Culturally most of us are discouraged from being curious. We have been reprimanded by our teachers for asking too many questions, told to stay within our boundaries of thought and means . We have been told time and again that “Curiosity killed the cat” a term that is now part of our subconscious, warning us of the dangers of being too curious.

“Nosy Parker” – a commonly term we have all used at some point to brand that one pesky neighbour or friend or relative who wants to know everything about everything. Those whose curiosity is insatiable and feel the need to dig deeper and ask more and more annoying questions.

The conditioning of our minds to “not be too curious” goes back to the times of Adam and Eve. In the myth of creation, God created these first humans in the Forest of Eden and they had the bounties of the earth given to them to enjoy. They were created as beings who were innocent and unaware and unembarrassed by their nakedness. God had for them just one restriction – to not eat the fruit of the apple tree- the tree of consciousness and knowledge. All was well until dear Eve could not control her curiosity. Why was the apple forbidden? What was that knowledge that God wanted to keep them away from? Why must the apple not to be eaten, after all it looked plump and juicy!

Curiosity coupled with temptation, temptation arising from curiosity, made the forbidden fruit irresistible. Eventually, with a little prodding and deception by a serpent, Eve ate the apple. Carried away and excited by its wonderful taste she also convinced Adam to take a bite. Thus they committed their first sin and were banished by an enraged God, away from the Garden of Eden.

A story we have heard in several forms and let the morals seep deep into our psyches. Always stay within the rules and fight your natural instincts to ask why. Don’t ask why not? Don’t ask what else? Don’t let the lure of what lies beyond get you! Because if you do the consequences will be dire!

As per the myth, having eaten the apple, Adam and Eve did face dire consequences but it was also the birth of human consciousness and knowledge. The genesis of the human mind and thought. The apple gave Adam and Eve the consciousness of mind. It gave them knowledge and awareness of their surroundings and their own abilities. A knowledge that would have completely eluded them (and all of mankind – if the myth is to be believed) if they had played by the rules.

We humans as a species are curious. We have always wanted to know more, to push the boundaries and ask those unwarranted questions! That is what defines us! What happens when we rub two stones together (Bravo! We got Fire!!) Why does the apple fall from the tree? And How? (Eureka! We figured out gravity!) and we have not stopped since! We are constantly inventing and discovering and creating new things. To keep asking how, when, why not, what else, how else and what if is really what we were born to do!

The Renaissance movement that began in the 14th century was marked by remarkable progress in art, science and pretty much all walks of life, which was brought about by common people asking not so common questions and taking the not trodden paths of thinking differently, exploring new ideas and thoughts. Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the greatest thinkers and artists of this time. His curiosity to learn, examine and question led him to mastery in more than one discipline. Be it art or science, warfare or architecture, he always wanted to know more. He asked if birds can fly why can’t I? He asked if a building has to stand up straight and not collapse in a heap of rubble what must be its proportions? If Mona Lisa stood by the window in the morning light would her face shine as much or lesser than if she stood in broad sun light? Just everyday questions…but in pursuit of these answers unexpected results were gained. Micheal Gelb, studied the works and mind of Da Vinci and has given us 7 principles to be an everyday genius, like Da Vinci. The first of this 7 is Curiositica – a insatiable thirst and quest for knowledge and continuous learning.

Your curiosity and the consequent ability to act on it, will define if you are a learner or not. Are you someone who constantly wants to know more, be a better version of yourself, find solutions to problems, understand why someone acts the way they do, explore scenarios and outcomes, find new ways of doing old things? If you are, you are on the right path. You are on the path that will set you up for a daily dose of vigour and adventure. You are likely to be able to not get bogged down by challenging situations, because your mind has been sharpened to think in several dimensions and you are more likely than not to find creative solutions. But most of all, you may have found the recipe to fight boredom since your curious mind will always keep you excited and striving for more.

Now if you are not all of the above, you may slowing be purring and slinking into the back isles of the fast paced theatre of life and while you lie there, tail between your paws you will realise that it actually was not curiosity that killed the cat, it was ignorance. Curiosity was framed!

“Ubuntu” is a beautiful Zulu word that stands for inter-connectedness. Ubuntu essential means ‘humanity’ but has gone on to have a more widespread meaning emphasizing on spreading kindness to connect people. It is the understanding that we cannot exist in isolation and so Ubuntu is more commonly interpreted as ‘I am because we are’. It means that we are all a sum total not just of our own experiences but because we are social creatures, we are a collective summary of our own as well as the shared experiences of our society.

The Disney movie lion king opens with the mesmerizing song ‘Circle of life’ with its first few lines sung in Zulu. The powerful vocals and African drum heralding the new born lion cub! The circle of life – we go back to where we come from, and within and around this circle we encounter love, despair, success, failure, happiness, sadness, unexpected pathways and obstacles and back we come to where we began.- in one big circle – the circle of our lives. Also, not so surprisingly, each of our circles are interconnected – crossing paths and intersecting at workplaces, homes, subway stations, online and god knows where else!!

Desmond Tutu beautifully said “A person is a person through other persons. None of us comes into the world fully formed. We would not know how to think, or walk, or speak, or behave as human beings unless we learned it from other human beings. We need other human beings in order to be human”. Desmond Tutu was the main modern proponent of Ubuntu. In his book ‘No Future Without Forgiveness’ he describes a person with Ubuntu as ‘open and available to others, affirming of others’.

Ubuntu promotes the following:

– Interconnectedness of everyone to each other and to their surroundings

– No one exists in isolation. We are all part of a larger circle, a large system that effects us and that we are affected by

– It is every person’s duty to share and contribute to the system/ community/society

– Promote fairness and brotherhood. Spread love, integrity and acceptance

Africa’s, Ubuntu philosophy pervades almost all parts of the African continent. It is integrated into all aspects of day-to-day life and is a concept shared by all almost tribes.

In the 1990’s this concept was taken over in South Africa as a guiding ideal for the transition from apartheid to majority rule. Nelson Mandela re-emphasised this innately African philosophy of Ubuntu, to urge people to seek freedom from Apartheid. He said that it is each individual’s duty to support his fellowmen. While each of us must personally grow and enrich our lives we must also enrich the community we live in. We must never forget that we are part of a larger community and with the enrichment and prosperity of the community we will grow as well. This circle, this Ubuntu gives the community and inturn the individual, the power to move mountains.

Several political and private organizations In Africa continue to use Ubuntu as the guiding light for the work they do. Wolmarans (1995:4) reports that South African Airways (SAA) adopted an Ubuntu management system in 1994. Since then, the African Ubuntu philosophy has been a driving force in the company. The secret behind its success has been the publicly stated core values of South African Airways – these include corporate performance, customer orientation, employee care, corporate citizenship, integrity, safety, innovation and teamwork, which are all embodied in the Ubuntu management philosophy. Improved results demonstrate that culture and leadership style plays pivotal roles towards the achievement of a set goals and strategies of an organisation.

As recently as last month, news channels world over aired headlines stating ‘SAA air hostess personified Ubuntu when she tied crying baby to her back’ – a brief article on how an South African Airline hostess Mavis Xotongo came to the rescue of a passenger Kate Whalley – Hands who struggled to put her baby to sleep during a 15 hour flight from New York to South Africa. The 20-month-old baby was restless and crying and unable to sleep.

That was until Xotongo offered to assist and tied the toddler to her back. Kate was able to finish her meal and Xotongo soon handed over a fast asleep baby to the clearly exhausted mother. Kate Whalley-Hands, took to Facebook to proudly share this South African story.

Xotongo had displayed everything Ubuntu stands for – service to one other, empathy, understanding, helpfulness and a sense of duty towards each other. These practices of the Ubuntu philosophy with regard to humanity, care, sharing, teamwork spirit, compassion, dignity, consensus decision-making systems and respect for the environment are all positive elements that could make a contribution towards the improvement of performance of any corporate body or organization.

Values such as solidarity, compassion, generosity, mutuality and commitment to community has found resonance well beyond Africa’s borders. Corporates in Africa and many other continents are adopting the principles of Ubuntu, as they recognize that in this cohesion both individuals and organizations can thrive.

The smile that caught the collective fancy of nations, artists and scholars alike. A smile that is warm but seems to turn melancholic in the blink of an eye. For over 500 years people have been staring at this painting by Leonardo Da Vinci with a sense of bafflement, unable to understand or interpret the expression. People have wondered how Da Vinci was able to create this mysterious expression, where one can’t tell if the lady in the painting is happy or sad. They have also wondered why no other painter has been able to replicate the same.

The incandescent, velvet voice of Nat King Cole’s “Mona Lisa” croons softly in the background as I write this. A great piece of art immortalized in a timeless soundtrack, by a legendary singer, remains to date one of my most loved songs.

“Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa
Men have named you.
You’re so like the Lady
With the mystic smile”

The Italians have a name for the technique used in this painting- Sfumato – which when translated literally from Italian means “vanished or evaporated – like smoke.”. In painting, Sfumato is defined as smoked: noting a style of painting wherein the tints are so blended that outlines are scarcely perceptible, the effect of the whole being indistinct or misty. In this technique, Da Vinci used several layers of paint to create imperceptible transitions between colours, light and shade, and blended everything “without borders, in the manner of smoke,” his brush strokes so subtle that they are invisible to the naked eye.

Studies of Leonardo Da Vinci’s art over the course of his artistic life reveals that in his early work, Leonardo tends toward sharpness, However over the years, with intense study of proportion, perspective in drawing and its relationship with light and shadow, we can observe an increasing tendency towards blurriness achieved with sfumato, a technique that became Leonardo’s trademark.

Da Vinci embraced Sfumato, the technique of creating ambiguity and a smoky blurred effect to create a masterpiece. This technique really seemed to only be an extension of his everyday self. Da Vinci was fascinated by the unknown. It formed the very backbone of his existence. He was on an endless quest to understand, interpret and make inferences from studying the unknown. His remarkable ability to welcome sfumato and embrace paradoxes and ambiguity, fuelled his curiosity and prepared the ground for unbridled new ways of thinking which led to inventions and discoveries that were centuries ahead of his time.

Sfumato is one of the 7 principles of Da Vinci as exalted by Michael Gelb in this international best seller “How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day.” Michael Gelb gives all aspiring Leaders insights into how we can apply Da Vinci’s techniques and life lessons, to become more effective and inspiring leaders.

As we have seen with Da Vinci, Sharpness was typically what he mastered at the early stages of his artistic career while blurriness was the priority at the end. Likewise, the more senior your position within the organization the lesser you are presented with crystal clear situations. Ambiguity is what you will need to learn to cope with.

Like Da Vinci, as leaders we must embrace Sfumato – ambiguity and the smoke screen. Most people like the comfort the constructs of the binary offer – yes and no, black and white, right and wrong. But the ever dynamic business world of today thrives on what lies in between. In this VUCA world, the seed of a business decision must be sown, often without the comforts of complete data and without the guarantees of desired outcomes. This seed takes in the various environmental and physical inputs and if conditions are favourable, it may sprout and stem and sustain to yield a tree of success or may wither as a seed, sampling or a young plant. There is no telling. Our interconnected world creates several variables and creates ambiguity. Ambiguity creates complexity and in turn makes it difficult to make decisions. Ambiguity creates uncertainty and stress.

Navigating ambiguity in a large set up cannot be easy. Even the most seasoned leaders are faced with self doubt when venturing into unchartered waters. Yet we must forge ahead despite the fears. Effective leaders recognize the opportunities that increased ambiguity provides in the areas of collaboration, agility and inclusion. They develop skills to push beyond their own fears. In order to cope with ambiguity we must also build flexibility, develop confidence and let go the urge to control every situation. We must learn from wrong decisions and harness the collective intellect of our teams, teach and be taught to and ask all the right questions and strive for clarity when there is none.

Nat king Cole Sings
“Are you warm?
Are you real, Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely,
Lovely piece or art? ”

You won’t always know the answers- but embrace the unknown and you just may be able to turn it into a timeless song.

‘‘Everything comes from everything, and everything is made out of everything, and everything returns into everything.’’ — Leonardo Da Vinci

Often times there will be a word that gets lodged in my mind and makes its unwarranted existence felt at the least opportune moments. I have learnt to embrace it and like a sip of good whisky, I roll it around on my tongue and in my head, and indulge all my senses. The word, off late, is Italian – “Connessione”.

I heard in the transit lounge during an international flight, probably calling out to passengers taking a connecting flight. Little did I understand of what was said, but that word now swims in my head. I dwell deeper and learn everything there is to learn of this lovely Italian word meaning connection and the deeper I dig I find it connects right back to Leonardo Da Vinci, the painter architect, engineer and sculptor, who incidentally has been on my mind as well!!

Connessione is one of the 7 principles of Leonardo Da Vinci, a man whose creative genius was well ahead of his times. Da Vinci, the quintessential renaissance man and polymath, was a man of many interests. Everything caught his fancy (and he, mine!) Curiosity, clarity, compassion, choice, and courage were only some of his personality traits. Drawing on Da Vinci’s notebooks, inventions, and legendary works of art, Micheal Gelb’s classic book “ How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci” introduces Seven Da Vincian Principles—the essential elements of genius. If you haven’t read it as yet, it is time to pick it up right now! Gelb’s book is a handbook for everyday genius. It not only gives you insights to Leonardo Da Vinci’s mind and works but also breaks it down to give you practical pointers on exhilarating new ways to think, new ways to solve problems and think creatively. Da Vinci’s 7 principles, as Gleb notes are:

1)Curiosita: An insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.

2)Dimostrazione: A commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistence, and willingness to learn from mistakes.

3)Sensazione: The continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience.

4)Sfumato: A willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.

5)Arte/Scienza: The development of the balance between science and art, logic  and imagination. “Whole-brain” thinking.

6)Corporalita: The cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.

7)Connessione: A recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena. Systems thinking.

Da Vinci realised everything in this world was connected. He writes in one of his note books “Learn how to see, realize that everything connects to everything else” Through his detailed studies of objects and concepts that caught his curiosity and attention, Leonardo found that in order to understand something, you had to look at is as part of a larger system and look for the connections that exist everywhere, but may be elusive to the untrained mind. He studied how water vapour rises from the earth to the air sand the parallels in flowing water. He observed how bones and muscles form and their relationship to movement in humans and animals. He constantly looked for similarities and contrasts. He sketched grotesque people and forms so that he could understand the concept of ugliness knowing that this will help him understand beauty. He connected what he saw and experienced with his own values and beliefs. He combined and connected disparate patterns to make new patterns.

Today so much has been studied about interconnectedness and talk to anyone about interconnectedness and the first observation that comes up is that of the butterfly flapping its wings in Tokyo, and causing a hurricane on the other side of the world. But five centuries before this much theorized observation, Da Vinci wrote “The earth is moved from its position by the weight of a tiny bird resting upon it.”

I learn that understanding this complex yet magnificent web of connections isn’t just something for the mind of a genius. Although it is hard to overstate Leonardo Da Vinci’s brilliance, recent scientific research reveals that most of us probably underestimate your own capabilities. We are gifted with virtually unlimited personal potential for learning and creativity. All we have to do, genius or not, is to open our minds to interconnectedness and the possibilities open themselves.

In order to understand and begin exploring the web of connections around us we must first begin with curiosity and gradually strive towards clarity. Contemplate the concept of wholeness. Write down in your notebook your concept of wholeness. What, precisely, does it mean to you? How can it be expressed most accurately? What is its opposite? What about conflicts that may occur? Expand these concepts to your work place. Study the dynamics of your organization. Sift through the external and internal factors that affect your organization. Explore scenarios and play around with these factors to contemplate its effect on your organization. Try drawing a diagram that represents the entire organization from different perspectives. Use the metaphor of a human body. How does that help you gain some insights into the dynamics at work in the system?

Excising the mind to map connections can soon develop into a habit that fosters interdisciplinary and multi- dimensional thinking. It will help you understand that all actions, patterns and relationships are part of the totality that envelopes the human race and equip you with insights that make you better at decision making and mindfulness.

In this write up read about the man for whom science, art, engineering, architecture, warfare and nature seamlessly inhabited the same space – a space that needed to the probed into and studied and understood – for they were all connected. Each discipline free flowing and seamless, they were all separate and beautiful but intertwined in a lover’s embrace.

He sat long hours in a cafe each day. And wrote fervently. Notes on varied topics. Sometime several topics all in one page. Sometimes you would find a to-do list with myriad tasks ranging from Cannons, wall construction, studying the sun, ice skating, optics, and one particular bullet point stating quite casually , “Draw Milan”.

Yes, if you haven’t guessed as yet – Leonardo Da Vinci – The quintessential renaissance man who was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, military engineer and draftsman —With a curious mind and keen intellect. Da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His ideas and body of work have influenced countless artists and made Da Vinci a leading light of the Italian Renaissance.

Of course, while most of us know of his painting, the much acclaimed Mona Lisa and the last supper few us know about his notebooks. It is said that he walked around with a leather bound notebook hanging from his belt and made notes ever so often and “whenever something caught his eye,” he would make a note, or begin “sketching furiously”. “It is useful,” Leonardo wrote, to “constantly observe, note, and consider.”

In these books, spanning nearly 7200 pages and 20 volumes, we can see that in Da Vinci’s head everything was connected. He made sense of the world by observing and questioning, studying and analysing but more importantly by making connections and drawing inferences form one to another. He was one of our oldest systemic thinkers.

Nature as a whole was alive for Leonardo, and he saw patterns and process in the microcosm as being similar to those in the macrocosm. He frequently drew analogies between human anatomy and the structure of the earth, between muscles and gears. For him, understanding a phenomenon meant connecting it with other phenomenon through a series of similar patterns. When he studied the proportions of the human body he compared them to the proportions of building in Renaissance architecture. His investigations of muscles and bones led him to study and draw gears and levers, thus interlinking animal physiology an engineering, patterns of turbulence in water led him to observe similar pattern in the flow of air or sometimes became the flowing locks of hair of a beautiful woman in one of his paintings.

This ability to interconnect observations and ideas from different disciplines is something that we can take a leaf out of and apply it in our own complex work and family lives. It helps us understand that everyone and everything is part of a system. Each person in a team influences and is influenced by the system. Each team member’s role and contribution, however small helps to hold up the system as a whole. As team leaders it may be well worth it to understand the interconnection between the various departments and verticals of our organization.

As thought leaders we may benefit from understanding the interconnections between our organization and other organizations within our industry and even outside of our industry. Just like I read somewhere that it was mathematicians (and not biologists) who are studying fireflies to understand their system of coordination and the patterns they create with their flashing lights and these learning’s are being used in the telecom industry to create better models for radio signals. Connections are everywhere, we just need to open our eyes to it and it will in turn open new horizons.

The year was 1929. Under the presidency of Jawaharlal Nehru, the Lahore congress had finalized the demand of “Purna Swaraj” or full independence for India. It had been declared that 26th January 1930, would be celebrated as the Independence day when people were to take a pledge to struggle for complete independence. But the celebrations attracted very little attention and had poor turn outs. Mahatma Gandhi was a worried man. He realised that there was a disconnect between the different fractions of society and their understanding and interpretation of “Swaraj”.

The Mahatma, realized that although India had been at the struggle for independence for nearly 70 years and “Swaraj” was a word that was at the helm of the freedom movement, it had meant different things to different people. The poor plantation workers in Assam thought of Swaraj as the freedom to visit their native places and freedom of movement in and out of plantations. For the middle class Swaraj meant the spread of education and a share of the administration of the country. For the farmers it meant a reduction in land revenue and rent while tribals in the interior parts of the nation thought Swaraj would get back their traditional rights over the forests allowing them to graze animals and collect firewood and fruit.

Mahatma Gandhi realized the concept of freedom was abstract to most. The movement lacked unity and a unified notion of why they should plough forward.

Freedom fighters were eager for a civil disobedience movement and they awaited Gandhi’s announcement of the program anxiously. For many days, Gandhi had groped in vain for inspiration. Finally it had come to him in a flash- Salt Satyagraha or the Salt March opposing the cruel taxation on Salt and the consumption of untaxed salt and promoting the local manufacture of salt.

When Gandhi announced his plan, even his close aides and associates were completely unconvinced. The Indian National Congress was mystified and incredulous. Of all things, why salt and the insignificant salt tax? Something so insignificant when many larger issues loomed forbodingly?

Superb strategist that Gandhi was, he saw in salt a powerful tool that could unite the people. Salt was the leveller, it was consumed both by the rich and the poor, men and women, rural and urban masses. Salt was the connect

As any good leader should, he had looked for something, anything, irrespective of whether it is big or small, something that connected the masses. We all know the outcome of the Salt march. It brought the till-now latent women force to the foreground with their pans and stoves to make salt and it gastronomically stirred the political sentiment of every Indian, irrespective of their status, sex, cast or Creed.

Important Team building lessons here.

• Often Team members have an unclear understanding and loose interpretations of team goals and corporate visions. It must, hence, be every team leader’s aim to find the common element that would help unify the team and drive all efforts towards well established goals.

• Commonalities drive empathy and compassion and in turn forges unity. Commonalities bridge gaps.

• As leaders, take time to learn about team members, find commonalities or shared interests and begin to highlight them in discussions. Develop a team identity and encourage people to categorize themselves as part of it.

• Engage in some out-of-office activities that enhance a sense of cohesion. Find the connectors, find the commonalities and string them along to form the cord that binds the team to each other and their common goals.

So next time you are at a team dinner look for the salt – and No, I don’t mean the one that is on the table.

While all of us experience a wide array of emotions, only a select few can accurately identify them and use the right words to express them. This capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them is what is known as emotional Intelligence. Research shows that only 36 % of people have the words to do this. Without the insights into exactly what we are feeling and without the right words to express them, we are binging on many problems. Unlabelled emotions often go misunderstood, which leads to irrational choices and counterproductive actions.

There is a little bagful of words that we carry around all the time, the one we often refer to as our Vocabulary. We replenish our wardrobes often, throwing out old shirts and dresses that no longer fit and add fresher ones that define us better with each growing year. But that little bag of words remains unchanged. Years go by and we often hear ourselves saying the same words… “Oh that makes me so mad” “I feel bad” “I am so angry”… especially with our feelings, we tend to use very few and generic words to express how we feel.

While many might describe themselves as simply feeling “bad,” emotionally intelligent people can pinpoint whether they feel “irritable,” “frustrated,” “disappointed” or “anxious.” The more specific your word choice, the better insight you have into exactly how you are feeling, what caused it and what you should do about it. Like the anecdotal angry career women profiled in the #shradhahrdblog#, Recognizing and identifying emotions is a prerequisite for developing emotional intelligence.

So growing our kitty of words, with feeling words and self-awareness is just one of the five things we can do to be more emotionally intelligent at the workplace. According to David Goleman there are 4 more – self regulation, intrinsic motivation, Empathy and Social Skills. Developing these skills improves our Emotional quotient which plays a vital role in many everyday decisions we make at the work place, such as how we deal with pressure, decisions on promoting, hiring and firing employees and dealing with conflict and change.

Pack then a bag of feeling words and get on the long but rewarding journey of emotional intelligence. It is a journey with 5 flagship places (as listed by David Goleman ) to visit. Strew with events and eventualities, you may find yourself trudging slowing, one word or thought at a time, but a journey that rewards with better mental health, wellbeing and career success.

The last time I voluntarily read a science journal was for an honours credit class in Astro Physics, way back in my college days. A rescheduled meeting at a bioscience company left me waiting several minutes and exposed, after so many years, to a bunch of science journals and no other reading material. Reluctantly I fingered them and had almost resigned myself to boredom, when an article on multiple personalities caught my attention. Outside of all the research data and new findings on schizophrenia (more commonly called Multiple Personality Disorder), there was a curious and actually unbelievable case study by psychiatrist Bennett Braun who describes the case of Timmy.

As we all know Multiple personality disorder is a neurological disorder characterised by the presence of two or more distinct personality identities in the same person. Each may have a unique name, personal history and characteristics. This case study was about Timmy who had multiple personalities. One personality was allergic to orange juice, and when this personality drank orange juice, Timmy would break into blistering hives. However, another personality would be able to drink orange juice quite uneventfully and with no allergic reaction whatsoever. If the allergic personality was in the midst of an allergy attack and he shifted back to the non-allergic personality, the hives would disappear instantly.

Fascinating! The power of the mind! While all the doctors in the world can research and list down a thousand data points to pinpoint the exact metabolic and chemical factions leading to this sort of an allergy to orange juice, a subconscious switch to the other personality of this boy, could make the hives disappear. There is but only one conclusion to this – that the mind has more control over the body than we can even begin to fathom.

Research has found that the mind and body have a curious synergy and they can effect and be affected by one another.

Negative thoughts and feelings takes it’s toll on one’s health, this we all know. But our body, how we carry it, how we care for it and it’s well being has a direct effect on our mind.

There now is ongoing research on how our body postures and body image affects how we see ourselves and how others perceive us. Research is also establishing that altering our body postures and language can alter our body chemistry. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy argues that “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can boost feelings of confidence, and can impact our chances for success.

An early proponent of this theory of how our body postures, gait and poise affect our mind was Leonardo Da Vinci. His notebooks give us an insight into his mercurial mind that was curious and fascinated by almost everything in this world. Da Vinci’s seven principles, as listed by Micheal Gelb includes “Corporalita” which means “ The cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness and poise”

Da Vinci believed that in order for one to be creative we must pay attention to our body. We must mindfully work on our posture, carry ourselves with more grace and have a fitness regime. He also advices that each of us must strive to be ambidextrous… i.e develop the ability to use both hands. It is said that Da Vinci could draw with one hand and write backwards with the other. All of his note books are written backwards with mirror images of the words. Da Vinci professed that by pushing the physical limits of the body the creative side of the mind develops. The more creative the mind is the less we are boxed within constructs of perceived roadblocks and constraints, thus leading to creative decision making and more satisfying interactions with our teams and more holistic experiences.

Today’s genius strives for a healthy body that complements a healthy mind. So take a leaf out of Da Vinci’s book and take time to empower your body to support your powerful mind and feed your mind with positivity, passion and zest to find physical vigour and agility.

That has been the phrase on my mind for a few weeks now. Yes, we really should give for the Joy of giving and not with the expectation of getting back. Altruistic giving – but that is not what I have been thinking about.

There are things that each one of us wants to receive at the work place that go beyond the tangible benefits of salary, designation, stability and status. It is the non-materialist things such as appreciation, loyalty, respect, commitment from your team members and other such things that are more elusive.

The more I think about it and dwell deeper into my prior experience as an entrepreneur and current one as team player, I realise that this rather basic mantra of “Give to get” could be a powerful beacon to practise #meaningfulness at work#.

So dare to give what you want most.

If it is respect from your team that you crave for, begin by respecting them in turn. A little empathy and insight into their trials and tribulations will help you develop respect for what someone brings to the table. If it is appreciation you crave for begin by appreciating someone else’s work. If you want to be understood, give it the best you can to understand. If you want to grow your business, help those around you grow theirs. If you want certain connections and contacts, share yours with others.

It never fails – the energy you put out will always recirculate and find its perfect way back to you. Giving and receiving are two halves of one circle, a circle that will encompass everything you hold dear- friends family, careers, progress, power. So chart your half of the circle by giving and the universe will chart the other to ensure you receive.

#giving# #mindfulness# #leadership# # meanigfulnessatwork#

We live in a 24/7 culture that’s always on. With the ability to stay connected around the clock, the lines between work and home have blurred. Work-life balance and work-life integration can be hard to manage, but we found successful executives who have figured out how to remain successful while still making time for their friends and family.

Indra K. Nooyi CEO, PepsiCo- Nooyi doesn’t believe women can have it all, but she does believe a balance can be achieved. “I don’t think women can have it all. I just don’t think so. We pretend we have it all. We pretend we can have it all. My husband and I have been married for 34 years. And we have two daughters. “And every day you have to make a decision about whether you are going to be a wife or a mother, in fact, many times during the day you have to make those decisions,” she tells The Atlantic. She admits that “meticulously planning” her life has allowed her to be a “decent parent,” and she believes her daughters, if asked, would say she is a good mom. To balance her work and life Nooyi allows her personal assistant to give her children permission to do certain things when they call the office. Nooyi provides her assistant with a set of questions that when answered correctly allow her children to play with friends, play video games, and take part in other activities.

Mark Weinberger, CEO, Ernst and Young- “At any moment you are going to feel guilty about what you’re not doing, like today I’m missing the World Economic Forum in Europe to move my daughter into her dorm in USC,” EY CEO Mark Weinberger tells Time. Among our list of executives, Weinberger has perhaps the most family-focused approach to work-life balance. Following a meeting in China, EY’s CEO was asked if he would be taking selfies with his employees at the Great Wall. He said that wouldn’t be possible because he needed to be back in Washington, DC, the following day to take his daughter to her driving test. His message has resonated with employees. “Afterwards, I got hundreds of emails: Not a single person remembered the terrific speech I gave, but everybody remembered I went home for my daughter,” he tells Time.

Marissa Mayer, CEO, Yahoo- Marissa Mayer, CEO, YahooMarissa Mayer took only two weeks’ maternity leave when her son was born. But she didn’t compromise on spending time with her newborn: She had a nursery built next to her office. Of course not everyone has the opportunity to bring their children to work. For those workers, Mayer offers a simple suggestion: “Find your rhythm.” “Avoiding burnout isn’t about getting three square meals or eight hours of sleep. It’s not even necessarily about getting time at home,” she tells Bloomberg. “I have a theory that burnout is about resentment. And you beat it by knowing what it is you’re giving up that makes you resentful. I tell people: Find your rhythm. Your rhythm is what matters to you so much that when you miss it you’re resentful of your work.”

Kim Jabal, CFO, Weebly- “The only way that anyone can balance work and family or work and personal life, is if everyone within an organization agrees that ‘life balance’ is critical to the overall well-being of employees and the productivity, and effectiveness of the company,” Jabal tells Business Insider. Jabal says flexibility is key when finding your work-life balance. She has no problem leaving work early for family dinners if it means taking a few hours at the end of the night to finish her work. “Rigid work hours and work location make it much more challenging,” Jabal says. Her plan seems pretty straightforward. “Home an hour in the morning, get kids to school, work in the office 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., have dinner with kids, work three hours at night,” she says.

Employees put in the same number of hours but spend a critical few hours with their family members. Jabal also says both parents need to make sure parenting is 50-50 from day one. “It’s not just the mom’s job. It’s the parents’ job,” she says.

Source: www.businessinsider.in

“Running a business (or many of them!) can be a stressful endeavour,” says Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire chairman of the Virgin Group. “Looking back over my 50 years as an entrepreneur one of the major keys to my success has been my ability to maintain a healthy balance between work and play.”

Richard says that he has six habits that help him to achieve a healthy work-life balance, no matter where he is travelling at the time. Here’s his secrets:

1. Rise early- “I tend to wake up at 5am so that I can use the early morning hours to get some exercise and spend time with my family,” he says. “This routine helps put me in a positive mindset before I get down to business.” He admits that this won’t work for everyone but recommends finding a “routine that enables you to work on your most challenging tasks when you’re at your most productive”.

2. Limit screen time- Richard admits that he loves social media, email and the communication opportunities that technology provides, but says “you can’t let your devices take control, especially if you’re a busy entrepreneur”. He limits himself to checking email and social media only at the start of his working day, and then again at intervals that he determines for himself, rather than letting it take over his day. “If you’re not paying attention, social media can become a distraction and a hindrance, rather than a highly useful business tool and a fun way to communicate,” he warns. “Monitor your usage of your devices so that they don’t run your life.”

3. Write lists- It’s a well-known fact that Richard carries a notebook everywhere, he’s forever scribbling away and jotting things down. “This technique has helped to make Virgin what it its today,” he says. “Everything from our original logo to our first business plan all began as scribbles in a notebook.” He recommends finding what works for you – doodles, charts, bullet points. “Or, just write down what you need to accomplish and cross tasks off as you complete them,” he says. “There’s something very satisfying about ticking items off a list.”

4. Make time for sports- “I get up early to exercise because it gives me energy, improves my focus and concentration, and even helps me sleep better at the end of the day,” Richard says. He chooses to kite surf, saying it’s a “good opportunity to get away from all the other stresses of life and business”. But it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, Richard says, find “something you like doing, perhaps a sport or a routine at the gym, to keep yourself focused throughout the day”.

5. Make time for loved one- Virgin is a family business and Richard says he wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for his family. “I make it a priority to spend time with my wife Joan every single day,” he says. “It reminds me of why I do what I do.” He suggests setting some time aside every day for your loved ones – even if it’s just a phone call or a Skype chat. “Switch your emails off and give them your full attention, even if it’s just half an hour,” he says. “You’ll be more relaxed, and may even learn things from them that can help in your business.”

6. Embrace something new- Richard loves having new experiences and aims to learn at least one new thing every day. He views life as one long educational experience. “No matter what your career goals are, try to do something different each day,” he suggests. “See where it takes you, and what you can learn. This has made every day of my life an adventure – who knows where it might take you!”

Source: www.virgin.com

Bill Gates, in an interview for BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, revealed that he was so driven during the early years of Microsoft in the 1970’s that he couldn’t help but keep tabs on which Microsoft warriors stayed vigilant along the front and which ones had retreated home for the night. Gates said eventually the fanaticism didn’t last forever.

Gates said, “I knew everyone’s license plate,” he told the BBC, “so I could look out in the parking lot and see when did people come in, when were they leaving.” Gates admitted, “I was quite fanatical about work” during those early days. “I worked weekends, I worked weekends, I didn’t really believe in vacations.”

Gates said the fanaticism didn’t last forever. “Eventually I had to loosen up, as the company got to a reasonable size,” he said. And he said that meeting his wife, Melinda, also changed the equation. “She arrived at kind of the perfect time, and we fell in love … Now we actually take quite a few vacations. I’m sure myself in my twenties would look at my schedule now and find it very wimpy indeed.”

But it’s unlikely Gates would ever have found the worldly success that he enjoys if not for that “beginner’s hunger” that drove him in the early years. Beginner’s hunger drives people who aspire to do great things in every realm of human endeavor—entrepreneurs, artists, rock stars, politicians, military leaders, social-justice workers, prophets and priests.

These people don’t want work-life balance. They want to be imbalanced. It’s what makes them feel alive. They constantly make sacrifices to reach their goal, even without realizing they’re sacrifices. And if and when they reach their goal, that beginner’s hunger dissipates, and they shift into a less frantic, long-term mode. But first comes the single-minded fanaticism, often for many years and often at the expense of many other things.

And so comes an either-or choice:

1.You feel you need to gamble everything on achieving greatness in some area; or

2.You commit yourself to balancing out your career with your family, social obligations and personal interests.

If you choose the first option, you need to accept that there will be trade offs — you will miss children’s piano recitals, lose relationships altogether, and miss out on some of the most deeply fulfilling but passive aspects of human existence.

If you choose the second option, you have to get over the idea that you’ll go as far in your career as the talented, fanatical rivals who are working three hours longer per day and who are far readier than you to pounce on a new opportunity. You accept that you may achieve at best a good station in your career but not a great one.

Yes, being a single-minded workaholic isn’t psychologically healthy. Frankly, great people usually aren’t psychologically healthy. They don’t know how to be, and that’s the source of their fanatic’s advantage. It becomes our job, then, for each of us to decide whether to be fanatics who risk it all for greatness … or to be balanced people who find all the greatness we need within the very act of balance.

Source: www.forbes.com

The New York Times had published the eulogy that Steve Jobs’s sister wrote to celebrate his life at his funeral. With her words, Mona Simpson paints a picture of a man who was commercially successful and had professional presence – and who was larger than life and really knew how to live.

From her touching eulogy, we can gather a few simple work-life balance lessons from a man who was very successful in his work life and simultaneously present in his home life.

1. Do what you love. According to Jobs’s sister, “Steve worked at what he loved. He worked really hard. Every day. That’s incredibly simple, but true.” The time that Steve Jobs invested in his job was worthwhile, despite his untimely death, because he felt true passion for his work. He felt fulfilled by what he did at the office each day. It was worth it to leave his home each morning to participate in the work he loved, so his work-life balance made sense.

2. Do it yourself. Only you can maintain your own work-life balance. If you become so absorbed in work and so far removed from normal life that the only side of you anyone sees is your professional presence, there might be a problem with your ability to find balance. Even as a very successful businessman, Jobs made the time to dress casually and pick a family member up from the airport. Jobs’s sister describes, “Even as a young millionaire, Steve always picked me up at the airport. He’d be standing there in his jeans.” Delegating is an important management skill, but connecting to ordinary life is an important work-life balance skill. Make sure to mow your own lawn and iron your own shirts every now and again.

3. Cultivate your interests. Despite his commercial success, his professional presence, and his investment in his career, Steve Jobs also cultivated his outside interests, such as travel, gardening, and boats. His sister asks, “What other C.E.O. knows the history of English and Chinese tea roses and has a favorite David Austin rose?” By similarly investing in your outside interests, you will be a more well-rounded person, and you will be more able to return to work refreshed and ready to give it your all after taking time for yourself.

4. Cultivate your love. One of Jobs’s primary characteristics was his deep love for and abiding interest in his wife and his four children. Indeed, “he believed that love happened all the time, everywhere,” according to his sister. With love for his family set as his primary concern, his work-life balance came naturally.

How do you consciously work toward greater balance between your work life and personal life?

Source: www.employeedevelopmentsystems.com

If you find that you’re teetering dangerously close to being out-of-balance, consider rearranging your personal life by adopting some of the following things.

1. Exercise.- Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor-in-chief, plays tennis for one hour every day and Richard Branson stays active with kitesurfing. But if exercising brings thoughts of getting a root canal for you, no worries; Harvard-trained psychologist and best-selling author Shawn Achor says all it takes is 15 minutes of fun cardio activity per day. So ditch the gym for gardening or walking the dog. Juts remember: The effects of daily cardio can be as effective as taking an antidepressant.

2. Pick up a new hobby (or rediscover an old one)- Is there something enjoyable that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t had the time to pursue? Or something that you absolutely love to do, but haven’t done in years? Need some ideas? Here are the hobbies of some of the world’s most successful people:

• Warren Buffett: Playing the ukulele.

• Aubrey K. McClendon, co-founder Chesapeake Energy: Wine collecting

• Michael Bloomberg: Skiing and golf.

• Peter Thiel, technology investor and former PayPal co-founder: Internet chess.

3. Do something fun for yourself- Don’t neglect “special time” with yourself. Science has found that people who have fun are more creative and productive, make better decisions, and get along better with colleagues. Daymond John, investor on the ABC reality series “Shark Tank,” spends weekends at his lakeside cabin in Dutchess County catching largemouth bass.

4. Find a faith that works for you- I speak of a faith–whatever your belief system–that comes from a deep spiritual connection with a power greater than yours. Billionaire Bill Gates told Rolling Stone that his family goes to Catholic Church, even though he admitted having his own doubts about God.

5. Take up meditation- Oprah Winfrey practices Transcendental Meditation. She sits in stillness for 20 minutes, twice a day. She says, “only from that space can you create your best work and your best life.” Setting aside this little ritual everyday during your spare time will make the rest of your week seem manageable. You’ll notice a difference and a weight come off your shoulders.

6. Give back to the community- A study conducted by Australia’s Fidelity Charitable Gift Trust found that 89 percent of entrepreneurs donate to charity. Entrepreneurs with a heart of service understand that the cycle of business, and life, should be about giving back and spreading the wealth to causes they believe in. Meet 7 entrepreneurs who love giving back.

7. Get together with mentors outside of work to learn something new- This takes humility, so check your ego at the door, and seek out sage advice from wise connections to improve a part of you that’s lacking, or to get some fresh perspective on something that is keeping you stuck. General Motor CEO Mary Barra is influenced by a network of them. She writes how mentors correctly advised her to take an HR role even though she was an engineer. “Different people see different aspects of us as we progress in our careers and handle the opportunities and challenges along the way,” said Barra in a LinkedIn post.

8. Go out on a date. Make it weekly for it to really count- Entrepreneur John Michael Morgan, best selling author of Brand Against The Machine, lets his wife have the floor to speak on the importance of dating. She writes in her husband’s blog, “schedule a date night right now and use that alone time to create or re-evaluate your vision. What do you want your lives to look like in the next 5, 10, 20-plus years?”

9. Don’t forget to spend quality time with your family- Make sure you’re always available for your loved ones, and never put the business over them. Even billionaire entrepreneurs have a home life. Shark Tank co-host Mark Cuban told a South by Southwest audience:”On the weekends we have [a nanny] in the morning, so Tiff and I go work out Saturday mornings. Then the rest of the weekend it’s just us. It’s us putting them to bed. It’s us at dinner. We try to be as normal as possible.”

Source: www.aol.com

Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook, a mother of two, and an outspoken advocate for women leaders. Here’s one more reason she rocks: she doesn’t pretend it’s easy. “So there’s no such thing as work-life balance. There’s work, and there’s life, and there’s no balance,” said Sandberg in an interview for the Makers series from PBS and AOL, The Huffington Post’s parent company.

The Facebook COO acknowledged the difficulties of being a working mother trying to juggle family responsibilities with a high power job. She also shared practical things women — and, importantly, men — can do to help women succeed in their careers and make a challenging situation work a bit better.

Women should choose a spouse who will support their ambitions, not only by offering words of encouragement, but by doing half of the work at home, from changing half of the diapers to doing half of the laundry, Sandberg advised.
Women face two key challenges men do not, Sandberg argued: they experience guilt for working full time, and the more they succeed, the less they’re liked.

“I feel guilty when my son says, ‘Mommy, put down the BlackBerry, talk to me’ and that happens far too much. I think all women feel guilty. I think what’s interesting is I don’t know many men who feel guilty,” Sandberg said. “I don’t know a lot of men who feel guilty for working full time, it’s expected that they’ll work full time…I wonder if there were more shared responsibility if more men would feel guilty too and women would feel less of it.”

Sandberg noted that for years she’s left work at 5:30 PM so she could be home for dinner with her children, but has only recently started saying so publicly. Her hope, she said, is that discussing it openly will encourage others to feel comfortable doing the same.

Helping women to reach their full potential requires the world to become more accepting of powerful and successful women, Sandberg argued, adding that women face a trade-off between success and likability that men do not. “A woman, if you’re most intelligent or most likely to succeed, that’s an embarrassing thing or something that’s not considered attractive, and that’s something we need to change,” said Sandberg.

The Facebook COO was herself voted “most likely to succeed” in high school. She forced the yearbook editor to bury the title and pick someone else for the award, she said. Sandberg added, “I want to tell any young girl out there who’s a geek, I was a really serious geek in high school. It works out. Study harder.”

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

There has been a concentrated effort on the development of Work-Life Balance in the LBP or Lothian and Borders Police that employs approximately 2,600 police officers and 1,100 support staff. Its headquarters are in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city. Its mission, central to policy development and operational goals, is “to prevent crime, keep the peace, protect and reassure the community, uphold the law firmly and fairly, and pursue and identify those who break the law.”

Donald Ramsay, the personnel services manager at LBP, explains that development of work-life balance programs to make workplace policies more user-friendly is now an important area of people management for a number of reasons. First, greater work is now requested from serving officers and support staff. Flexibility is also expected by new applicants, including women and minority groups, whom LBP is targeting in their recruitment drives. Secondly, the combined effects of more employment legislation and the high media profile of discrimination cases make it more important to avoid potential discrimination. Lastly, it is recognized that work-life balance policies should be applied consistently and that management style is highly significant in ensuring consistency.

Louise Parker joined LBP in 1997 as a full-time clerical assistant. After three years she began to think seriously about travelling. In March 2000, she requested a year off to travel; by June 2000 she was flying to Australia to explore Southeast Asia on her own. In taking what Mariana Forsyth, HR advisor, calls “the purest form of work-life balance” while someone else filled her job on a fixed-term contract, Parker returned to LBP 54 weeks later a completely different person. Her experience played a large part in changing her perspectives and developing her skills so she can bring added qualities to work. Learning about different cultures, challenging stereotypes, improving communication skills and developing self-confidence are all cited by Parker as part of her personal learning journey. While on her travels, Parker felt comfort knowing that there was a job to return to. During her career break, though, she received no employee benefits; in effect, a career break suspends an employment contract until resumption of the job.

Nearly a year after her return, Parker admits to still feeling that she is settling back into work, a process she has found “really difficult…I felt a lot of pressure on myself when I first came back as I had to relearn policies and basically how things work.” At the same time, however, she says she is absolutely committed to her job and strongly feels that she should give something back. Further, now promoted to a divisional personnel officer and studying part-time for a postgraduate diploma, she reports on having “a different and better perspective on how to deal with people.” Several colleagues and Ramsay testify to the positive change in Parker due to her wider life experience. Ramsay firmly believes that Parker is a success story that has benefited the Department and Force.

With regard to the more general organizational effects of work-life balance, Ramsay asserts that there is now “a much greater awareness of work-life balance throughout the force; staff realize we will try to accommodate flexible working.”

Source: www.shrm.org

In this write up on Work-Life Balance read how the Scottish Court Service a government organization, has incorporated work-life balance measures to create a congenial work environment.

The Scottish Court Service (SCS) comprises 52 court sites and employs approximately 1,000 civil servants.

According to SCS Human Resource Director Alan Swift, SCS has always been enlightened in its human resource policies. However, it was not until 1998 and ’99 that SCS started to get serious about work-life balance. Discussions with the Public and Commercial Services Union over paternity leave, the loss of some key staff (in particular women, who comprise 57 percent of the workforce), competition for recruiting quality staff, and an internal exploration about what it meant to work for the service all contributed to the new focus on work-life balance policies and practice. The most important of these factors was the loss of female staff, who said they were leaving because they were unable to reconcile their work and family commitments.

Today, SCS offers a variety of such arrangements, which, according to Chief Executive John Ewing, “help people to give their best at work” and improve staff retention. The new arrangements also signal to current and potential employees that they are valued and treated well in the organization.

The SCS developed the work-life balance policies and procedures using a participative approach including the involvement of all staff. The birth of his third child five years ago was a life-changing event for Joe Smith, then an executive officer at Dumbarton Sheriff Court. Smith’s daughter, Rebecca, was born with a complex heart disease and not expected to live. However, against the odds and after 13 operations which started when she was three days old, Rebecca is now in the first year of elementary school. She has spent about 18 months of her life in the hospital and faces a heart-lung transplant operation at some point in the future.

“From the word go, the managers at SCS supported us,” explains Smith. While Smith and his wife were coping with their daughter’s fragility for the first 18 months of her life, Smith tried to manage work. For a time after he was promoted to the Stirling Sheriff Court, he was driving 84 miles a day from home to work and Rebecca’s hospital. Realizing this situation was not sustainable—and even dangerous—Joe contacted Swift. Smith’s wife, then a court officer in Dunbarton Sheriff Court, was immediately granted extended special leave, and Smith special leave. Smith also accessed the SCS Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for private counselling on managing his daughter’s problems. This service is public-sector (general taxpayer) funded, so it is free to SCS employees though it is privately run on a contract basis. The aim is to help employees deal with any issues that affect their performance and/or attendance at work. As Smith explains, he “began to see the benefits and let them help…it was almost like instant relief, trusting in the policies and the people.” So important was this help that he said he should have done it sooner.

Now in Glasgow Sheriff Court and promoted to higher executive officer, Smith cannot praise the handling of his circumstances highly enough: “All the managers have supported me, and it’s two-way.” Smith speaks highly of the support he, his wife and family received from SCS. Their exceptional circumstances speak to the value of work-life balance arrangements in this organization. Ewing also testifies to the benefits of work-life balance initiatives: “in a pressurized work environment, work-life balance programs signal the value of staff, they can also reduce stress and allow staff to keep contributing at work.”

The SCS currently has a committee, which includes employees who have primary responsibility for caring for dependents, that is focusing on the dimensions of care issues other than childcare (for example, elder care). It is also considering surveying employees about their opinions of SCS’ work-life balance policies during the next staff opinion survey.

Source: www.shrm.org

IKEA is a Swedish home furnishing retailer that sells well-designed, functional furniture. IKEA has over 150 stores in more than 20 countries around the world. IKEA’s Swedish heritage is important in the company, as demonstrated by its training of staff on Swedish culture. The Swedish national values of commitment to, and time with, family and community, combined with concern for a healthy environment, are strongly reflected in IKEA’s organizational culture and management practices.

The above values can be seen in IKEA’s strategic approach that acknowledges work-life balance, to its recognition of the importance of coffee breaks in a pleasant environment for all staff for social interaction. Work-life balance extends naturally from the company’s Swedish cultural roots and its “priority of focusing on co-workers to develop the corporate culture,” according to Anders Dahlvig, IKEA president. Work-life balance is expressed, for instance, in paid days off for all staff for first day of school leave, marriage leave and “moving house leave”.

It is also expressed in the following areas of existing work-life balance offerings, including flex-time (variation in start and finish times); full-time and part-time work; special shift arrangements (for example, early shifts only); non-standard work weeks (for example, longer but fewer work days per week); emergency leave (for a domestic crisis like a flooding); public/community service leave (such as working on a public service board); leave for caring for dependents; parental leave; sick children leave; information about childcare; employee assistance programs; information and advice on work-life balance; and health promotion.

One example of combining national and organizational cultures is the health promotion program in IKEA’s Glasgow store. In addition to subsidized healthy meals from the large and popular public cafeteria, all employees can take advantage of free podiatry (medical foot care) and massage sessions during work time. Burgess believes it is important that “co-workers generally see IKEA as investing a lot in them—and the feedback we get suggests they do.” Offering podiatry and massages relates in particular to the physical nature of much of the work, with staff often working on their feet and wearing protective boots. Doing physical work is not the exclusive preserve of shop floor staff; departmental and senior managers all help when needed.

Business Controller David Montgomerie has taken advantage of the chiropody service. This was a new experience for him and although his initial motivation was the novelty value and curiosity, he now believes promotion of health awareness and general fitness is very important. One of Montgomerie’s team is Abigail Jones, an IT specialist. Jones has also used the chiropody service, a first for her. “It’s a good perk…IKEA is obviously interested in the well-being of staff and are very people– oriented.” Stephanie Miller, a young part-time employee who works on the shop floor, believes that “health promotion to encourage a healthy lifestyle is a good idea and fun as well.” She did not expect such services, but can see that they are valuable.

On an individual level, work-life balance programs help people balance work with other life factors. Burgess notes that “in some cases it can offer the opportunity to experience something new and benefit from it.” In organizational terms, work-life balance is a “win-win situation.” According to Burgess, it increases morale and commitment by improving psychological contracts and gives “something tangible to staff so they perceive IKEA as a caring company that they enjoy working for.”

Source: www.shrm.org

Motorola, founded in 1928 in the U.S., currently employs more than 100,000 people worldwide. A variety of work-life balance arrangements are offered, many of which are long established throughout the company. One such unique measure is that of ‘job-sharing’. Read on to see how this has benefited scores of people with special working needs.

Motorola offers all kinds of work arrangements that include part-time work; dependency leave; an employee assistance program (EAP); job sharing; health care; special shift arrangements (non-standard shifts); study leave (time off work to complete sections for formal qualifications); and emergency holidays (when annual leave needs to be taken for non-holiday time). Moyra Withycombe, the human resource operations manager at the East Kilbride location, explains that they are offered as part of being a premier employer and to attract high-caliber people, then recognize and reward them. This fits with Motorola’s philosophy of balancing life and work, which has contributed to the company’s high rating in America’s 100 Best Corporate Citizen award lists for environment, community and employment practices.

In 2000, there was a major change in work hours at the East Kilbride plant. The change was intended to standardize shifts throughout the whole organization. Today, full-time Motorola operators work seven 12-hour shifts over a two-week period, on the basis of four days one week, and three days the next. When the work hours were changed, employees were offered job sharing, either on the day or night shifts. Job sharing means that two people share a full-time job between them, splitting equally the number of hours worked. Though not commonplace, it has been an occasional practice in the U.K. for some years, mainly in the public-service sector.

Mary McDonald, a single parent with two children, applied for a job-share on the day shift. She felt the full-time shift pattern was too onerous given her family situation. In making her written application to the Human Resource department, she gave her personal and operational reasons. Her application was successful and, matched with her job partner, Heather Chalmers, she works in the wafer fabrication production area. McDonald says this system “has worked very well” for her. “I’m full of energy for the days I work — Motorola gets 100 percent from me.” She is extremely positive about job sharing, “especially for people with families…it is very good for family life.”

Alistair Reid, a manufacturing section manager, concurs. He also highlights that Motorola East Kilbride hosts 120 job sharers and explains that they are all included in feedback sessions and the annual reviews conducted to assess the effectiveness of partnerships. He stresses that “the transition to new shift patterns, including job share, allowed us to retain key skills and avoid external recruitment.”

Neil McKinven, a senior line manager, believes that job share plays a high-profile role for the East Kilbride Motorola plant to remain competitive and to meet their performance metrics in the face of stiff global competition. In particular, he notes that “job share allowed us to retain our pool of highly qualified and well-trained talent.” Job share, McKinven explains, “created a different management dimension in developing supporting procedures, such as procedures for holiday and absence cover.” These procedures have been refined over time and now function smoothly.

Motorola plans to have ongoing reviews of job-sharing practices, together with evaluation of the business effects.

Source: www.shrm.org

W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is a global, privately held company headquartered in Newark, Delaware. It employs approximately 8,000 employees (called associates) in more than 45 locations worldwide. Gore is known not just for its innovative products, but also for its innovative business style (Gore’s written business objective is “To make money and have fun”).

Founded by a husband-and-wife team in 1958, W.L. Gore & Associates manufacturing operations are clustered in the U.S., Germany, Japan, China and Scotland. Gore strives to create a unique corporate culture. Quite simply, the culture is driven, according to co-founder Bill Gore, from the need to “foster the creativity and initiative that contribute to technical development.”

It is this corporate culture that integrates and enables work-life balance at W.L. Gore. Ann Gillies, an HR associate in Scotland, believes Gore operates fairly and that associates are not managed but instead manage themselves by being fair, meeting commitments and consulting others as appropriate. Consequently there are very few company policies, procedures or rules; practices develop naturally and do not need to be framed in policies.

There are no policies and procedures, therefore, that explicitly relate to work-life balance. However, the company’s approach to work-life balance can be seen in its approach to working hours. Working hours, according to Gillies, are central to Gore’s approach. There are no set working hours; “people make commitments… they are never imposed and people keep to their commitments.” Gillies continues, “Personal and family responsibilities are okay—people have no need to explain if they are not going to be at work, but tend to anyway because we are fair to each other.”

When commitments require staffing for specific hours, the team in that area decide individuals’ hours of work. Some people choose to work from home, and office attendance is recorded only for fire safety. The need to work long hours can arise, as it did for one associate, Ben Stewart, currently a leader, when he was involved in a global project requiring him to spend large amounts of time in the U.S. When a change in his home circumstances arose, Stewart evaluated the time he spent travelling and reduced it significantly by using videoconferencing and conference calls.

It is widely believed that Gore’s corporate culture which encourages a healthy worklife balance directly contributes to the award-winning success the company has long enjoyed. John Kennedy, a Gore leader and senior associate in Scotland in traditional, external business terms, underlines this belief. He says, “Our culture and principles drive very high performance from individuals and teams, who are empowered and results-oriented with a strong ‘can-do’ attitude.”

Gillies acknowledges that “sometimes it feels like it would be easy and certainly quicker to direct, but in the long-term, we know that doesn’t work.” She is emphatic that “because we are not telling people what to do and when to be here, there is more chance work is going to be done better. Associates buy into what the company stands for, so the quality of input and decisions is better.”

Gore’s approach to work-life balance contributes to its repeatedly being included in Fortune magazine’s best companies list. Continuing to develop associates is seen as central to sustaining the corporate culture and principles that foster work-life balance at W.L. Gore.

Source: www.shrm.org