Mark speaks with Jennifer Moss, an award-winning writer, international speaker, and workplace culture strategist with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Her work has inspired leaders to take a look at how they create, model, and manage work-life balance for themselves and their employees. Her most recent book, The Burnout Epidemic, was named 10 Best New Management Books for 2022 by Thinkers50 and shortlisted for the 2021 Outstanding Works of Literature Award. 

Key Takeaways:

• Saying No for the Bigger Yes: It is essential to learn how to say no to things that are not in alignment with our values and goals. To be honest with ourselves and others by expressing our no from a place of clarity of what our bigger yes is. 

• Invisible Pressure: When leaders/bosses email employees on off-work hours, it creates invisible pressure. Because so many companies have shifted to remote work, leaders need to be aware of this invisible pressure and model proper work-life balance. Also, recognizing that due to employee gender, race, sexual orientation, and other factors, by not having awareness regarding emails, meetings, and conversations, leaders can sometimes unconsciously create a culture of inequity.

• The Difference Between Technical and Adaptive problems: Leaders need to look at the difference between psychoemotional issues, the work culture they create, and mental health as separate from systematic issues. As a leader, you can understand that you are not a mental health professional. However, it is your responsibility to be the conduit for your employees so that they have the resources for mental health. This means putting systems in place for the adaptive problems and recognizing they are separate variables to be addressed. 

• Are we Mating or Meeting: How the brain registers our interaction with others on zoom or other online meeting platforms is important to recognize. Because we are not seeing the whole person and are able to gauge the eyes, our brain is registering the interaction from an animal instinct of mating or fighting. This is problematic in ways that create defensive and aggressive behaviors that would not happen if you were meeting in person with your people.