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Welcome to
the
Workplace
of
Tomorrow
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Mental health and wellbeing are a #1 priority in today’s workplace, with managers leading the charge. In our first course, we’ve given you the know-how to support your people and create a positive culture where they can really thrive. But as a manager, you’re not only responsible for your team’s wellbeing, but also their success. By bringing a wellbeing-centred approach to work you’ll be able to create happier, healthier teams. And better performance, more motivation and higher productivity. We’re going to build on your understanding of mental health and wellbeing, and equip you with the skills and confidence you need to drive results. All this, will help you create a workplace where your people can truly flourish. There's a myth that being a wellbeing-focused manager means sacrificing results and performance. But you can be the manager everyone wants. And get the results you need. Welcome to the Workplace of Tomorrow, part 2.

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Module 1: Thriving in the New World of Work Learn how to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex workplace, and build the type of mindset that equips you and your team to thrive.

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LESSON 1 - Your Role as a Manager Today (Author - Kevin)

Organisations big and small are waking up to the fact that they need to balance their ambitions for success with the wellbeing of their people. But wellbeing and performance aren’t mutually exclusive. They’re interconnected – and to be successful you can’t have one without the other. You can have a healthy and high performing team – without burning the candle at both ends. All it takes is a different mindset, and a fresh approach. As a manager, you are at the heart of your organisation. We get that big disruption in the workplace has changed your job description and what's expected from you. Ultimately: you’ve got to balance the wellbeing of your team with their performance. But that’s exactly why closing the knowledge gap is key. By putting this training into practice, you’ll be able to support your team to thrive in challenging times, adopt a new winning mindset and drive better results. How you can help Being a manager is challenging, especially in the last few years. We know you’ve got a lot on your plate – but adopting a wellbeing-first approach isn’t as tricky as it sounds. A lot of the strategies we’ll cover will complement what you’re already doing – it’s about subtly shifting your everyday and keeping wellbeing front-of-mind. This course goes beyond giving you the toolkit to fight the good fight, it will equip you to directly apply new skills at work to help you, and your team, really thrive. You’ll understand how to cultivate mental toughness and focus on challenges within your control. You’ll be able to motivate yourself at work, recognise what’s most important and help your team to do the same. And while we can’t increase your budget or headcount, you’ll know how to maximise your team’s wellbeing and benefit from better productivity and performance.

https://www.f orbes.com/sit es/jeroenkraa ijenbrink/201 9/01/04/is-the -world-really-more-vuca-th an-ever/?sh= 4261ba071a 64 (interesting view on VUCA) https://digitall eadership.co m/blog/bani-world/

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LESSON 2 Thriving in Complexity (Author - Kevin)

This (purple circle) is you. And this (orange circles) is your team. In the last few years you’ve seen the complexity of our working lives increase rapidly. With more connectivity and automation, we’ve seen progressive change in technology, industry and societal patterns. We’ve had globalisation, digitisation, and many geopolitical issues, topped with a global pandemic! This has understandably impacted our ways of working, and of course your role as a manager. We’re navigating a new and uncertain world. One with more ambiguity and unpredictability, where things can change quickly and more dramatically than ever before. This can bring feelings of anxiety and overwhelm even the boldest and brightest managers. This new world does bring challenges, but also opportunity. By recognising these challenges, we’ve got a new platform for developing better solutions. Let’s think about the world of work we’re now living in… It’s volatile… The business landscape is constantly changing and dynamic, with change becoming more and more dramatic. It’s uncertain… Future events are harder to predict, making our past experience less relevant. It’s more difficult to plan ahead. It’s complex… Making sense of different systems, events and detail is complicated. Everything is interlinked and possibly in conflict with each other, making cause and effect hard to determine.

https://digitall eadership.co m/blog/vuca-world/

It’s ambiguous… Information can be interpreted in several ways, so things aren’t always clear. It’s difficult to find and follow a north star. At the same time, there’s a stronger desire for flexibility, and employees are seeking more than a pay cheque – they’re actively seeking purpose, meaning and connection.
Focussing not only on what type of work they want to do – but why, where, when and how they want to work – and who they want to do it for. As a manager, you’ve got your own stressors. Time pressure, multiple priorities and high levels of responsibility. You might face organisational politics, or red tape to get the job done and may feel you’re being pulled into many different directions. Take a moment to consider which of these challenges – volatility, uncertainty, complexity or ambiguity – is most relevant to you and how this might be showing up at work. By understanding how these specific challenges apply to your workplace, you can arm yourself with the knowledge and mindset to tackle them. Here’s how to flip the script… Use vision to counteract volatility Embrace the change and focus on why you are all doing what you do. Your priorities and work tasks might shift, but you should communicate regularly with your team and share the why behind the what. Use understanding to counteract uncertainty Make sure you identify and understand the things you can control. Review how things are going, learn from failure, then adjust and try again. Use clarity to counteract complexity Ask yourself and your team what’s most important and relevant. Cut through the noise and try to avoid getting distracted by events that aren’t a priority.

Use agility to counteract ambiguity Create a culture of psychological safety so that your team learns from their failures. Strive for incremental improvement and don’t be afraid to pivot when plans need to be adjusted. This an important step on your path to building a vibrant, wellbeing-driven culture, and improving the performance of your team. Recognise it’s a process – you’ll make mistakes and get things wrong. So keep checking in and adjusting your course of action to better manage what the world’s throwing at you. It’ll help you understand how you can be the best manager you can be.

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LESSON 3 Unlock Your Best Self (Author - Steve and Jena)

Even in uncertain times when you’re dealing with a lot of complexity there are going to be some moments, even micro-moments, when you’re at your best self as a manager. So let’s take a moment to reflect on a time when you were being the best manager you can be...

What was I doing?
- This could be: actively listening to a team member, coaching them to success
How was I feeling?
- Were you: calm, present, connected?
What was the impact I was having on my team?
- Did you get positive feedback?

It can be easy to gloss over these, but reflecting on our experience can bring really helpful learnings. By examining these moments, no matter how small, you can create more of them and unlock your potential.

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LESSON 4 Managers on Navigating Change (Author - none - unscripted)

How is the workplace changing? Recently, has this dynamic changed more than it had before? What changes have you noticed at the workplace? In your experience, what have been the main drivers of a changing workplace? Can you list some of the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the industry? Could you talk me through some of those? Was there an “aha moment” where you realised things were not the same and ways of working needed to change? How important is it for a manager to recognise and be aware of these changes? What are the main challenges for a manager? (Touch on VUCA) Can you speak on what “VISION” means to you as a manager? How important is having vision when it comes to volatility in the workplace? How has vision helped you in volatile and uncertain times? Can you speak on the importance of UNDERSTANDING AND CLARITY as a manager? Could you speak to UNDERSTANDING AND CLARITY in regards to UNCERTAINTY COMPLEXITY at your workplace? Could you give an example of understanding and uncertainty? And an example of clarity and complexity? This is obviously a process, could you speak on how important recognising that it is a process is? How has this

When do you think you were the best manager you can be? For example, listening to a team member? Coaching them to success? What advice would you give to other managers?

Module 2: Building a Mindset to Thrive Learning Outcome: Learn how to develop the type of mindset and thinking skills to help you thrive in a volatile work environment.

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LESSON 1: Mental Toughness (Author - Susannah)

In times of great change and uncertainty, mental toughness can be a game-changer. It isn’t quite the same as resilience, or coping under pressure. It’s more about facing challenges head-on, and, when you can, finding opportunities for self-development within them. This might seem counterintuitive in these already stressful times, but it’s linked with high achievement, wellbeing and positivity. Don’t let the term ‘mental toughness’ mislead you. This doesn’t mean needing to be unbreakable, or suppressing emotion in the face of adversity. It’s not about ‘sucking it up’ and powering through. In fact, it’s perfectly possible for a mentally tough leader to struggle, and to take time out to recharge. And you can absolutely be both compassionate and caring, while being mentally tough. There are four pillars to mental toughness, known as the 4 Cs. They are, Control, Commitment, Challenge and Confidence

Control – Feeling that you’re in charge of your own life and have some control over outcomes.
Commitment – setting goals and being aware of what’s needed to achieve them.
Challenge – seeing, embracing and learning from new experiences.
Confidence – believing in your ability to succeed and deal with challenges.

It’s how you appraise and approach tasks and commitments.

Gucciardi, D. F. (2017). Mental toughness: progress and prospects. Current Opinion in Psychology, 16, 17-23. Marchant, D. C., Polman, R. C., Clough, P. J., Jackson, J. G., Levy, A. R., & Nicholls, A. R. (2009). Mental toughness: Managerial and age differences. Journal of

It might be that some of these beliefs and behaviours are things you’re already doing – and you may be able to see the impact on your own wellbeing and management style. But if not, that’s OK. Mental toughness is something all of us can develop.

Managerial Psychology. Clough, P., Earle, K. and Sewell, D. (2002), “Mental toughness: the concept and its measurement”, in Cockerill, I. (Ed.), Solutions in Sport Psychology, Thomson, London, pp. 32-45 Strycharczyk, D. Tough it out. The Institute of Leadership and Management. https://www.insti tutelm.com/stati c/6ba3e29f-11f9-41d0-82f119d0e 09c0072/052-05 5EdgeAutumn20 18Resilience.pdf https://mindtoolsb usiness.com/reso urces/blog/mental-

toughness-peter-c lough

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LESSON 2 Build Mental Toughness

By building your mental toughness, you’ll increase your ability to deal with complexity and change, and you’ll be more likely to succeed in the face of adversity. Here’s how to do it… Positive reframing Positive self-talk can foster a ‘can do’ mindset. Replace ‘It’s too hard’ with ‘I’ll give it a go’, and try to view challenges as opportunities rather than threats where appropriate. Attentional control Practice being able to shift your attention, and develop your ability to focus more effectively for longer periods on the things that matter. Goal-setting Clarify what you want to achieve and how you’ll get there, breaking it down into small, realistic milestones. Visualisation Imagine something in your mind first before you have to deal with the real thing – playing it out can help you anticipate and plan for any potential obstacles. Self-awareness Reflect on your strengths and weaknesses, so you can work on your development in a targeted way. Connection It’s a less-talked about strategy, but connection is really important. Not feeling you’re alone as a manager, or that you need to solve all the problems without any support. Reach out to others and talk about your experiences.

Try to play around with some of these ideas. By putting these things into practice you can build confidence, feel more in control of outcomes, more able to face challenges and achieve your goals. This mental toughness can increase your ability to grow and develop through challenging times.

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LESSON 3: Common Thinking Traps to Avoid (Author - Kate)

Your mindset can either be your best friend or worst enemy during uncertain times. When we’ve got one hundred and one things going on, competing priorities and a complex environment, our rational mind wants to take the quickest route to a solution. Sometimes this means we fall into what we call ‘thinking traps’. Thinking traps are shortcuts in thinking that are developed and reinforced throughout our lives. We can be more likely to fall into traps when we’re in stressful situations, or times of complexity. Because they shape the way we interpret situations, our thinking traps can prevent us from seeing things as they really are, or working out the best course of action. This can impact on wellbeing and performance, and on our relationships with our team. But the good news is, if we can become aware of these traps, we can start to change them. There’s times when you fall into the trap of mind reading… This is where we jump to the conclusion that we know what others are thinking, or even expecting someone to know what we’re thinking. This can lead to a lot of miscommunication and confusion, and makes us really unproductive. Then, there’s the me or them trap

If you always blame yourself, feeling like you're either the cause of, or the only solution to a problem, it makes you take on too much responsibility and knocks your confidence as you’re left feeling inadequate. The flip side is if you always blame others, things will feel outside of your control and you end up feeling helpless or angry. It’s better to be somewhere in the middle. If you feel yourself falling into these traps, try to challenge your thoughts – are they helping you? Is there another way to look at this? Is there a middle ground? It’s human tendency to catastrophise When we’re faced with a challenge, it’s easy to go to the worst-case scenario. But thinking the worst can block you from action and drain your energy. Threats become bigger in our mind, anxiety increases, and we lose focus. This can be amplified when you have all-or-nothing thinking – it’s either black, or it’s white. This inflexibility limits our approach. In these situations, question your thoughts – are they rational, are they based on evidence? We can be our own harshest critics, and can all fall victim to self-criticism – beating ourselves up for not achieving or for making small mistakes. This really keeps you stuck. How can you drive through a challenge if you’re undermining your own self-belief? In these cases, we need to practice self-compassion. Being a manager can be demanding and stressful, so go easy on yourself! By becoming aware of thinking traps and catching ourselves when we might be getting stuck in them, we can realign our thinking and ensure we’re not creating unnecessary barriers to change. Overcoming mental blockers will help you, and your team, truly thrive through any challenges this new working world might throw at you.

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Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is an important skill to have as a manager. It helps you navigate challenges, complexity and ambiguity – and if you’re able to extend this compassion to your people, you create trust, psychological safety and connection in your team. To build your self-compassion, bring to mind a time when you didn’t perform at your best and ask yourself…

How can I be kind to myself when thinking about that experience?
Can I think of times others have made mistakes too? Remember, imperfections are part of being human.
How could I have been more aware of the need to be more self-compassionate? And how can I seek to do this in future?

Consider how this can play out in your management style, and how to show the same compassion to those that you manage.

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Module 3: Finding Motivation and Inspiring Your Team Learn to energise and inspire your team by unlocking the power of personal motivation.

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LESSON 1: Motivation Equals Performance (Author, Steve)

The days of ‘command and control’ management are over. With a constantly changing and dynamic business landscape, and increasing awareness around mental health, we’ve seen a seismic shift in how organisations operate and support their people. The organisations that flourish in the coming years will be those that put their people first. And as we know, managers are leading that change. Harvard Business Review found that the #1 driver of employee engagement and performance is… positive relationships with managers.

We all want to do well at work, and as a manager that means helping others do well too. The best managers seek to empower and motivate their teams. When people are motivated at work they enjoy their jobs more, are more committed, more productive and more successful. They’re also more likely to contribute towards a positive workplace environment. Yet, a study by Gallup found that only 15% of people feel motivated and engaged at work. As a manager, you have an opportunity to change this. For yourself, and for your team. Motivation is often seen as a ‘nice to have’, relegated to self-improvement podcasts or the depths of YouTube. But that same Gallup study proved that high levels of motivation led to employees being 59% less likely to burn out and to a 21% increase in profitability. It’s plain to see, motivation plays a significant role in the wellbeing, productivity and performance of your team. So, how do you motivate your team? We’re glad you asked…

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LESSON 2: The ABCs of Motivation

Motivating an entire organisation towards progress is not a small task. But on a more individual scale, you can make a difference to your team and your work environment. Motivation can be seen as having two parts… Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. comes from outside – being driven by avoiding punishment or gaining reward – whether this be compensation, promotis.

And Intrinsic motivation comes from within – doing work because it’s personally rewarding, you enjoy it, or it gives you a sense of purpose. Both types of motivation have a role to play, but honing in on intrinsic motivators may be most helpful, as this is where you can make the biggest difference as a manager. There’s plenty of research you can draw on to improve your team’s motivation, but there’s one stand-out, evidenced based approach known as ‘Self Determination Theory’. Don’t worry – you don’t need a PhD to understand and implement this theory. There are just three core needs to nurture and they’re helpfully named the ABC of motivation. The first core need is Autonomy. This is all about how much freedom someone feels they have when it comes to how they go about their work. This doesn’t mean full independence, but it does mean that someone has a healthy degree of control when it comes to how and when they go about pursuing their work goals. To help develop Autonomy, you could… Allow people to take ownership of projects and outcomes and Coach people to pursue meaningful goals in their own way. The second is Belonging. This re
flects how connected someone feels to the people they work with. It’s about someone having
healthy, a
ffirming relationships with their manager and colleagues.
To help with Belonging, you could…
Make time for team social events
And create opportunities for peop
le to share their knowledge and skills.
The final need is Competence. This is about how effective someone feels in their role and that they’re able to develop and play to their strengths at work. To help develop Competence, you could….

Ensure people have the right training for their roles.
Help people discover their strengths and apply them at work;
And celebrate wins but also encourage safe, open communication around challenges.
If someone is motivated, they’re engaged, productive and more likely to stay. And this goes for
you as well as those you manage.
It’s helpful to consider your own motivations
first. What would help you develop
Autonomy, a sense of Belonging, or Competence? Then, consider the same for your team.

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LESSON 3: Managers on Fostering Motivation (Author - None)

How important is motivation for your work as a manager? In particular motivating your team, rather than your own motivation? Is this a ‘must have’? Could you elaborate on why it is important? Can you give an example on how you motivated your team? Would you say that a motivated team is a better performing team? Have you ever had a manager who motivated you? How did it make you feel? In three words, could you describe a motivated team? In your experience, how has autonomy made your team members feel? Does this empowerment increase their motivation? How do you foster an atmosphere of belonging? Why do you do this? How do you equip your team with AUTONOMY? How do you equip your team WITH A SENSE OF BELONGING?

How do you equip your team with COMPETENCE?

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LESSON 4: Discover your Personal Motivators (Author - Kate)

As a manager, it’s useful to have a good sense of what motivates you at work. By looking a little deeper into what drives us, you’ll gain the insight needed to understand what motivates both you and your team. Along with the core needs of autonomy, belonging and competence, here’s a helpful list of things that people can be motivated by, known as career anchors…

● Technical or functional competence – people who are motivated to work hard to become a specialist and enjoy being good at specific tasks.
● General managerial competence - people who like the challenge of managing and leading others, seeking responsibility and thriving when talking high-level problems.
● Autonomy and independence – people who really value control and freedom over how they work, and enjoy being able to do things their way, liking to work under their own ‘steam’.
● Security and stability – people who value security and predictable activities and job demands, preferring not to take risks and enjoying planning life around this stability.

● Entrepreneurial creativity – people who value pace, variety and challenge, they enjoy inventing, brainstorming and will share workload with others. They can be motivated by ownership
● Service and dedicate to a cause – people who highly value helping others, using their talents to do this within and outside the organisation. They really value a mission and purpose.
● Pure challenge – people who are driven by a need for new challenges and problems to solve.
● Lifestyle – people who value lifestyle more than career, or strong work-life balance.

This isn't an exhaustive list, but we hope it's something to get you started instead of having to come up with an answer to ‘what motivates you?’ from scratch. The key is to use this as a tool to help understand your ‘why’ a bit more. Take the list of motivators and rate each for how important they are to you (out of 5, where 0 is not important and 5 is very important). Of course, you may have a few, and they may change over time as your life and priorities shift. It may also be that your
why doesn’t fit into this list, so do add your own. For example, financial
performance and benefits are important to a lot of people, for others it might be social status or job title. You might even be driven by colleagues, enjoying to work with others who are exceptional at what they do.
Whatever your motivators, rate each for how closely they reflect your current role (out of 5, where 0 is not at all and 5 is very closely) By identifying discrepancies between your career motivators and your current job, you can explore what actions to take to help realign with strengths and priorities, to help bring that sense of purpose to your work.

For example, if you rate ‘lifestyle’ as highly important, but rate it low for how much it reflects your current role, you may want to address this by seeking more flexibility. If you value ‘autonomy’, you may benefit from seeking more freedom to shape how you work. You can even use this list to help conversations with the people you manage. Every person has their own wiring when it comes to motivation. And if you can uncover personal motivators and enable people to play to their strengths – by aligning their work differently, looking at how they work, or offering new opportunities – this can really help promote positive wellbeing and getting the best out of your people.

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Reflection Take a moment to think about your own motivators… What makes you come alive? These are the things bigger than you that put fire in your belly. What are your strengths – what things naturally come easy for you? Where do you add the greatest value? You can use these insights to help understand your .

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LESSON 5: Coaching Your Team (Author - Kevin)

We know what drives personal motivation at work. But if we want to make these changes successful, we need to empower our people to bring them to life. As a manager, this is where your role as coach comes in. The GROW model is a simple and practical tool you can use to harness the power of motivation within your team and unlock their full potential. We’re talking about it here in the context of motivators but this can be used in
any coaching conversation.
The four stages of GROW are Goal, Reality, Options and Will.

Goal – Start by helping a team member explore and then define their desired objective. The goal should be achievable but also challenging enough to be an accomplishment for them. Ask questions such as:
- · What do you want to achieve in your role?
- · What is most important to you?
- Their answer might be: I want to develop in my role, it’s important for me to have some autonomy on how I do tasks.
Reality · What are the potential risks or barriers? Their answer might be: I feel those more senior to me have a hard time delegating and letting go, and this makes me feel micromanaged. – Then, ask questions to help them assess their current context. Ask questions such as: · What is your current situation?

NOTE: For the diagram, typically GROW models are linear, with one block representing each stage and with additional explanation and example questions included/attache They also often have some form of growth imagery (e.g., plants) or take a cyclical approach. I think have a more linear approach works best and it could be possible to capture the example questions better which I think

Options – Here, help them consider all available options before weighing up the value of each one. Questions should encourage the person to be thorough and creative: · What are your potential routes? · What are the pros and cons of these options? · How will you decide which options are realistic? Their answer might be: I could do nothing. Or I could talk to my manager and present a list of projects where they could give me a bit more autonomy. I would need to talk to them to see if this is realistic.
Will – In the final stage, encourage them to develop steps towards the goal, to visualise what success might look like, and to ask questions that lead to commitments. This can be done through questions like: · When will you take your first step? · How will you feel when you meet your goal? · What steps will you take towards that goal? Their answer might be: I will have a conversation with my manager to outline this option. We’ll aim to agree on a set of projects I can work on without them, as well as a timeline to roll this out.

Taking your team members through this motivation exercise will help assess what’s most important to them, and create a plan to get there. This will help them uncover their purpose within their role, and beyond it.

are key in making the information more relatable and practical.

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Module 4: How Wellbeing Unlocks Productivity & Peak Performance Learning Outcome: Understand the relationship between wellbeing and productivity, and learn to support both in a demanding work environment.

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LESSON 1: Productivity, Performance & Wellbeing (Author - Susannah)

Employee productivity and wellbeing are sometimes pitted against each other – meaning, if you focus on one it comes at the expense of the other. This gives the illusion that managers should either be results or people focused. And during periods of high demand, it can be tempting to sacrifice wellbeing to get more done. But there’s decades of research that shows that wellbeing and productivity are inextricably linked and should be considered together. There is strong and consistent evidence that high levels of wellbeing directly contribute to better productivity, performance and even creativity, innovation and team retention. And you can see it in practice – when people feel well and show up to work happy, they function better, and are able and inclined to give more to their jobs each day. That means for you, as a manager, promoting wellbeing at work is a win-win. Consider your team’s wellbeing as a fundamental enabler of their productivity, a ‘must-have’ rather than a ‘nice to have’. This means more than a box-ticking exercise of offering a free yoga class or panel talk, but embedding wellbeing into your culture. If we don’t walk the talk, wellbeing initiatives may fall flat. We get that this can’t just come from you, and needs action on an organisational level, but there are plenty of things you can do as a manager – and that’s what we’ll cover in this module.

Ford, M. T., Cerasoli, C. P., Higgins, J. A., & Decesare, A. L. (2011). Relationships between psychological, physical, and behavioural health and work performance: A review and meta-analysis. Work & Stress, 25(3), 185-204. Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Keyes, C. L. (2003). Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business

outcomes: A review of the Gallup studies. De Neve, J., Krekel, C., & Ward, G. (2019) Employee wellbeing, productivity and firm performance. Centre for Economic Performance report. https://cep.lse.ac .uk/_new/publica tions/abstract.as p?index=6172

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LESSON 2 : How Wellbeing Leads to Productivity (Author - Susannah)

So we know that wellbeing and productivity go hand in hand. But how? There are a number of theories. It could be that wellbeing drives morale and positive attitudes to work, which in turn leads to higher productivity. Or perhaps the boost in mood, which comes with high levels of

wellbeing, increases motivation and therefore improves performance. Whichever the case, wellbeing is the key to highly-performing people. Before we dive into the strategies you can use to amp up your team’s productivity, it’s important to bust a big myth…. “True productivity isn’t a superhuman ability to smash through an endless list of tasks and targets.” Doing more, or working faster doesn’t always improve outcomes, and always appearing ‘busy’ may just give an illusion of productivity. Of course, we can all remember times when people succeeded and even over-achieved when under serious pressure. You may well have been in this position yourself. People can certainly push through an awful lot to get things done, and this can reinforce the perspective that wellbeing isn’t necessary for productivity. But this flat-out way of working isn’t sustainable. And it leads to less productive teams in the long-run. Periods of increased pressure and high demands are the norm for many organisations. Projects ramping up and deadlines looming aren't all that bad, if people have the opportunity to recover following intense periods. But if left to build up, chronic stress and burnout can follow, which, in the long-run, affects your team’s health and performance in a negative way. With that in mind, here are three things you can do as a manager to create a wellbeing-centred culture, even in times of heavy work-load: 1. Make wellbeing an agenda in team meetings During your 1-2-1s or weekly check-ins with individual team members, include the topic of wellbeing as one of your points to cover. How are they doing? How’s their work-life balance? Are they overloaded with deadlines? Or working late every night? This will help you see how to take meaningful action. Regular communication is key, so make wellbeing part of the dialogue between you and your team.

Work smarter not harder Challenge the belief – in yourself and your team – that producing the most means you’re more successful. Emphasise quality over quantity, don’t judge based on what you hoped to achieve that day versus what you actually produced, and prioritise the most important tasks that bring genuine value. Balance demands and resources Work can be demanding, we’re not disputing that. But to safeguard our wellbeing and performance over time, those demands need to be balanced out with resources such as strong working relationships, learning and development, and flexible autonomy. By putting a wellbeing-centred culture in place, you’ll be driving morale and motivation, in turn increasing productivity.

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LESSON 3: Untapped Human Resources (Author - Susannah/Kevin)

When demands are high, and resources are low, over sustained amounts of time, that’s when we’re on the road to burnout. Sometimes the only solution is a bigger budget and an increased headcount. But we can also invest our time, building up the skills to help people protect and maintain their wellbeing whilst getting work done under pressure. This is all to do with balancing demands and resources. The type of resources you can build in your team are known as job resources. These are the aspects specific to work that are required to get the job done, and get it done well. When your team has high levels of job resources, it allows them to activate their own mental reserves – known as psychological resources. Things like resilience and hope.

Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resour ces theory: taking stock and looking forward. Journal of occupational health psychology, 22(3), 273.

And research shows the more job resources people have, the more likely they are to be engaged and productive at work.
So, here’s how to increase job resources within your team…
Peer support. Our relationships at work really matter. Being part of a group at work, a project team or social group, can enhance both wellbeing and performance. Try to foster team relationships where you can, whether that’s through creating opportunities for collaboration on projects, organising social events, or regular team huddles where ideas can be shared in a safe environment. Effective leadership. As a manager, not only are you steering the ship and giving your team direction, but also building a common purpose. It’s important not to overlook the smaller details that affect productivity day-to-day. Things like effective project planning, delegation and priority management. Learning and development. If you want a productive team, you can’t crank the handle at all times. Encourage time for training to help your team sharpen their skills and knowledge, so they can perform better. Flexible autonomy. Flexible working is a bit of a buzzword right now, but scrapping the 9-5 simply isn’t an option for everyone. This is where flexible autonomy comes in. By allowing your team more control over their working environment and how they get the job done, you’ll increase motivation and engagement. Work on building a culture of trust within your team, placing the focus on principles rather than policies. In practice, this could be letting people set their own schedules or deadlines for goals, but it could also be allowing them to design their own process, and deciding where they want to work when they need some focus time. It’s important to do what we can to support our teams at work. But we can also take active steps to increase psychological resources, too. Psychological resources are the mental habits that benefit our wellbeing. And things like a decent night’s sleep, reflection and breaks from work have all been shown to help build them.

Other references Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands‐resour ces model: State of the art. Journal of managerial psychology. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands–resour ces theory: taking stock and looking forward. Journal of occupational health psychology, 22(3), 273. Teoh, K. R. H., Hassard, J., & Cox, T. (2021). Doctors’ working conditions, wellbeing and hospital quality of care: A multilevel

analysis. Safety Science, 135, 105115.

Module 5: Creating the Conditions for Peak Performance
Learning Outcome: Learn how to create the conditions for peak mental performance for you and your team.

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LESSON 1: Dialling in Energy (Author - Kevin)

Rest and recovery are cornerstones to wellbeing and peak performance. They keep our tanks topped up and our energy flowing. As we all know, sleep is a non-negotiable if we’re to perform at our best. And most of us get some downtime each day with passive activities – a bit of Netflix, a podcast, a good book, a scroll through the news or social media. But there’s another way to get the all-important rest we need to keep our psychological resources high. And that’s active recovery. Unlike passive recovery, active recovery enhances the recovery process, helping you get back to baseline, or beyond it, much faster. It boosts ‘feel good’ hormones- endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, which can improve motivation. This means, when we recover actively, our energy and capacity can actually grow throughout the day, rather than slowly deplete. Think of it as recharging your mental batteries.

References De Bloom, J., Geurts, S. A., Sonnentag, S., Taris, T., de Weerth, C., & Kompier, M. A. (2011). How does a vacation from work affect employee health and well-being?. Psychology & Health, 26(12), 1606-1622.

Active recovery isn’t only essential for our wellbeing, it’s crucial if we want to perform at our peak. With well-planned and intentional active recovery, we can bring our best selves to our tasks and goals. That’s why promoting active recovery as a manager, for both you and your team, is a game-changer. The real trick here is energy management – balancing periods of intense focus with much-needed recovery time. This way, you can get more done and get it done better. Here’s what you need to know to manage your own energy, and encourage the same in your team… Starting with when and how to focus When to focus This one’s for those of us with flexibility in how we schedule our workload. Take a look at the task at hand – is this something to be done alone, or do you need to collaborate with others? Work out what resources and how much time you need. Then protect that time. It’s helpful to know when you’re at your best during the day, the times your energy levels are highest, and prioritise your most important work at that time. For larks, that will be the morning, for owls later in the day. Leave less intensive work for times when you experience natural dips. How to focus Set your boundaries and remove distractions. Be clear about what the purpose of this task or time is. It’s important to set tasks that are measurable and achievable, yet which still present a challenge. Journaling or mindfulness can improve your present-moment awareness. They can give you the ability to notice how you’re doing on the task and interacting with your environment. When and how to recover

Meijman, T. F., Mulder, G., (1998). Psychological aspects of workload. Handbook of Work and Organizational Psychology. Volume, 2. Michishita, R., Jiang, Y., Ariyoshi, D., Yoshida, M., Moriyama, H., & Yamato, H. (2016). The practice of active rest by workplace units improves personal relationships, mental health, and physical activity among workers. Journal

The real trick here is energy management – balancing periods of intense focus with much-needed recovery time. This way, you can get more done and get it done better. When to recover In an ideal world, recovery activities should occur across three time periods. The first is throughout the day, where micro-recovery activities help break up focus time to consolidate learning and thinking. This doesn’t have to be long – even five to ten minutes can provide a sufficient break. Some examples to try are breathing exercises, short meditations, stretching, playing music, a brief walk – anything that doesn’t involve a screen or too much focus. The second is daily and sleep should be your main focus here. Most of us actually underestimate how much sleep we really need. Along with a decent bit of shut-eye, build in longer times for recovery activities, if not daily then three to four times a week. Things like yoga, a hot bath, aimless play, or socialising with friends. The third is to take a real break and shut off from work completely. This doesn’t have to mean a week in the Bahamas. It’s about turning those notifications off at the weekend, avoiding the urge to check your emails in the evenings, and making the most of your annual leave. How to recover Mix up active and passive recovery activities, making sure to prioritise active recovery where you can. This can be anything from creativity-boosting pursuits like the arts or music, or freeing the mind through meditation or yoga. Physical exercise benefits both our bodies and mood, while journaling and writing can help with expressing thoughts. How you best recover will be unique to you. But the research suggests the best activities to go for are ones that really help you switch off, allow you to master a skill, and make you feel in control.

of occupational health, 16-0182. Sonnentag, S., Venz, L., & Casper, A. (2017). Advances in recovery research: What have we learned? What should be done next?. Journal of occupational health psychology, 22(3), 365.

Remember, time for active recovery shouldn’t be seen as a bonus, or a reward for when we’ve been our most productive. It should be viewed as part of the job – something we need to be carving into our schedules if we want ourselves and our teams to perform at their best. It’s a prerequisite for finding the holy grail of peak performance states – flow.

Sonnentag, S., & Fritz, C. (2007). The Recovery Experience Questionnaire: development and validation of a measure for assessing recuperation and unwinding from work. Journal of occupational health psychology, 12(3), 204. van Hooff, M. L. M., Geurts, S. A. E., Beckers, D. J., & Kompier, M. A. (2011). Daily recovery from work: The role of activities, effort

and pleasure. Work & Stress, 25(1), 55-74.

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LESSON 2: Getting in the ‘Zone’ (Author - Kevin)

‘Finding flow’, ‘getting in the zone’... ‘flow’ is a big buzzword right now. And for good reason. A 10-year McKinsey study found that top management executives were five times more productive in flow state. That’s the equivalent of only working Mondays and still achieving more in a week than your colleagues. The same study also found that while most of us spend around 5% of our time at work in flow, if that number could be bumped up to even 20%, workplace productivity would double. So what exactly is flow, and how do we get there? Well, according to the psychologist who coined the term, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.” It’s those times we’re enjoying what we’re doing so much, everything else fades into the background. We’re completely absorbed by our experience – our work feels effortless, our minds feel clear, and time can fly by. Being in flow isn’t something we decide to be in, or something we can turn on and off. Instead, it’s a continuous process that we can build towards, and go in and out of, over the course of the day. The first step is being stretched. Flow often happens in the sweet spot between anxiety and boredom – when we’re faced with a challenge that pushes us just outside of our comfort zones.

https://hbr.org/2 014/05/create-a-work-environmen t-that-fosters-flo w

The next stage is all about release – taking a break from our challenge with some active recovery. When our brains start to stray, it’s time to go for a walk, switch tasks, or even take a nap. This gives our minds a chance to process the information, learning and thinking, preparing us for what comes next… That’s right – entering flow! This is where we can get completely immersed in the task, giving it our full focus, and where we feel and perform at our best. You might think this is it, but there’s one final step that’s just as important – recovery. Rest and recuperation is vital if we want to keep achieving in the long-run. This is where active recovery comes in again. This tops up our tank and puts us in the best position to repeat the process again. So are you ready to help your team find flow? Here’s how to set them up for success.. Schedule distraction-free time. Some of the biggest blockers to flow state are distractions and interruptions. These can stop us getting in the zone, or knock us out just as we’re getting started. Allowing your team to schedule email and notification-free focus work time in their calendars is a way to do this without them dropping off the grid. Give clarity on goals. When you reduce ambiguity and make your expectations clear, your team can more easily focus on the task at hand. For large projects, setting micro-goals is helpful – choose one meaningful thing to achieve at a time to avoid being overwhelmed by the bigger picture. Balance challenges and skills. For flow state to happen, the tasks you give your team must be both challenging and achievable. This is a great opportunity to try a coaching mindset. Help your people set challenging goals that play to their strengths, and work with them to build up their skills and abilities, allowing them to rise to those challenges with confidence. Allow for autonomy. When we feel we have control over a task, we’re more likely to get into a flow state. Boost your team’s sense of agency by giving more autonomy over processes, schedules and deadlines, where possible.

Encourage ‘active’ breaks. As we’ve covered, more opportunities for rest doesn’t equal less work done. In fact, quite the opposite. Educate your team on the power of active recovery, and encourage them to take short breaks throughout the day to recharge. And finally, Watch out for burnout. When we’re chronically stressed and exhausted, there’s no way we’re getting into flow state. Keep an eye on signs of stress in your team and take active steps to prevent it in the first place. Flow is essential for both wellbeing and peak performance. We’re happier, more motivated, more creative, less distracted. The more we’re flowing at work, the more satisfied we are with our jobs and the better we perform. And this isn’t only in the moment, it’s in the long-term too.

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LESSON 3: Managers on Finding Flow

What does “getting in the zone” mean to you as a manager? Why do you think managers need to foster this? Have you heard of the term “in the flow” / “getting in the zone”- how would you describe the feeling for yourself? How would you describe it in your team? Can you give an example of when you have seen it? Could you describe what it is like when your team “gets in the flow”? What impact has it had on your team’s performance and productivity? Is this something you look to foster? Why? How can managers build a culture that enables ‘flow’

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Creating Your Own ‘In the Zone’ Moments

Set a reminder each Friday to review how often you were able to find individual flow during that week. You could also book this in as an end-of-week meeting with your team to discuss this together. Here are some prompt questions to ask that will help you reflect, find out why you may not have had as much flow as you might’ve liked, and design ways to trigger it more…

Which moments were you able to get in the zone? Where were you? Who were you with? What were you working on?
Are certain times of day more flow-friendly? How can you restructure your schedule based on your findings?
How could you increase your ‘in the zone’ experiences? Could you make more space for active recovery, or find ways to reduce distractions during your focus time?

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Module 6: Becoming an Agent of Positive Change
Learning Outcome: Learn how to proactively develop the state of mind to elevate the wellbeing and performance of your team.

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LESSON 1 : How you show up counts (Author - Rosy)

Your impact as a manager can’t be overstated. But it’s not just your relationships that count – how you show up as a leader is critical to the wellbeing, productivity and performance of your team. ‘Showing up’ isn’t just about being present or engaged with your work, it’s about the direct impact your state of mind has on your people. Proactively creating a positive state of mind helps to build the same in your team. When you’re at your best, they will be too.

In this module, we’ll cover a phenomenon known as emotional contagion. You’ll discover how your own mood and emotions can be unconsciously mirrored back by your team – and how to use this knowledge to work in your favour, improving motivation and keeping morale high. You’ll also learn how to build your own levels of hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism – your secret weapons to success. By building up these powerful psychological resources, you’ll be able to draw on them during times of high stress or uncertainty. This level of self-awareness is a vital puzzle piece in becoming the type of manager who can create a culture where people and performance flourish. So, let’s get into it…

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LESSON 2: How Your Emotions Impact Your Team (Author - Susannah)

You’ve probably found yourself in situations where emotions have been infectious – where you ‘caught’ the feelings of panic, laughter, or joy, from someone else or in a group. This is called emotional contagion, and it describes our tendency as humans to mirror the behaviours and emotions of others. The whole spectrum of emotions can spread through expressions, tone, postures and movements – we start off copying things like body language and expressions, and then start to feel those emotions ourselves. To give the most basic example, if someone’s happy and smiles at you, you’re likely to smile back, which, in turn, improves your own mood. So what does this mean for you as a manager? Emotional contagion can impact the mood, dynamics and performance of your team. As the person steering the ship, your own emotions might be influencing your team a lot more than you realise.

Elaine Hatfield in the early 1990s Key references Barsade, S. (2020) The Contagion We Can Control. Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/20 20/03/the-conta

Being more mindful of your emotions and how you’re communicating them through expressions and body language (both in-person and virtually) is a good starting point. From there, you can decide whether the emotion you’re transmitting is helpful for your team. If you want to motivate and energise your people, then open, expressive body language, an upbeat tone and lots of movement will help spread these feelings. And on days you’re dealing with something difficult, making a conscious effort to not spread this emotion with your team is important. This doesn’t mean plastering on a smile when things are tough, or being superhumanly positive 24/7. Sharing difficult emotions like disappointment and worry is part of being an authentic leader. In fact, it’s necessary to build connection and trust with your team. But by being self-aware and consciously considering how your emotions might be ‘caught’ by others, you can then decide how you want to show up, and take your team to where you want them to be. Using emotional regulation techniques like breathing exercises can really help with this. We’ve put a lot of focus on how self-awareness can help your team. But remember, levelling up means more wellbeing, success and fulfilment for you too. We’re living through challenging times. And as a leader, a lot of this weight can fall on your shoulders. So show yourself some compassion and take steps to help manage your own stress levels. You can’t look after your team if you don’t look after yourself and your own psychological resources.

gion-we-can-con trol Herrando, C., & Constantinides, E. (2021) Emotional Contagion: A Brief Overview and Future Directions. Front. Psychol: https://www.front iersin.org/article s/10.3389/fpsyg. 2021.712606/full

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LESSON 3: Building Psychological Capital (Author - Susannah)

Psychological Capital or PsyCap, refers to the psychological resources that help us succeed. They’re the mental reserves we can draw upon, not only during stressful times, but also to help us perform at our peak. Research consistently shows that high PsyCap is associated with a wide range of positive outcomes at work, such as wellbeing, performance and job satisfaction. And in this volatile world we’re living in, PsyCap

Avey, J., Reichard, R., Luthans, F., & Mhatre, K. (2011). Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Positive

is a ‘must-have’ to help us respond to relentless uncertainty and complex situations in an effective and healthy way. Most crucially for you as a manager, evidence also shows that the higher PsyCap is in leaders, the higher it will be in the people they manage as they observe and experience the positive effects. So building your own reserves will help you get the best from your team. PsyCap is made up of the acronym HERO which stands for hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism. ·
Hope – a positive state of mind where we feel determined to achieve our goals and proactively plan to reach them.
To promote Hope… Take one of your goals, consider who can support you with it, identify alternative routes you can take if your first plan doesn't work out, and decide how you'll celebrate milestones along the way. · Efficacy – feeling confident in our ability to take on difficult tasks and put in the effort required. To increase efficacy… Lean into activities where you can make the most of your skills and talents, and get in the habit of celebrating even the smallest wins daily. ·
Resilience – coping with and even growing through demanding or challenging times.
To build resilience… Consider what assets or strengths you have which could contribute to the success of a certain situation or project. More importantly, how
you will use them. Assets come in many forms, including- people (experiences, skills and abilities), social (relationships and networking) and resources (both physical and information based). Essentially, this is about building up the ultimate tool kit to help you succeed and conquer challenges where needed.
·
Optimism – having a positive outlook on succeeding now and in the future.
To build opti
mism… Work on developing more positive self-talk, especially in the way you explain past events to yourself. Try looking back at a past negative event or perceived failure with the aim of identifying which parts of the situation may actually have been down to external factors or events beyond your control – things like a lack of resources, or delays due to the pandemic. There may still be elements you feel responsible for, such as a decision you made, but this exercise can help you reach a

Psychological Capital on Employee Attitudes, Behaviors, and Performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly. 22. 127 (2015) Psychological Capital and Beyond. Oxford University Press. Rabenu, E. & Tziner, A. (2020). Applying Psychological Capital to Senior Management Development: A “Must” and Not “Nice to Have”. International Journal of Business and Management. 15.

more positive, balanced (and still realistic) interpretation of what happened. Reviewing events in this way can help you build a more optimistic way of thinking over time. As a manager, it’s important to proactively develop your own psychological resources. And you now have some simple, evidence-based practical strategies to help you do just that.

Tracey, S., O’Sullivan, T. L., Lane, D. E., Guy, E., & Courtemanche, J. (2017). Promoting Resilience Using an Asset-Based Approach to Business Continuity Planning.

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LESSON 4: Managers on Being Agents of Positive Change (Author - None)

How important is not allowing your own negative emotions to impact the team that you manage? Such as passing stress or negativity? Can you talk about how being a manager can make a positive impact in the workplace? When you feel your emotional/psych resources are down, how do you build it back up? What is the importance of their wellbeing and positive mindset when it comes to being an impactful manager? Can you talk about why it's essential for a manager to take care of their psychological resources?

What does HOPE in a workplace environment mean to you? Could you give an example? When it comes to EFFICACY, what does this mean to you? Can you give an example? In regards to RESILIENCE in the workplace, how has it manifested in your workplace? Would you say you are a RESILIENT manager? What makes you one? And the same for OPTIMISM? How important is it in the workplace? How do you foster this as a manager? Have you ever worked underneath a ‘bad’ manager? What effect has this had on how you work as a manager?

LESSON 5: Vision for Managers of the Future (Author - Rosy)

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You’re now the type of manager who can create positive team cultures where people and performance flourish. To flourish at work means enjoying healthy relationships with your colleagues, having a sense of belonging, feeling like you're contributing to something worthwhile, being happy and healthy, and ultimately performing at your best. And if we’re to flourish as individuals, we need to flourish together. Our workplaces need to be filled with passionate, engaged and proactive people – striving to achieve their ambitions – supported by amazing managers. And you’ve now got the skills, knowledge and confidence to reshape the narrative around mental health, transform your team culture, and help your people truly shine. Congratulations – you’re ready to join our community of like-minded managers helping to transform the world of work.

Check back with us soon – the conversation about the workplace is always evolving. Here you leave and enter a world of hope, ambition and change.

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