Life, the universe and great books to read - Tom Cassidy on new year re-entry issues
Written by Tom Cassidy • 17 January, 2022
Wellbeing Article
You may have noticed that beginning a new year conjures up a slight feeling of trepidation. Perhaps this is because we have had a break and therefore it is harder to get started again. I have a slightly different take on this. I believe it is to do with our time horizon.
I imagine that during November and December last year, you were busily getting things done before the holiday break. Deadlines were brought forward to achieve goals before the year ended. This meant you were working on a short-scale time horizon.
Now that January is here, the time horizon is suddenly much longer. We have the whole year to deliver the professional development goals we want to achieve and tackle the activities stretching out ahead of us. Keeping the time horizon deliberately short will help you to stay engaged and focused.
When we are motivated by an activity, we may start to think – ‘can I keep this up?’ A better question is ‘how short can I make this period of activity?’ On the 4th February, the Winter Olympics start, I am trying to have everything I am working on completed by then.
I have really enjoyed listening to the Huberman lab podcast over the past year. Andrew Huberman is a professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Beyond his scientific know-how, he is an excellent communicator too. One idea that has particularly resonated with me involves improving sleep. This topic has received a lot of attention, for example Matthew Walker’s excellent book Why We Sleep emphasises the value of sleep – for creativity, emotional stability and physical recovery.
Huberman suggests that our sleep ‘hygiene’ in the evening before we sleep (warm shower, minimal screen exposure, bedtime routine etc…) is less important than our behaviours in the morning. He believes that getting natural light in our eyes within 30 – 60 minutes of waking leads to a good night’s sleep later on.
Huberman suggests that natural light sets our internal circadian clock within the hypothalamus. Getting light early in the day allows hormones, especially melatonin, to set at an optimum level. The brain then expects that we will be returning to sleep in about 12 – 14 hours. Regularly seeing early morning light helps us to feel tired at the right time of day.
I have found the debate about the merits of WFH, office working, hybrid, flex-working and autonomy to be fascinating. Corporate real estate owners and vested office proponents have campaigned for the ‘vital’ benefits of returning to collective spaces. However, many people feel that the increased flexibility, and the energy saved (by not commuting), have been beneficial. Rather than just naming and describing the problem, I found a new perspective from Robert Keegan’s book on the problems and processes of human development – The Evolving Self.
Keegan suggests that one of the most common problems of childhood (5 – 7yrs) is school phobia. This is described as a fear of going to school, an unwillingness to leave the home during school hours. The child cannot explain why they don’t want to go to school, it’s not the teachers, or playground friends, and it is invariably accompanied by real somatic symptoms, such as sore throat, headache, abdominal pains and even vomiting at breakfast.
Our own children have already navigated the three central themes of infancy – the tension of being seen and not seen (peekaboo perfectly encapsulates this), balance and feeling unbalanced (learning to walk) and losing and finding objects of desire (wanting). They have reached an evolutionary truce, all in the safety of home.
Now they must experience stepping forth into the world. This activates a yearning for distinctness, personal initiative, and autonomy. However, this desire is buffered by the need for holding on, support, and avoiding bewilderment. Keegan explains this perfectly:
“School phobia is a work disturbance par excellence. The child cannot go to work. The problem is not with work as a content, with a particular kind of work; the problem lies with work as a structure. When the child is marched off to work but is psychologically unready to work, the mismatch between social task and personal evolution is bound to be painful – to the child and anyone who cares for him or her…”
Perhaps, the problem with hybrid working lies in the structure, not the content, of work. Perhaps we have all regressed psychologically, and the prospect of leaving the home to go into work (that activity we undertook, without thought or fear in 2019) now seems to be a bit too much. Many would disagree, and certainly economies depend on people living and spending outside of the home. However, understanding the psychological mechanism underpinning school phobia helps me to think differently about the challenge of adjusting to new working patterns and integrating unfamiliar rhythms. It may be more challenging than just “three days in the office, two days working from home”. Something to think about maybe, if only within a short time horizon.
Take charge of 2022 – with a personal development plan. For tips and advice on where to start, take a look here.
Get our latest insights by subscribing to our newsletter. Each week you'll receive updates helping you to understand and respond to the challenges facing your organisation. We won't share your details with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Learn to tackle the day-to-day challenges faced by women in the workplace with confidence, control and conviction.
This fast-paced interactive talk delivered by our motivational keynote speakers provides insight on how women can communicate with more impact and how they can develop within a leadership role by enhancing their personal presence. Our women’s speakers aim to help you build the confidence to be included in meetings, and raise your visibility as an authentic and influential leader. This talk can be tailored to your business and any specific requirements you might have.
The founder and CEO of Working Voices, Nick Smallman has been at the top of his profession for 25 years. Advising global blue-chip clients on engagement, productivity, and retention, he counsels leaders on increasing revenue via simple cultural adjustments.
Overseeing the successful expansion of Working Voices across the UK, the US, Asia, and the Middle East, Nick supports the leadership and communication capabilities of clients in a wide range of sectors. In particular, he has advised companies such as JP Morgan, Barclays, Sony, Nomura, M&S, and Blackrock for more than 15 years.
Developing his reputation for thought leadership, in recent years Nick has been leading work on The Sustainable Human, the subject of his forthcoming book. A concept unique to Working Voices, The Sustainable Human offers a package of solutions focusing on leadership enablement, future skills, and cultural harmony.
Working closely with HR specialist Mercer, Nick has developed solutions to four key modern workplace challenges:
“I’m excited to share the conclusions of three years of research that, if implemented, can make an immediate practical difference to leaders and their organisations.”
All articles by Nick Smallman
Our motivating keynote speakers will help you to gain an understanding of how you present yourself to others and how they identify with you. You’ll also gain an understanding of how influence and the development of a personal brand can enhance your impact. In this enthusing talk our expert business speakers will explore the practicalities and techniques involved in developing a suitable personal brand and creating a strong personal impact.
Networking skills are important for achieving success in business. This talk delivered by our engaging keynote speakers will provide you with an insight into good networking etiquette. Our business speakers will focus on understanding the importance of networking, how to plan and prep before an event. You’ll learn some good tips for reading group body language and some essential icebreakers to get you started.
Parents all over the world are becoming increasingly worried about the effect of screen use on their children’s mental health. In addition to a lack of understanding as to what they are looking at there is the deeper issue of how online behaviour is shaping the way that children think and form relationships. We unpack the neuroscience behind the addictive nature of screen time and offer a blueprint to help parents coach their children towards a more fruitful relationship with the internet.
The internet is lauded as a giant leap for communication and a vehicle for mass connection in a busy world. What is also becoming clear is the opportunity for bad actors to manipulate important social, cultural and political conversations through the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation. We lay bare the methods that are used to inject confusion and grievance into the conversation and how we as consumers are not naturally wired to combat this. We will offer a framework to help protect you from fake news, distraction and getting sucked in to destructive communication
70% of people will experience a genuine fear of being exposed as not good enough, of being a fraud in their working lives; this talk will help you combat such feelings and deliver practical guidance that will help you feel confident and comfortable when taking on the next big challenge.
In a world dominated by showmen, charismatics and influencers it is becoming more and more difficult to find leaders that are intellectually credible as well as influential. The ability to think critically is being downgraded while the ability to attract attention is lauded. It is possible to do both and we will show how strong mental models can underpin a long-term leadership persona.
The self-help industry is an ever expanding and hugely popular vehicle for personal development. Humans have an innate desire to improve themselves and raise their status – what’s not to love? However, some of the ideas and tropes used in many of the self-help products available rely on flawed thinking to be successful. We explore 6 major themes, deconstruct their effectiveness and relevance in the modern world and provide an alternatives that are more effective.
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos (Founder and Chairman of Amazon) that’s why it matters so much. It’s all about creating the right external impression, ensuring it is authentic and makes you stand out from the crowd. This inspirational talk by our expert keynote speakers will explore the methods, techniques and practises of developing an authentic personal brand that gets you noticed.
Presenting can be a daunting ordeal at the best of times but this highly interactive and fast paced talk will help build your confidence and improve your delivery with any audience. Our keynote speaker will take you through how best to prepare for your big moment, along with helping you look and sound the part as well.
TED Talks can be both informative and inspiring, but how do the best speakers deliver their message with such impact? In this talk, one of our inspiring keynote speakers will walk you through the TED method and help you deliver your very own idea with confidence and precision.
Emotional intelligence is about the ability to identify, assess and manage the emotions of yourself, of others and of groups. Having a high EQ will improve your ability to maintain good working relationships and communicate successfully. This highly interactive talk will give you a practical insight into how emotional intelligence works. Our expert keynote speakers will give you a concise overview of the emotional intelligence know-how and stratagems you need to interact commendably with clients and colleagues.
Making a good impression and having a strong personal presence is an important part of being successful in business and in life. Personal impact is about having presence and charisma. In this engaging talk our motivational keynote speakers will explore what both of these actually mean, what they look like and feel like. We will look at the practicalities of each and punctuate both topics with brief exercises to help you to become more aware of the way you interact with others. This is an exciting and interactive talk which our expert business speakers deliver in an inspirational style.
Successful people are super communicators – they think clearly and are expert at interacting with others. They understand themselves, other people and know that superior relationships are the cornerstone to a fulfilling life These characteristics are learned attributes. Now you can master these skills and behaviours and work towards becoming a super communicator yourself.
Improving your influencing skills is important in helping you to build better rapport and have positive relationships with your clients and colleagues. This fast-paced talk delivered by our expert business speakers helps you to explore and develop your existing influencing skills. Our inspiring keynote speakers will focus on maintaining mental and linguistic flexibility when interpreting and presenting information helping you to become an effective influential leader. Our keynote speakers can adapt this talk to your business needs and requirements if requested.
Our sentiments and feelings towards people are created by our own experiences but we’re not always aware of how those sentiments affect the way we act towards people and make decisions about them. Our engaging keynote speakers will bring to light your unconscious bias in this thought provoking talk: how it works, the affect this has on decision making and most importantly, what you can do about it; making sure you are the inclusive leader you wish to be.