Wellbeing, and specifically mental health, is much more than the absence of illness or disease – it encompasses feelings of comfort and happiness, positive and constructive thought-processing, and a strong sense of self-efficacy (the belief that you have the ability to find solutions to any of the challenges that may come your way). This resilience…
“If dandelions were rare and fragile, people would knock themselves out to pay $14.95 a plant, raise them by hand in greenhouses, and form dandelion societies and all that. But they are everywhere and don’t need us and kind of do what they please. So, we call them weeds and murder them at every opportunity”…
“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. ”So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” (J.R.R TOLKIEN) Often criticised…
The World Health Organisation (WHO) states: “Mental health is critically important for everyone, everywhere, and goes beyond the mere absence of a mental health condition. It is integral to well-being, enabling people to realise their full potential, show resilience amidst adversity, be productive across the various settings of daily life, form meaningful relationships and contribute…
“Sadly, too often, the stigma around mental health prevents people who need help from seeking it” (Michelle Obama) Mental illness is of such significant concern that the World Health Organization (WHO) has implemented a global Special Initiative for mental health. While mental health conditions are on the rise, research indicates that most people who have…
“I write about broken people who need other people in order to go on. But those are the only kind of people I know to exist. We are all broken” (John Green) Kintsugi, or “golden joinery”, also known as kintsukuroi, or “golden repair”, is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or…
Building a culture that is sensitive to the ‘moment of truth’ is the precursor to being able to reach new heights in quality, innovation, and service delivery for companies. The ‘moment of truth’ is that short period of time when a customer interacts with a brand, product, or service to form or change an impression…
“A microscope of faith is far better than a telescope of criticism” (Anon) While helpful feedback is aimed at improving or enhancing the performance of an employee or team and accelerating business results as a whole, such manager conversations often deteriorate into criticism, which is loosely defined as “the expression of disapproval of someone or…
“The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. Vision will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve excellence. Only vision allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. Vision has no boundaries…
“It is unfortunate that for some, kindness is an unwarranted expenditure, compassion an avoidable weakness, and love an unnecessary gamble” (Wayne Gerard Trotman) An orthopaedic surgeon, Bill, finally finished his last surgery well into the evening on that Friday and just wanted to get back home to be with his family, possibly go out for…
Over the past twenty years or more, responsibility for employee health has largely gravitated towards voluntary action on the part of forward-thinking employers, realising that they can play a large role in improving well-being through health promotion and ill health prevention activities. Encouraging life-style changes, some employers have increased expectations on their leadership to perform…
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do” (Steve Jobs) There are many phrases that describe resistance to the overbearing supervision of one’s boss – don’t breathe down my neck, don’t walk in on me, don’t look…
