Jim's Take

Times are changing. With information moving so quickly, and higher expectations of employees for their organization to “have their back,” executives are stuck between a rock and a hard place to navigate what’s appropriate and best for the business, their people and the company’s values.

Pairing this with the idea of individual executives (or front line employees) having their own “brand,” there is often a conflict between the personal views of people that make up and are representing the company. 

Often it’s no big deal, but when politics enters the workstream every four years, the emotional challenges of navigating difficult conversations on philosophy, economic theory, social justice and more can overwhelm the group. 

It was never “ok” to speak politics at work - it was something that was left to individuals to believe what they wanted. In a way, it was a protection for us to not have the uncomfortable conversations we didn’t want to have. Similar to religion and even sports, emotions overtake logic, and most conversations don’t end well. 

But with the rise of never-ending information, opinion presented as facts, beliefs presented as truths - the game has changed. And many of us - from leadership down to the front line - are expected to navigate a political landscape with no real value in the end game. 

Here are some tips for navigating political conversations at work. Whenever we have a list of “tips,” I like to ask questions - as you are the one who will be lying in the bed you make.

There is a well known epidemic of loneliness in the world, and the increasing levels of change are exacerbating the challenge.

I'd argue there are three things needed for wellness: Physical health, Mental health, and Social health.

We were happy to be joined by Janine Kutliroff, CEO of Brya, a company focused on helping people build healthy and active in-person social connections.

Janine's comments will resonate to almost everyone - I hope you enjoy.

The Goddess is Back! Jim and Sam have a good discussion on the personal accountability of being social, how we build our own communities, and have a small battle royale on the value of in-person vs. online social groups.

I recently took an Ayahuasca journey - eight days at Spiritquest Sanctuary in Iquitos, Peru. As requested, I've recounted the journey -from what Ayahuasca is, to why I picked Spiritquest and how the Amazon tradition was helpful, right on through the visions and the purging.

Jim gives his take on the "desperate need for relevance" - our innate desire for value, acceptance and belonging. As the world evolves, we are fearing being left behind ... and our fears drive action and behaviors. Come for the social media bashing, stay for tips on how to build in person social resources (thus building your relevance).

Episode 131 - Jim and Catherine break down "technology truths." We are on the precipice of technological change unseen before. How do we prepare for change when we don't know what change is coming? Jim and Catherine break it down.

Resiliency is a buzzword. But it's necessary. Jim sits down with Catherine Murnin, founder of The Wellbeing Pathway, to chat realistic resilience, why it's important, how we should think about it and build our own plan.

Ahhhh middle management. Where you get to sandwich between theory and reality, with outrageous expectations and mitigated work life balance. This episode has a nice venting session on Middle Management, why it sucks, and strategies/responses we can use to dictate our next career path.

In our second of four interviews with Catherine, we cover Creativity with Purpose, and how creativity is a massive drive to our wellbeing. Come for the reference to Seamus Heaney, stay for the learning on how creativity is everywhere (not just where you think).

Let's cover the biggest issue in corporate nobody is talking about: Insecurity.

Not just a simple "impostor syndrome" conversation - but what causes it, what drives it, how we react to it, and how to identify it in other people. Change the game with your interactions on this episode.