Let’s start off on the right foot

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” —Plutarch

The skinny

UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner found, after 20 years of lab and field experiments studying powerful people, that the influence of power leads individuals to be more likely to act on impulse and take risks.

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Is that a good thing?

Perhaps. It can be good for CEOs who drive business success, but it can also be bad for empathetic leadership.

How so?

I’ll hit you with another study. Neuroscientist Sukhvinder Obhi studied the brains of powerful and non-powerful people and found that powerful people had a hard time “mirroring” others, or subconsciously mimicking another person’s non-verbal behaviors.  

Huh?

Basically, mirroring is something we do all the time and it is helpful in building relationships and rapport with others. And sorry to say, CEOs are rubbish at it, which can have a negative effect on leadership abilities.

Why exactly?

Think about it. Because of the imbalance of power in most situations CEOs engage in – specifically among employees – people tend to mirror the big dog in the room, not the other way around.  

Bow wow wow.

Yip. CEOs have less practice with mirroring and so they stop trying altogether. This can cause CEOs to literally have an “empathy deficit,” or basically they’re not able to adopt the perspective of others.  

Defective.

Exactly. It’s a brain thing. You can see examples all over the place, especially now with CEOs requiring their employees to return to the office, despite loud protests against returning.  

Tone deaf.

Not reading the room. If leaders want to have a “Man in the Mirror” moment, focusing on flexibility will be key.  

Weird flex, but ok.

It really isn’t that weird. Leaders need to accept that the past year has provided unique flexibility for employees, and they simply don’t want to give that up. They should embrace flexibility, rather than resist it, as the way for organizations to succeed in the future. Especially since flexibility expands employee productivity.

Further reading: Rewriting the social contract.

Dive deeper: Namastay at home.  

Date with data: 71% of remote employees believe the quality of their work has improved during the pandemic.

Double date: 66% of employees say they are more productive at home than in the office.

Totes quotes: “[People] don’t like commuting, but so what? I’m about to cancel all my Zoom meetings. I’m done with it.” –Jamie Dimon, CEO, JP Morgan Chase

Totes quotes two: Responding to remote work: “Not the new normal. It’s an aberration that we’re going to correct as soon as possible.” –David Solomon, CEO, Goldman Sachs

The skinny

According to recent research by Gallup, mental health and emotional well-being have plunged to their lowest levels since 2001.

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Because of the pandemic?

That’s a factor. But actually, this has been a growing issue for quite some time. In fact, mental health at work was called one of the most far-reaching workplace issues of 2019, officially in the “before times.”

Screaming into the void.

It can sometimes feel like that for employees. With many traditional health plans not covering mental health and EAPs falling short when it comes to paying for mental health services, it’s no wonder that 60% of employees struggling with mental health challenges indicated that their employer does not provide helpful or effective mental health benefits.  

Something must change.  

Things are changing, a little. The growing demand for expanded, enhanced, and effective support for employee mental health and well-being is not a trend, it’s a shift in the market that many are already noticing.  

Twisties.

Indeed. Even star athletes are putting their mental health first in a major shift to normalizing the concept that brain health is just as important has body health. With this in mind, it’s very important for employers to not just take note, but take action in the form of, you guessed it, benefits.  

APPealing solution.

Not wrong. Access to mental health apps is a great way to fill the mental health void employees are experiencing. But apps cannot replace access to affordable health care that covers mental health support. Start by evaluating your coverage options and identify what poses barriers to care (like high out-of-pocket costs), then you can see where you may need to expand coverage options to help address employee mental health needs.

Totes quotes: “The increasing willingness of athletes to speak up, confirms that mental health issues affect everyone. Candid acknowledgements by Biles, Osaka, and others are really important for the everyday Joe to do the same thing.” –Sian Beilock, president of Barnard College  

Date with data: 96% of CEOs believe they are doing enough for employee mental health, but only 69% of employees agree.

Further reading: Should your company provide mental health apps to employees?  

For you: 3 ways to strengthen your mental health and happiness right now.

The skinny

Studies suggest that pairing small, immediate rewards to a task improves both motivation and fun.

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But…sinking.

You’re not alone. We’re all on the motivational roller coaster. I mean, kudos to all those weirdos who always feel “great” – but normally, motivation is hard to keep up indefinitely.  

You don’t say.

Yes. In fact, it’s almost physically impossible to feel motivated 100% of the time. But pairing small treats (think a fancy latte to go with that report you need to finish, or Netflix and chill on the treadmill) with unfun or “need to do” tasks can help you feel more motivated.

But I want long lasting.

Don’t we all. The secret to understanding and achieving long-term motivation lies in self-determination. In other words, when you connect the things that are important to you to the things you need to do you can feel more in control of your actions.

What do you mean exactly?

Reconnecting to your sense of purpose of course! Why do you love your work? What core value does it meet? If you can’t answer those questions, or if you answer negatively, then that’s a great place to start making changes to feel more motivated.  

Feeling connected.

Good. Now for a friendly game of motivation. Studies have shown that competition is a great motivator especially with exercise. Trying new and novel activities that you aren’t used to can help you win motivational gold.  

Golden.

You’re precious, remember that. Self-compassion works much more effectively than shame when trying to drum up motivation. Before your next big motivational hurdle, first ask yourself, “What do I need to be successful?”

Further reading: 8 ways to boost motivation and pull employees out of a summer slump.

Deeper dive: Fatigue might be to blame for lack of motivation.

Now a break from the news… Reasons to log off.

Compliance Corner Biden says long COVID can be considered a disability under law.

Here’s something to…

• Stretch: Simple stretch to relieve lower back pain.  
• Listen to: Dreamy summer dinner party playlist.  
• Hashtag: Top companies for Millennials in 2021.  
• Check: Should you start masking up again?
• Achieve: A better morning routine.
• Think about: Extroverts bad at networking?

Benefits Insight Dashboard

It’s almost time for annual enrollment, find out what employees are thinking.