Category: Blog

Do you have a ‘trapped dolphin’?

As a Gold Coast local, the news this week of a 3 year old Dolphin being trapped for 5 hours in an inflatable swimming enclosure whilst the mother looked on anxiously got a lot of coverage in these parts.

The cheeky calf took advantage of the higher than normal tides, thanks to the ‘supermoon’, to slip under the nets and have an extra feed on the unsuspecting, and usually protected, fish that reside within the inflatable enclosure on Tallebudgera Creek.

As onlookers experienced initial delight that quickly moved to strong concern for its welfare, what struck me about the whole episode was how many people and resources mobilised to help rescue the young dolphin.

From local experts at nearby Sea World, visiting tourists, locals from the nearby community, passing boats, and heavy lifting & cutting equipment…this little adventure was now attracting a lot of attention, effort and expense. The feelings of celebration and relief for those involved were clear to see. I even felt a sense of relief myself even though it was only through watching the evening news! Of course, the dolphin just swam off with his mother as if nothing had even happened.

Let me be clear, I’m not saying it was not worth it. Quite the opposite, as it should be in my book. It did get me thinking about how we, as humans, react in times of need to help out others regardless of what it costs us in the moment.

The conclusion I reached is that deep down, whether we choose to admit it or not, we really do care about others and not just caught up in our own world. The vast majority of us stop to help. It’s what we do, without question. Lack of time or budget does not get in the way in those moments. We don’t want anyone harmed, physically and/or mentally, if we can help it.

This confirms why the safety and wellbeing of others is my passion. A trapped dolphin is like a person at risk or an organisation looking for a way out of a situation they don’t want to be in. I hate seeing ‘trapped dolphins’, it feels horrible.

My mission is help individuals and organisations to avoid the traps to start with, or provide my every effort to free them if already there. And I’m fortunate to work with an organisation that shares my passion and mission.

If you have people in your organisation that are your potential young dolphins, or you feel that your organisation is already trapped in that swimming enclosure…help is at hand and the feeling of success is incredible.

What’s your trapped dolphin?

Got a complaint? Take it to the source, otherwise take it to the toilet

My grandmother was my friend, mentor and disciplinary angel. She was a phenomenal listener. She would often sit and listen sometimes for hours on end. However when I started to bitch, whine or complain, she would allow me a few minutes of ‘air time’ and then gently interrupt, ‘Nada, Stop. Rather than spend your time talking to me and recycling others wrong doing, stop – take it to the source so you can make a change or take it the toilet so you can purge where it will have no negative impact on you or others’.

Gossip, complaints and negativity breeds a negative culture of stress, anxiety, limited performance. At work, gossip is the root of dis-eased mindsets, absenteeism, presentism and depression. It starts with you. Do a self-check – the next time you start to whinge, whine or complain, make a choice: take it to the source or take it the toilet.

Lead by example and create a culture of no gossip. If you have a problem, take it to the source or take it to the toilet – talk to the loo, cry or yell and then hit flush … xx

The Jonah Group specialise in health and safety culture development. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you transform your health and safety culture and performance. www.jonahgroup.com.au +61 2 66857231

$5 Decisions

I was in Sydney last week and heading back to the airport in my hire car. The peak hour traffic was heavy but I’d planned out a reasonable amount of time to drop it off and check in.

So, I was under control and feeling good despite the rain. As I approached the airport I glanced at the fuel gauge and it was only just below full (I’d only done a few trips over the 3 days). “I should really fill it up before I drop it off to save paying the exorbitant fuel price the hire car companies charge.” I told myself.

Siri guided me in to the nearest petrol station which happened to be a couple of kilometres away. However traffic was getting heavier in both directions as I headed away from the airport. At this point I started to get my first stressful thought. My well planned trip now had an uncertain outcome.

The final 10 minutes back to the airport was full of pressure, stress and a few moments of horn tooting. I made it to check in with 2 minutes to spare and it took me quite some time to recover from being so anxious in that moment.

All for what? I paid $10 at the pump to fill up. That probably translates to about a $5 saving on what the hire car people would have charged extra. So there you have it!

Why on earth would I make a $5 decision that caused me so much stress and, ultimately, could have cost another $200 for a missed flight? I’m not completely sure on why (although some of you will quickly tell me it’s because I’m Scottish) but I reckon my desire to save the client money and do the right thing were big factors.

How many $5 decisions do we make? And how many times do we lose massively out of it even though acting with the best of intentions?

At an organisational level, those $5 decisions are far higher but it’s the same game. How many decisions are made to save money but end up causing a cost far greater than any saving we intended?

The fact is we may save on the bottom line…just like I did with my $10 of fuel. But at what cost? Productivity, safety, mental wellbeing, engagement, morale etc etc can all be impacted.

Ask yourself how many $5 decisions do you make for yourself or take on behalf of others? And then consider whether the intangible costs of those $5 decisions are worth it.

Life is Now. Press Play … but first hit delete.

I have a confession. I feel flat, uninspired, unmotivated. There, I said it. I dared to say it even whilst sitting here at an airport on my way to speak at a conference to inspire and rock people’s world. I’m busy. So Damn busy. When I’m not speaking at conferences, inspiring, motivating, influencing, facilitating, I’m on a plane. When Im not on a plane, I’m in the office managing people and stuff. When I’m not in the office I’m at home cleaning, making lunches and smooching my kids and husband. When I’m not doing that, I’m on the beach walking, swimming, feeling the sand between my toes, watching whales and our local tribe of wallabies eating, scratching and jumping. The reality is that currently I spend 30% of time doing what truly lights me, working with people I love. I used to feel largely energised, expanded and on the edge of growth, life, learning.

I was sharing this with a friend today and he said to me ‘How can you be unhappy living where you do, doing what you do, having what you have?’

You see I live in Byron Bay ten steps away from the sand. I am a behavioral change expert, applying neuropsychology to transform safety and wellbeing in the workplace. I get paid to travel, speak and strategise. I have an internationally successful company, two wildly fabulous kids and a loving partner who makes me feel like I’m the center of his world. So what gives?

Not sure. Still figuring it out. This inquiry is a work in progress. I think I’ve lost sense of my personal true north – I think it’s been a gradual erosion, an unconscious one the result of making choices that I ‘should’, ‘have to’, ‘must’ rather than freedom and sense of purpose. How I’ve been spending my time has been a reaction to external events, people, opportunity and ‘shoulds’.

I’m so damn full. My inbox is full. My hard drive is full. My car boot is full. My garage is full. My contacts are full. My diary is full. No wonder I’m feeling heavy. Time to Empty. Time to slim down, and hit delete and make some space to reconnect with my true north – being happy, feeling free to get it wrong, connect, create, re-shape, challenge, be wild in thought and spirit. Time to re-calibrate and make choices that bring me back to my true north. Time to delete those relationships, friendships and clients that de-energise. I believe in being wildly happy, connected and passionate. I believe in playing all out, making a difference, living joyful, compassionate and wildly connected zone. If I don’t feel it, it’s time to hit delete. Let’s see what shows up. For someone so results focused like me, I’m going to play a different game.

Today, my flight was delayed by three hours. I decided to spend the time on cleaning up 15 years of contacts. I looked at each contact and checked in with myself ‘does this person energies/ de-energise?’ Does being with them, working with them and hanging out with them energise or de-energise? Is there something unsaid that needs to be said? I contacted those I needed to and deleted those I needed to. Damn. It felt good. Life is now. Press play – but before you do, consider where might you need to hit delete on so that the play is powerful.

Great Minds Think Alike

Interview with Dr. Craig Hassed on Mindfulness and Wellbeing

Last week we received a visit from Craig Hassed, Associate Professor at Monash University, and internationally acclaimed expert in Mindfulness. During this visit, Craig delivered an incredible three hour presentation on Mindfulness and Wellbeing to our team. Robert also hosted a short recorded interview with Craig, which we plan to release exclusively to our subscribers. This interview touches on:

  • The top reasons causing workers to feel overwhelmed and stressed in the workplace, and the consequences on health, productivity and business income.
  • Strategies that we can apply to bring more mindfulness to our work, and our personal lives.
  • How Mindfulness can battle complacency, and improve safety in the workplace.

The $6 Billion Cost of Culture

Australians take their coffee very seriously. Over the last decade the coffee culture in Australia has thrived. In 2016, studies have shown that we will spend around $6 billion on our obsession. That’s a lot of dollars spent on a lot of beans!

So, I’m sure you will find it strange to be asked to “Wake up and smell the coffee!”.

What if a decision was made that all businesses in Australia would pay for the coffee from now on? Regardless of how much more it costs year on year! I’m sure it would cause a stir (pardon the pun) wouldn’t it? “We couldn’t possibly pay that.” “That’s unfair.” “Our bottom line could not handle that.”

Yet, most businesses won’t know that, collectively, they are already funding a $6 billion cost every year!

Have you heard of presenteeism? Presenteeism is where workers show up when they are unwell, are unproductive and have a tendency, consciously or unconsciously, to disrupt other workers around them. Did you know that the cost of presenteeism to Australian businesses is estimated at $6 billion? I’ll say that again. Six billion dollars. Yet we still don’t know much about it and the mental health issues that cause it.

Other effects of a mentally unhealthy workplace include poor morale and staff engagement, high staff turnover and potential penalties for breaches of work health and safety legislation. The business’s reputation is also at risk among potential clients, customers and employees. This $6 billion cost is a silent enemy to Australian businesses. When you add absenteeism into this the cost soars by a further $4.7 billion.

Whilst that is alarming in itself, it’s not the most critical issue we face. Of more importance, and urgency, is the need to support people who are affected by mental health issues.

In recent years we have seen great strides forward in response to mental health through amazing initiatives such as Beyond Blue, R U OK?, Livin, and Black Dog Institute amongst others. The raised awareness of mental health issues in organisations and in society has helped countless individuals and their loved ones to cope better.

Surely this means that Australian businesses don’t have to do anything then? Well that is always an option, especially if you want to continue paying the ever increasing financial costs off your bottom line every year.

Imagine this for a moment. You have the most generous coffee loyalty card in Australia. One that pays you back $2.30 for every $1 you spend. That sounds too good to be true, right?

Well, it may not be possible for your coffee needs but that’s the return on investment in mental health based on calculations in a recently published PwC report. It is clear that investing in mental health in your business will pay itself back over and over, and in many industries, over and over again.

In businesses that invest in mental health, employees show consistently higher engagement levels.

Research from the Australian Public Service Commission, published on 8th September 2016, shows that where engagement levels are higher, employees:

  • Rate their own performance more positively
  • Take fewer days of unscheduled absence
  • Are less likely to intend to leave in the next 12 months
  • Are more likely to display citizenship behaviours such as making suggestions to improve the work environment and how work is carried out
  • Are more willing to invest extra time and effort into ensuring work tasks are completed

So, the question becomes whether Australian businesses can really afford not to do anything?

It’s time for us all to wake up and smell the coffee.

Locked In Combat

Have you ever felt like things are a constant struggle? Whether it is at work or at home, sometimes you just feel like you are constantly being placed in arm locks by the people around you. Literally, you say to people that they have your arm up your back!

Or perhaps you are the one feeling that you need to apply arm locks to others just to get things done around here. “Why won’t they just do what I am asking them to do?” comes the exasperated cry. The more they resist, the more you need to apply it. “I didn’t want to have to do that” the voice in your head is telling you in a very apologetic tone as you justify your actions.

It can be tiring for you, them or both of you. And generally someone is left feeling a bit sore from the encounter. Resistance is futile, submit, tap out!

Ask yourself who you are being when introduced to new concepts, directions or when you feel challenged on your ideas or contributions. Quite often it feels like being manipulated, coerced or straight out told to follow the norm.

There may be certain people in your world that you automatically go into resistance with. Perhaps due to past experiences with that person. In other words, you are already preparing for combat before you even see them.

Understanding how the brain works gives us the ability and opportunity to see that this is normal and I want to take a moment to share two learnings about the brain from that could make a difference to you.

Through the work done at the University of Toronto by Norman Farb, and a team of six scientists, they studied how human beings experience their own experience from moment to moment.

The first is called ‘Default Network’. This is where you experience a moment in time where your brain automatically creates a story in which you or others become more relative than the actual moment you are in.

Here is an example that may help explain. Imagine you are at Niagara Falls and rather than taking in the experience and marveling at the grandness of what you are seeing, you automatically start remembering a funny moment you had in the past.

The second is called ‘Direct Experience’. This is where you are not thinking about the past, future, other people or yourself. Rather you are experiencing information coming into your senses in real time.

For example: Lying back on the beach, your attention is on the warmth of the sun on your skin, the smell of the ocean and the sand between your toes.

So, why is this important?

Whilst the Default Network helps you get through the day by planning and learning from past experience, it unfortunately limits you to see the world from only your own paradigm.

When practicing Direct Experience you are completely present with what is happening right now, without judging or letting your beliefs around it get in the way. We call this the potential in all things.

So learning to listen intently, being present and mindful in life (and therefore situations at work or home) should allow you to yield and join rather than resisting and forcing. By doing this you can learn to adapt quickly when change arrives and to ultimately master change. With time you should never feel that life has you in an arm lock or where you feel you have no control of what is actually happening to you.

If you were to apply a small 2° shift towards Direct Experience, you will soon discover that this change of paradigm will allow you to see opportunities to learn and, over time, ultimately master change.

Of course, if someone is intent on being the one to place you in an arm lock then you can’t really control that. Or maybe you can? I will explore that one another time.

No more arm locks! Imagine what that would be like.