CWO Diary, September 2024

Hello and welcome to the September 'Back to Work' edition of the Chief Wellbeing Officer newsletter on LinkedIn. Three months have whizzed by since the last edition, so there's a lot to pack in.

I did enjoy some good downtime myself including a solid four weeks off social media, and have been moving forward a number of exciting new projects (to be announced soon...one big one below in the programs section) while I was also delighted to publish my new website.

I hope this edition finds you well rested and raring to go for the challenges ahead. Hoping that some of the content below will support your efforts..

This month we look at the perception of time, sensing, energy batteries and creating boundaries. In Community Spotlight I introduce a new core team of content curators for Chief Wellbeing Officer and highlight the recently published audiobook for The Daily Reset in Back Catalogue before the usual brief recap on CWO programs. Right, let's get into it...

New Writing

Quite by accident, I wrote about how we experience time as we entered the summer break and just yesterday as I sensed the professional class getting back up to full-speed. Both settings are of course critical. We should immerse ourselves fully in downtime, at such a premium these days in busy working lives, in order to invest in recovery.

And it's just as important in busy work mode, not least when considering the concept of measurement. We measure so many things at work, but how do you measure your days?

The Ancient Greeks had two concepts of time: Kronos, the conventional measure in minutes and hours, but also Kairos, which was the experience of that time.

We all have the same amount of time each day, but the way that we experience that time is very different. This could be due to factors outside our control, but that experience is also impacted by our own actions and behaviours.

I think we can stretch time by being more mindful or present, giving thanks, pausing to reflect, journaling, preparing a meal with a loved one, and more... So, how could you experience more Kairos today?

(btw, you must check out the comment from my Greek friend David on the post below)

Strongly linked to the experience of time is sensing. I've thought a lot about this recently, particularly around engaging my senses with the changing seasons. It has led me to be more present and balanced. I think there's enormous benefit in paying attention to your gut instinct in business, and indeed any big life decisions. I think this can be elevated by engaging your five senses on a deeper level.

And yet, maybe we have a sixth sense too.

Close your eyes please.

Can you feel your heartbeat?

This is a simple test of assessing your interoception. A fast-moving area of study in neuroscience and psychology, it is the sense of what’s going on in your body, based on signals sent from your internal organs to the brain.

Scientists are understanding this sixth sense has enormous impact on our wellbeing.

Try tuning in to your internal organs. Itchiness, hunger, temperature, muscle tension or a clenching stomach, breathing, your beating heart. All are important signals.

And a final, important note: my biggest teachers in all this have been my beautiful dogs, Harry and Teddy x.

Energy is a big part of wellbeing and I like the concept of energy batteries which served as a fantastic 2-hour exercise recently with On on the banks of Lake Zurich.

We might consider the following four for starters. How do you recharge? What's your strongest? What's your weakest?

Physical Battery

Our physical battery builds endurance and promotes mental and emotional recovery. Some of the main areas that will charge our physical battery include exercise, sleep and nutrition.

Emotional Battery

Our emotional battery will help create the internal climate that allows us to flourish. A lot of the areas in this battery include emotional intelligence, such as self awareness, emotional regulation, and relationships with others.

Mental Battery

Our mental battery allows us to focus our physical and emotional energy on the task at hand. Tactics to attain focus and deep work, thereby improving productivity, may be included here. Mindfulness and learning are also part of the picture.

Spiritual Battery

Finally, our spiritual battery is the seat of deep motivation and resilience. It is the one battery less about the self. It consider areas beyond the self such as service, mission and purpose.

A final area this month is that of creating boundaries. The Power of a Positive No by William Ury is a simple and practical way of doing that.

“A ‘No’ uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a ‘Yes’ uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Try out the three steps of Yes! No. Yes? as follows:

1. The first emphatic Yes! expresses that you are invested in the general idea and are committed to acollaborative approach.
2. The definitive No. asserts your power and creates boundaries.
3. The second Yes? furthers your relationship by presenting a proposal that is consistent withyour needs and values. It needs to be Clear, Feasible, Positively-Framed and Respectful.

Click on the image above to see the LinkedIn post from a few weeks back. Have you found saying 'No' to help your wellbeing and getting things done?

Community Spotlight

I'm eager to grow the reach of Chief Wellbeing Officer on LinkedIn and beyond, and admire a lot of the work by peers and colleagues around the world. The intention of Chief Wellbeing Officer is first and foremost to support the workplace (my day job essentially) yet I believe another important role is to support and co-create with other wellbeing practitioners globally.

To that end, I have invited three leading voices to curate content on the CWO LinkedIn channel. Thank-you and welcome Miriam, Matt and Katie!

Dr. Miriam Baumg?rtner is a psychologist and mental health expert with significant experience in consulting (PwC) as well as academic research (University of St. Gallen). Her most recent focus was in the area of sustainable people performance.

Matt Tod is Director of Learning and Organizational Development at Plan International Canada and an expert in peak performance, with passion for learning and social impact.

Katie Carano is the Head of People and Organizational Operations at Higher Ring, a B Corp and ethical outsourcing partner for socially responsible companies. She has a long and distinguished history in the wellbeing and sustainable performance field going back to her days as a program manager at Tignum.

Back Catalogue

Probably the most recent of back catalogue items mentioned in the newsletter so far, in that this was published just before the summer. As noted in previous editions the audiobooks for my other two books in the Chief Wellbeing Officer trilogy are already in audiobook format, and distributed exclusively by Audible. I wanted to try something different with The Daily Reset, and so chose an alternative route with Spotify. The book is still available on Audible and a wider range of smaller distributors and platforms.

You can listen to small section here and if you'd like a free Spotify copy please DM me or email Pamela at: [email protected].

CWO Programs

• It was a huge pleasure to complete our 2024 partnership with the European Broadcasting Union in Geneva last week. In the last visit this year we finished with a groupf of 120, from HQ in Geneva and global offioces including Moscow and Washington. Further details of the engagement design here on a LinkedIn post.

• Also last week was my keynote to the Top 100 at Arla Foods Europe in Stockholm as part of my ongoing partnership with the organization. I've delivered keynotes for a long time, but this was something different, and a rewarding co-production with Claus Flensborg and Malin Bendz. A 75-minute main stage session was divided into delivery and small group sections, followed by a panel discussion with the head of Europe, Peter Giortz-Carlsen (pictured below) and other members of the management board.

• I'm hugely excited to publish the Spanish version of The Daily Reset before the end of the year. We're currently working on a number of elements, including a tour of Latin America at the end of November. Please get in touch if you'd like to know more.

And that's it for the September issue. Thanks for reading and see you next month.

Keep well.

Steven