand that life-long learning and adaptability are crucial to improving not only our own life but also contributing to progress a positive change in the world.

Talent thrives in the right environment

We are all looking for talent, right? Exceptional human performance continues to intrigue experts and organizations. We've heard a lot about how high performance makes a huge impact and does the most incredible work.

Steve Jobs, the legend behind Apple, summed it up perfectly: "Go after the crème de la crème. A small team of A+ players can leave a giant team of B and C players in the dust." And the management guru Jim Collins agrees. He says, "The biggest roadblock to my organization's success is finding and keeping the right people."

But here's the deal: it's not just about individuals. The environment plays a significant role too. When we create the perfect vibe, people unleash their awesomeness. When we build a culture that supports, inspires, and celebrates progress, people can reach mind-blowing heights. The culture affects how and why people work and the jaw-dropping results they achieve.

Forget only focusing on the "talented few." Let's create an environment where everyone can shine and thrive. Talent thrives in the right environment.