Very few successful businesses are built by a single person; they are built by teams. This is why leaders need to be brilliant communicators: they need to motivate staff to execute their vision, and listen to them in order to help shape that vision.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is crucial to the art of communication. By understanding those around you, and having self-awareness, you are better able to relate to people, and to cater your leadership style to their needs.

Research by Steve Langhorn on hospitality firm Whitbread found that 9 per cent of the variance in profit growth between different restaurants could be attributed to the emotional intelligence of the manager. Meanwhile, a study by TalentSmart, which specialises in EQ testing, found that: "Emotional intelligence is the strongest predictor of [individual] performance, explaining a full 58 per cent of success in all types of jobs."

Fortunately, EQ isnt an immutable quality like height or eye colour. Here are six things you can do to can supercharge your EQ in the workplace.

By keeping a watchful eye out for negative emotions in the workplace, you can nip problems in the bud before they negatively impact the business, says Joanna Swash, global CEO of Moneypenny, an outsourced communications provider that employs 750 people.

"Positive emotions create a positive culture and positive client experience," she explains. "Being able to spot when someone may not be in a great place quickly is crucial so you can give them a shoulder, or an ear and support them in a positive way. It prevents things festering, spreading and infecting others."

According to Lydia Amoah, a business coach, EQ starts from understanding the self. She recommends various strategies for getting to grips with your own feelings, to better lead others.

"There is a wide choice of apps, such as Calm or Headspace," she says. "They are great tools to help unwind and which can benefit your mental and emotional wellbeing. Journaling is also a great way to understand your own thought processes. Finally, controlled breathing is amazing for regulating hormone levels, reducing palpitations and creating clarity."

The old adage that leaders must never show weakness is no longer relevant to the modern workplace, says Swash. "As leaders, we have got to remain in control, but similarly its good for others to see that were real people too," she says.

"By remaining human, the team can see that issues make us as happy or sad too. As long as theyre channelled effectively and dont create a negative environment, emotions within teams can be used in a really positive way, especially in roles that involve customer contact."

Leaders are used to making decisions and providing direction, but youre much more likely to make the wrong decisions and head in the wrong direction if you dont listen to your team, whose collective insight, ideas and knowledge of the business will be greater than any one persons - even yours.

Listening well is easier said than done. "Body language tells you everything you need to know. Being conscious of the cues and simply listening helps a lot," says Felix Staeritz, CEO and co-founder of FoundersLane.

"Active listening is an important skill for EQ," adds Amoah. "Practise tuning into what a person is trying to communicate. Learn how to hold a quiet space and allow a flow of conversation without interruption to create even more awareness."

In high-pressure situations, it can be tempting to bark orders but a more collaborative approach may get better results. "Ask open questions," says Amoah. "Such as: What support do you need to do this? Enquiry can lower defences and bring out the best in others."

There will always be moments when you experience stress, anger or frustration. However, its how you choose to react to those emotions that defines you as a leader. "We are only ever experiencing our own thinking in that moment," says Sarah Matthew, founder of The Vibrant Company.

"Our experience of anything works inside out not outside in. The more you see this, the less you react and the more you can choose your response."

They key, according to Moneypennys Swash, is to take a breath, count to 10, and try and find perspective. "Take a moment and put yourself in other peoples shoes," she advises.

Carl Castledine, managing director of Away Resorts, the holiday business, adds: "Always think around corners. I consider multiple possible outcomes to what is happening now and prepare for problems mentally. We can then react with controlled pace, not panic under pressure if something negative occurs. I encourage my colleagues to do the same."

By giving your staff enough holidays and respecting their evenings and weekends, you are giving them time to recharge. This will help them be their best self at work.

Angel investor Inbal Shenfield says, "Let them have time off. Vacation, time with their families or just time for their hobby is super important."

Image credit:Bruce Mars/Pexels

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How to improve your people skills (and why you desperately need to) - Management Today

The Swedish CS:GO juggernaut has been sputtering as of late, and the recent benching of Xizt and Twist indicated that a roster shakeup was imminent in a bid to return to former glories. In the end, Fnatic opted to re-create most of the lineup theyve won their last two events with over two years ago by bringing back flusha and GoldeN.

Fnatic originally announced on August 21st that theyd bench Xizt and Twist with immediate effect as they look to enter a new phase off the back of their failure to reach the main stage of the major for the first time in their history. Despite back-to-back LAN final appearances earlier in the year, the team failed to establish any sort of consistency, and a string of disappointing results at DreamHack Masters Dallas, the ESL Pro League Season 9 Finals and ESL One Cologne served as a series of red flags en route to crashing out of the Europe minor.

The official announcement states:

"As such, a new era dawns, with flusha rejoining Fnatic for a second time and Golden arriving on loan until the end of 2019. Both players had spells in Los Angeles with Cloud9 since initially leaving Fnatic last year.

Golden most recently stood in for Ninjas in Pyjamas during the Berlin Major, where they fell in the Legends Stage. Flusha, meanwhile, took a break from Counter-Strike that, after interviewing him again, we believe has made him not only more determined for success with Fnatic but also has helped him grow as a human being.

With added experience, self-awareness, self-fulfilment and all good things Swedes dont usually get in the dark months of the year, we now look to the rest of 2019 as a chance for not just a return to glory but growth as players and people."

Fnatic hasn't won a single event since the departure of the two players, winning IEM Katowice and WESG 2017 last spring. Since then, both players spent some time as part of the ever-imploding Cloud9 project. GoldeN then went to NiP on loan to fill their roster for the Berlin major while flusha took some time off the game after the unfortunate passing of his mother. He was a highlight of Cloud9's run at the Katowice major.

This change means that the only difference between the title-winning Fnatic side and the current one is the addition of a promising young talent in the form of Brollan instead of Lekr0. Since that side was notably struggling with internal disagreements, it remains to be seen whether this second attempt will have a happier ending. In fact, flusha does seem to reference this in his comments given to the organization's website in the announcement, stating that "we all made some mistakes in the past that we have learned from and I believe we have all matured".

Though flusha's return is permanent, GoldeN only joins the side on loan until the end of 2019, with a permanent decision likely to be made later down the line.

The team's trial by fire takes place this afternoon as they partake in ECS Season 8.

Photo credit: HLTV

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CS:GO roster news: GoldeN and flusha return to Fnatic as they try to roll back the years again - Rivalry.com Esports News & Videos

In the early days of summer, shortly after receiving the life-changing news of my acceptance to Yale, I also received an invitation to participate in FOCUS, a pre-orientation program that occurs a week before classes begin. The excitement I felt in those early days the excitement I still feel as a new student walking through campus was very similar to the excitement I felt when I first joined the military. As an immigrant, my military service was the way I chose to claim and to earn, not just my citizenship, but the right to call myself an American.

I decided to participate in the FOCUS pre-orientation program because I wanted to learn about New Haven, Yale and the community these two entities share. When I arrived at the program, the curious and intelligent eyes of my fellow students followed me everywhere. Our discussions ranged from art to urban studies, to the economic relationship between New Haven and Yale, to the impact our actions as students have in the community. After a few days of intense discussions, my group and I met at our site CitySeed, a nonprofit dedicated toward increasing local access to healthy food through farmers markets and early-stage entrepreneur food incubators. During our briefing, the directors shared their newest program, Sanctuary Kitchen a partnership between immigrants and refugee chefs who cook foods from their home countries, sharing their stories in the process.

In that moment, I felt as if I had been struck by lightning. Upon hearing that most refugees working with Sanctuary Kitchen were from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, a singular thought began to race through my mind: I had once been a soldier in Afghanistan, and worked with a few villages near our base. What if my presence alone was a threat to the refugees? What if I was a reminder of the circumstances they had escaped? I became acutely aware of my existence in this space in a way I had never been before. All of a sudden, the metal bracelet I wear around my right wrist as a reminder of the two brothers I lost in combat felt like a billboard, announcing my presence.

In that moment, I removed the mental uniform that marks me as a soldier, reclaiming my identity as an immigrant. As I listened to these refugees stories, I was reminded of the struggles my family faced when we first arrived to this country and the challenges we had to overcome to pursue the American dream. I saw myself in these refugees and understood their journey we had more things in common than either one of us imagined.

Over the course of the following days, the roles I had previously experienced reversed. In Afghanistan, we were in charge, moving through spaces with purpose and mission. We showed Afghans how to soldier their troops, how to carry themselves. In this New Haven kitchen, I became the student. I spent my days learning how to chop vegetables and package hummus,how to prepare a meal with ingredients I had never seen before. The internal struggle I experienced during this reversal emerged from a fear of being seen as unwelcome in this space. This fear was quelled almost instantaneously. These refugees, mostly women, were all too happy to share their lives with us, their old family stories and their future goals.

Life is never neat, and neither was this experience. While in the peaceful trance of chopping vegetables amidst the kitchen chatter, my best friend messaged me that he had been attacked by rocket fire in Afghanistan, an attack that had taken two American casualties in the early morning light. In that instant, I froze, experiencing both ends of the spectrum of feeling. I had to make peace with the fact that my best friend was experiencing one of the most traumatic events of his life while I was experiencing the healing touch of shared a meal with refugees from that very same country. I had to wrestle with accepting that both experiences were real and valid.

This same concept is the truth of our existence that in occupying various spaces, many of us can lack self-awareness. So here is the challenge: if a veteran of the Afghanistan war can share a meal with a refugee and find a moment of peace and healing, so should all of us regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum. I invite you, as the election cycle comes into full swing, to reach out and share a meal with someone who differs from you, helping bring our nation that much closer to standing together again if only here at Yale.

cristian trenco is a sophomore in Ezra Stiles College. Contact him at cristian.trenco@yale.edu.

Link:
TRENCO: A call to FOCUS - Yale Daily News

Pity the poor Canadians, because theyre now afflicted with the generations-long scourge that has plagued Newfoundlanders neither of the two leading political parties deserves to win, but one of them will.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau deserves to lose mainly because of his interference in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, a Quebec company dogged by scandal. (Lets leave it to linguists to determine whether Quebec company dogged by scandal is redundant.)

Devout Liberal supporters claim Trudeaus machinations were no big deal. Apparently, in the Liberals world-view, a leader attempting to pervert the course of justice and undermine the rule of law as opposed to the rule of who-you-know, or the rule of how-much-money-you-have is just dandy, as long as his campaign signs are red.

There are other reasons Trudeau deserves to lose, as did his provincial counterpart and buddy Dwight Ball, who Newfoundlanders bravely and uncharacteristically slapped down to minority-government status.

Trudeau is arrogant, condescending and a spoiled rich brat, but even more repulsive is his chosen campaign slogan: Choose forward.

Yes, Canada, go forward, move forward, to the end of the day, when choosing backward will be off the table.

Perhaps this can be blamed on all Liberals, not just Trudeau. It is the reduction of politics and public discourse to triteness, banality and clich.

That said, lets grudgingly concede, sort of, a single point to the Liberals: their main opponent, the Conservative Party of Canada, continues its years-long effort to return society to the glory days of the 19th century.

Like Newfoundlands Progressive Conservatives, the federal Conservatives endorse rule by the rich, and compliance by everyone else.

The federal Conservatives/Canadian Alliance/Reform Party/Progressive Conservatives have been touting this ideology for 35 years. They go to bed at night dreaming about bringing back child labour and the 16-hour workday.

But, like conservatives the world over, they have pushed their brutal philosophy too far.

The blatant repulsiveness of the Harper-Scheer Conservatives has spawned a Stop Scheer movement, whose proponents claim voters shouldnt cast ballots for a party, but against a party.

They almost admit as much in their moronic campaign slogan: Its time for you to get ahead.

Of course, it is aimed at the Liberals the reds have prevented you from getting ahead! but thoughtful voters will hear that Conservative slogan and wonder, Well, why have you sided all these years with the rich and powerful?

A good reason as any to vote against Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is that he has been an MP since he was 25 years old. Like Stephen Harper, the Conservative leader before him upon whose knee he was raised, Scheer has had his snout inserted deeply into the public trough for most of his adult working life.

And yet both Harper and Scheer, without a shred of self-awareness, are cheerleaders for cruel capitalism and so-called self-reliance, and the evils of government interference in the economy and society in general.

Dont think about this while hiking on the East Coast Trail, because the Scheer hypocrisy will make you dizzy and liable to wander dangerously close to a cliff edge.

The blatant repulsiveness of the Harper-Scheer Conservatives has spawned a Stop Scheer movement, whose proponents claim voters shouldnt cast ballots for a party, but against a party, i.e., you might be revolted by the conniving Trudeau, but youd better vote for him if you dont want Prime Minister Andrew Scheer.

In this, we see the utter corruption of democracy. The Stop X campaign also evident in the U.S., today as in 2016 is proof that the democratic ideal is dead. Parties dont vie to govern for the benefit of the citizenry, they vie to govern for the benefit of their party and its ideology.

Really, it shouldnt matter much who wins the Oct. 21 election. On Oct. 22, Canadians should be able to have confidence that the winner will rule with the best interests of the entire country in mind.

Is this nave? No, it is actually how democracy is supposed to work.

The destruction of democracys ideals began with the rise of the ultra-conservatives: Margaret Thatcher in the U.K. in 1979, Ronald Reagan in the U.S. in 1980 and Brian Mulroney in Canada in 1984. If youre mystified and disgusted by the emergence of Donald Trump and right-wing populism, blame those three, not white-supremacist fascists.

Brian Jones is a desk editor at The Telegram. He can be reached at brian.jones@thetelegram.com.

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BRIAN JONES: Newfoundland disease spreads to mainland - The Telegram

John Kunkel, local businessman, enjoys time working on his farm in Evening Shade with his special helper, Max.

Outgoing, successful, community minded these are all characteristics that describe Sharp County businessman and resident, John Kunkel. He stays involved in the community as an advocate for many organizations in the area.

One thing people might not know about Kunkel is at the age of 24, he attempted suicide when living in Little Rock.

It was built up pressure from years of struggling with being different than the norm, said Kunkel, when asked about how he was feeling before the attempt. However, it was while he was in the ER at UAMS in Little Rock where he met his first therapist. For him, it was a great way to have an open conversation and really understand my root problem was depression. He had never considered therapy as an option before.

I knew that I was struggling but I didnt know what to do or who to talk to. Kunkel was adopted as an infant, and although he was blessed by God putting him in a wonderful home, he still felt alone at times.

It goes back to when I was in school. I wasnt the type that was in town on Friday nights, I was at home on the farm. I had chores. In Sharp County, we always, especially back then, lived sheltered lives. The world is so different than what we experience in our area, there is always someone who needs help. When you travel or have been to third world countries, you see the reasons why people want to live in America. We are blessed.

Mental health is centered around ones brain, and is just like any other organ, therefore mental health is just as important to receive treatment if needed.

Mental health does not discriminate. It touches everyone; socioeconomics, race, ethnicity, it doesnt care, everyone struggles at some point in their life. Some people have greater coping skills and some have people they can talk to. It depends on what the ideology is whether its anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, etc. that really makes it, where do I go for help, who do I talk to?, he said.

Kunkel was asked what he would say to someone contemplating suicide. The first thing I would not say is, think about all the people you are going to leave behind because that is like telling someone your opinion but have never experienced [what that person is going through] and they dont know how they would react. In that moment, you are not thinking about other people, you are thinking about yourself. If someone were to tell me they were contemplating suicide, I would talk to them and help determine what is the issue that is bothering you? Is it that youve been bullied, struggling with identity, mounting debt, health, etc., and then guiding them to a professional. But I would never tell someone to think about all the people they are going to leave behind because that is not the way to talk to someone struggling with suicidal thoughts.

He feels one of the most important things to do if you are struggling is to find someone who is a safe zone. They are not going to judge you, they want to help you. That is when you find that friend whom you know you can trust and talk about anything. If you need them to help navigate through connections or experiences, that is your best option. Kunkel said one thing which should never be done is to desensitize suicide.

He also offered words of encouragement. When you do get out of your depression, and you will, though you may need medication, and that is perfectly fine. At this point you will see the world through a clear lens and realize the importance and significance of ones self. So much is driven by what weve created as a society by wanting instant gratification, we watch peoples lives in social media, but what we see are the great times, you dont see the bad times.

If you are friends with Kunkel on social media, you will notice he likes to share lifes moments. I am an open book. I talk about it. I dont care if people agree or disagree with what I post, or if they believe I share too much. If I can touch someone to where they realize someone else is experiencing life struggles, and then see they are not alone then my goal is complete he added.

The negative stigma which is attached to mental health plays a big factor in those who need mental health treatment. Weve got to stop thinking that if someone asks for help, they are weak or that they arent capable of something. Until you experience what depression is, just like in life, until you experience an event, you cant empathize with someone else. You can sympathize but cant empathize. Being empathetic, you can relate to how that person feels.

It is important to talk to a therapist or a group of people who are suffering the same way you are. The key is getting to the right doctor, the right help, and getting the right medication if needed, said Kunkel.

One thing he has found helpful in recent years is a new technology which tests your genetics and determines which medications would or wouldnt work best for you based on your DNA markup. One of the greatest medical advancements we have today is the technology of swabbing ones mouth and identifying optimal medications, he said about the program available at White River Health System in Batesville.

Another important thing people need to talk about is family history. A lot of times we dont want to talk about the negative things in our families. Being adopted, I didnt know any medical history surrounding my birth family. I found some of my birth family in 1993, and found out three years ago that on my birth mothers side, my oldest sister committed suicide and on my birth fathers side, a brother had committed suicide. Knowing hereditary history helps you be more aware of yourself. Self-awareness and self-care are also keys in treating mental health. Families have got to break down and talk about it. There is nothing wrong with it. It is just making sure you are healthy; physically and mentally.

Death by suicide is growing in youth, a very scary statistic, in fact, according to to statistics provided by WRMC Community Education Coordinator Lindsey Bowers, suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24. More teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined, is another statistic provided by Bowers.

Kunkel encourages parents to be involved in their childrens lives and to watch for changes in attitude or mood. There are so many things that can cause mental health issues whether it is a pet dying, family member dying, , moving to a new school, anything can trigger depression. Identifying triggers is another key when having control on suicidal thoughts/tendencies. Once you get older, at least I have experienced, you are going to know what those triggers are. Right now with my health scare, if I wasnt mentally healthy, I probably would be freaking out. It is the unknown, he said. You have to have a healthy mentality to be able to manage those potholes in life, because we are all going to have them.

One way Kunkel has found to relax and enjoy some him time is his farm, his escape. If you allow your mind too much free time, it allows you to think about worst-case scenarios. Is there a time to think about worse case scenarios? Yes. Because you want to mentally prepare yourself so if something happens you are prepared. But we cant do it every time. If you dont make an A on that test, it is ok. If you have people who do not bring positivity into your life, it is ok to distance yourself. Loving yourself and being comfortable with who you are is important and also one of the hardest things for anyone to do.

One of the things that brings me the most joy is being able to help others and share my experiences that Ive had living away, working in corporate America and working side by side by someone from almost every country, going overseas on buying trips with Walmart. At the end of the day, we are all here with the same mission and we all bleed red. That is the common thread that links everyone on this planet.

After Kunkels suicide attempt, he received a college degree from Harding University, went up the ranks at Walmart to Senior Buyer (responsible for $1.2 billion in retail sales), moved to Scottsdale, Ariz. to be Senior Director for PetSmart Corporate. At this point in his career his dad was battling the final stages of dementia. He moved back to Bentonville and went back to Walmart as a Sr Brand Manager for all of the Apparel Division. Three months after moving back to Arkansas his dad passed. He continued to work for two more years with Walmart before making one of the toughest decisions; he chose family over career I came back to Sharp County and to me, it makes me happy to be able to help others. One of the great things about that is I get to work for a company who puts community first. When you align your values with your employer values, that allows you to do even more.

Another scary statistic is Arkansas is the ninth ranked state for suicides. One thing Kunkel has done through his involvement in the community and urge to help others is organize a group of individuals concerned with mental health issues in the state, and see what can be done to combat those issues. As a part of the group, a meeting with Arkansas First Lady, Susan Hutchison, was established.

When we went down and met with the First Lady, we had diverse people in the room: I had attempted suicide, a person whose husband died by suicide, and someone who works with people who struggle with mental illness, however the common thread was they didnt know what they didnt know and they didnt know what resources are out there. This is why it is so important that we start talking about mental health because it is ok to be depressed at times, but when it consumes you there is help. When you find that resource, you will realize just how good life can be., he said.

He ended the interview with some more words of encouragement. Whenever you get past that feeling of loneliness or helplessness, and you realize how blessed you are, your life will change. For mental health, always remember no one should ever feel inferior, threatened, belittled, or intimidated when asking for help, and if you need medication, by all means take it. Once you get to your happy place, you are going to realize how little someone elses opinion matters.

Social media, though often used for good, can sometimes be hurtful and not on purpose. We always need to remember not to compare our lives to someone elses. What you see on social media is only a depiction of what people want you to see. Just because someone is social, if you dont like it, scroll on, said Kunkel. Identifying the positive instead of negative should be everyones primary focus. Something healthy for me is making fun of myself. If I mess up or do something, I make a joke of it, and I dont mind sharing it.

You have to surround yourself with friends who accept you as you are and dont want you to be something that you are not, he added.

More here:
Local News: Local resident shares perspective on suicide (9/18/19) - Areawide News

In a recent visit to the doctor, I noticed the body mass index chart on the wall with color-coded ranges of healthy and unhealthy weights for any given height. It struck me as a metaphor for organizational health. Our actions in either domain might be intentional or mindless based on our priorities and resources at a given time. In both body weight and company revenues, a metric sought for glory, not health, could drive dangerous behaviors. In both, that motivation can appear as health-focused, so it remains hidden below the surface.

A Pattern Of Behavior, Not A Single Act

While there are various contexts in which our choices are constrained or otherwise influenced, our results in personal physical health and in organizational health are largely a function of the daily behaviors of that bodys leader. Apart from some extreme exceptions, one is typically not labeled a fantastic leader based on a single stellar act. Rather, a great leader tends to exhibit a pattern of mostly effective behaviors over time. Similarly, one is not typically called a toxic leader following a single horrific bad decision, but after a pattern of destructive behaviors over time.

For body weight, any number on the scale represents a series of acts over time of consumption and exercise. There are many combinations of behaviors that will yield a metric that is placed in the healthy zone for both body weight and for good leadership. A single bad choice doesnt plunge someone into the unhealthy zone. Nor does one great choice ensure someone stays in the healthy zone. Many people have slips in judgment and self-control in their diet and exercise routine, just as leaders have slips in decisions and interactions with their team members.

Imperfect Metric

Neither in physical nor organizational health does a single metric give a full picture of wellness. As the Harvard Business Review reported, A company can easily lose sight of its strategy and instead focus strictly on the metrics that are meant to represent it. A metric could have been achieved in unhealthy ways, which is more likely the case with individuals who or cultures that place a significant incentive on a metric or value the appearance of success more than true wellness.

Looking at a companys Glassdoor score, for example, might appear to represent that companys employee confidence and satisfaction. However, if bright-eyed, new employees are encouraged to post in their early days of glee and unfavorable posts are removed or simply never posted, the score hardly represents true health. Similarly, a target weight alone, based on height, doesnt give the full picture of health.

What Used To Work Doesnt Anymore

In leadership and in physical wellness, some people manage to achieve decent results even if they are not particularly intentional in their choices. Over time, though, new conditions and challenges emerge. Actions that previously led to metrics in the healthy zone might no longer work. In leadership, there might be new demands by the board, the market or employees. As bodies age, your metabolism changes, allergies might develop or illnesses could be contracted.

What You Can Do With This New Metaphor To Better Yourself

One of the great gifts of leadership coaching is witnessing the beauty of humanity in breakthroughs. It is easier to offer grace to yourself and compassion for others when you understand no one is perfect, everyone has fears and everyone wants connection. Acknowledge (but dont dwell on) your missteps in the wellness of every facet of your life.

Everyone makes mistakes in personal health and in leadership. It's what you do in the aftermath of a slip-up that determines whether you are destined for a healthy or unhealthy zone. Dont pretend the slips didnt happen, justify to yourself or others why they did, or wallow in shame about your poor choices.

Own what happened and its impact. Apologize to affected parties even if that someone is you. Accept your humanity. You are not perfect, but hopefully, you can learn. Increase self-awareness about the situations or people who tend to trip you into a lesser version of yourself. Get support from a leadership coach, mentor, boss or trusted peer to think through how to own and make amends for damaging behaviors. Work to prepare yourself to better handle future potential situations.

Dont be seduced by vanity metrics. Carefully choose and use a collection of metrics that paint a holistic picture of health for both your body and the goodness of your organization. Being thoughtful, intentional and realistic can help you positively affect change.

See the rest here:
For Glory Or Health? The Importance Of Looking At Your Organization's Well-Being - Forbes

Simone Da Costa is a yoga teacher and mind-body therapist. A mind-body therapist is any trained professional who uses various tools to access both the mind and the body to move towards healing. Such tools that are incorporated with the consent of the individual are: guided meditations, imagery, mindfulness and traditional talk therapy or counselling.

How did you get started in your profession?

I got started in this profession due to an early inclination to do what I could, to reduce the suffering of others. My heart opened to the world and was often broken by the sheer pain of seeing the burdens that some people bear. From a young age, I encountered my own share of inner turmoil and pain so I spent many years pursuing different ways of finding more inner harmony, self awareness and personal growth. The more I learn, the more I want to share what I know with others. My motivation within this field is to help guide individuals towards the steps they can take to reduce their pain, suffering, confusion, anxiety or depression.

What is your philosophy on health?

My philosophy on health is that its best approached in a holistic manner; mind, body and spirit. If we make steps to improve our physical health, we shouldnt neglect our mental health. There is even our emotional well-being to consider and each one impacts the other. Our mental and emotional states are often the more difficult or uncomfortable issues for us to acknowledge and address but they are equally as important for our overall health and well-being.

Could you tell us a bit about mind-body therapy?

Mind-body therapy is my integration of all that Ive learnt over the years in the fields of yoga, mindfulness and psychology. Im currently pursuing my Masters degree in Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy which adds to my mind-body practice. Mindfulness based Psychotherapy is an integrative therapy with an emphasis on self awareness, of course, mindfulness and the relationship between the therapist and the client. This mode of therapy encourages approaching lifes difficulties with compassion; being gentle with your process and embracing acceptance of what is, en route to your solutions.

My favourite aspect of Mindfulness Based Psychotherapy is the level of awareness that the therapist is taught to greet the client with due to extensive, personal practice in mindfulness techniques. The therapist isnt there to greet a client as a broken person in need of fixing, its more about the client undergoing a journey towards healing, growth, happiness and fulfilment and the therapist being there to guide, support and walk alongside him or her on the journey.

How would someone be able to improve their mental and emotional health and where should they start?

A good starting place for improving mental and emotional health is to develop a personal practice of some sort where you can check in with yourself in a very focused, yet gentle way. Its important to sit in silence from time to time and take a break from the noise and busyness of the world.

We are on the go 24/7 and we barely take enough rest and relaxation time. Anxiety and depression are becoming ever more prevalent and many people suffer from burnout and from being overwhelmed.

What gives you the most fulfilment from this profession?

The most fulfilment I get from this profession is when I get feedback from my students or clients. When they report back to me saying that they feel more peaceful, clear, calm or have found some resolution or even just their next step forward due to the work weve done, it truly fills my heart. If Im doing work that helps someone in any small way, Im fulfilled knowing that I could help them to make that difference in their lives.

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Mind-Body Therapy - Trinidad Guardian

New London It is a privilege for me hardly a birthright to watch high school football games from the sidelines. A true flavor for the game. I do not take the privilege lightly. My rule: If I couldn't hear it or see it from the press box, I do not report what I hear or see on the sidelines. This is the personal space of the players and coaches. I am a guest.

But there are times when my rule bends a bit, because something relevant must be shared.

To wit: Some of the finest coaching I've seen in almost 30 years here now happened Saturday on the New London sideline.

And it had nothing to do with Xs and Os.

It is clear that coach Johnny Burns and his staff are aware of their biggest challenge: teaching their players the coping skills necessary to conquer adversity. It is difficult. At times, seemingly impossible. But their efforts were inspiring.

Straight up: The single biggest scourge I see in high school athletics today is kids without coping skills. When bad things happen, they either point fingers it was somebody else's fault or simply quit. And it comes with alarming levels of anger, thus preventing kids from absorbing the greatest lesson sports teach: resilience.

I see it in kids at every school. I'll leave the reasons to the nearest sociologist. All I know is that engagement after enragement is one of the most difficult tasks assigned to an educator.

What I saw Saturday: All members of Burns' staff choosing to stay positive with their players. Asking for the kids to stay positive as well. Begging. Demanding. The words "positive energy" became a mantra.

There were many mistakes made during the 32-6 loss to New Canaan. The kids pointed fingers. Grew angry. And yet there was every coach faithfully advising that mistakes happen. They can be corrected. It's OK. Stay positive. I believe in you. We believe in you.

This is not always easy. Coaches get mad, too. And this is where sports have changed the most. No longer can coaches go the way of Vesuvius in the wake of adversity. Their anger only makes them feel better. It does not change the situation. It does not help the kids. It just makes for more angry people with less space to teach.

This is the part of coaching that can't be seen or heard from the bleachers. There was, presumably, ample second-guessing of Burns and his staff during Saturday's game. Call this play. Call that play. Use this kid here. Use that kid there. The standard stuff.

Except that coaching the Whalers and many other kids at many other schools requires a particular energy that transcends Xs and Os. This is about engaging kids where they are. And kids today cannot handle failure with any hint of self-awareness. Part of it is because they're kids, who need to be taught. It's what we need to be teaching at home.

We are failing.

Rather than allowing adversity to be the teacher, we jump to our kids' defenses and enable them. It's not your fault, honey. It's somebody else's. And then when mistakes happen, the residual effects are scary. Maybe it's parental guilt: knowing you're not truly there enough for them that creates the enabling mechanism.

But this is why sports are more important than ever in our schools. They offer impromptu college level courses on coping skills. Sports are often about frustration management. Many kids are ill-equipped at the beginning. But with good coaching that means varying bouts of patience and tolerance kids can learn that overcoming adversity becomes the greatest life skill of all.

New Canaan coach Lou Marinelli did a nice thing after Saturday's game, addressing the New London kids and saluting them for their effort. I hope the Whalers listened. I hope they listened to their own coaches as well.

This has a chance to be a good football season in the 06320. There's some talent here. If the kids hang in there and begin to process the message of their coaches, they'll win plenty. But more than that, they will invoke a learning process that will serve them for the rest of their lives.

It was a good day in Whalerville, despite the loss. The coaches truly understand their primary mission. I wish them much patience and much luck.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro

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NL football coaches teaching 'coping skills 101' - News from southeastern Connecticut - theday.com

Pappys father was a living ghost, and his mother died when I was a young child. But from time to time, once a year or less frequently, the phone would ring, and his voice would grow folksier, maybe even slower, and he would chat with some relation for an hour, sometimes more. I tried to picture the faces of these phantom men and women who incredibly, to me knew who my father was, knew from what world he had come, but imagine as I would, I had no idea what lives they might lead. Oh, thats so-and-so from Detroit, my mother might say, as if that could clarify matters for me. When Pappy hung up, whatever link had been temporarily forged with the past immediately receded from our home, and it was obvious the subject was closed. Sometimes, when I asked him how he learned to fight so well, he would get a gentle, wistful look in the eye and say that his uncles in Longview had shown him how one of the few memories of home Im aware of that could provoke a wholly uncomplicated smile.

I should have better understood how fundamental boxing must have been to my fathers sense of himself as a man in the world, as fundamental as books. After all, the evidence, like those books, was all around me. In that basement, we had a treadmill, stationary bikes and resistance machines, in addition to medicine balls, benches and weights. There was a professional-grade heavy bag and a speed bag in the garage, as well as full sets of headgear and scarlet-red Everlast gloves. Only looking back on it now do I realize that my father must have anticipated that he would train us. There would be intermittent lessons throughout my childhood and adolescence, moments of instruction snatched in the hallway or kitchen in which he patiently demonstrated to me where to place my feet, how to hunch my shoulders chin down, protect the neck and how to parry a blow. Pappy was unhittable, at least for me, whip-fast with the hands, torso and head well into his 60s. It was beautiful to witness what he could do. Is there anything more wonderful than watching your father soar? Perhaps, I imagine now, it is equaled only in the pleasure of imparting really transmitting something of yourself to your child.

One evening thrusts beyond the fog of childhood memory like a rocky peak glimpsed from an airplane window. Pappy takes the scrawny little boy who must have been me down into the basement, puts the gloves on the boys fists and then gloves his own hands. It is a hard space, with hard tiled floors cracking to expose the concrete underneath the most undomesticated part of the house by far. The air is cool and damp on the hottest day of the year. It is an uncomfortable space, with nowhere to sit. You have to stand. You have to work out or remove a book from one of the shelves and read. When you descend into this space, you have to improve yourself in some demonstrable way.

You ready? he asks, his Texan accent suddenly ever so slightly more perceptible, or is this a trick of memory now?

Yes, the boy of my memory replies, and then his father punches him, with but a tiny fraction of his genuine strength but not in any way like a child of 8 or 9, either. He throws straight jabs, repeatedly, on the chin, which astonish the boy, who has never been hit like that before. Has never been hit at all.

You need to know how to take a shot, how to feel it on your face, Pappy explains lovingly but firmly, not jokingly, to the boy, whose mind has begun to race. That way, once youre used to it, it cant ever take you by surprise. Stunned but determined to own the respect of his indomitable father, the boy nods his assent, wishing he were anywhere else. He withstands several more blows to the jaw and chin, the imprecision of the bulky gloves allowing one to graze the nose, flooding his eyes with salty tears.

The plane of remembrance shoots ahead and the mountain peak recedes; all thats left are the clouds. I have no recollection of how that session ended, whether on a good or bad or neutral note. I know that Pappy never tried to teach me that strange lesson again, and I didnt ask him to. As it turned out, I never did muster the discipline to learn how to box. That is not to say I didnt learn, through trial and error, how to endure a fight. Rather, its that everything I knew later to do with my hands, I managed from that day on my own, freestyle exactly the kind of life-learning my father despises for being unreliable and inexact. But even as a very small child, I understood that Pappy was only showing me the sincerest kind of care. I understood that, for whatever the reason, my father could not relate, not fully, to anyone who hadnt experienced a certain amount of discomfort in life. And yet, I have always suspected that Pappy didnt like that lesson with the gloves any more than I did. Though he thought of it as an indispensable part of a masculinity that girds itself for so many inevitable threats, I dont believe he really wanted me to ever have to rely on my hands.

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My Familys Life Inside and Outside Americas Racial Categories - The New York Times

Professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) in the biomedical sciences industry can grow their digital and leadership skills through an initiative launched yesterday.

The Biomedical Sciences Training Community has been set up by NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and the Chemical Industries Employees' Union (CIEU) with the aim of building a community of learners.

One key programme under the initiative is Project Zodiac, a leadership training workshop to help middle and senior managers develop self-awareness and adaptive skills such as effective communication, problem solving and resilience.

It comprises a two-day retreat and three half-day workshops, as well as a 60-day period for them to implement what they have learnt through a project at work.

About 100 mid-management employees from 14 companies have taken part since it started in March, and another 100 will likely attend by the year end.

The Biopharmaceutical Manufacturers' Advisory Council (BMAC), a group of government agencies and 16 companies, started the programme as a pilot two years ago with leadership training company Forest Wolf and now wants to expand it to the rest of the industry.

BMAC co-chair Lim Hock Heng, who is vice-president and site director at GSK's Pharmaceuticals Supply Chain Singapore, said many foreign biomedical firms here are still young and are currently led by people from their home countries.

But over time, as these companies develop more confidence in the local teams, more locals may be appointed to lead the firms.

"There are many bright and young locals with deep technical skills, but as we prepare them for leadership roles, they need to know how to make good decisions, navigate complex environments, take risks and motivate people," he said.

"This requires a conscious investment in soft skills," he added.

Singapore's biomedical sciences industry employs over 22,000 people and includes eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical and biologics companies in the world, said NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng at an industry event yesterday.

Technology adoption by companies is high and more advanced than in most other industries, so workers need to adapt, he said.

"Having the strategy to match Worker 4.0 with Industry 4.0 is key to meeting the demand for skilled manpower in both technical and management positions," he added.

Besides improving leadership skills, workers can also attend bite-sized courses on Industry 4.0 run by Nanyang Technological University and Republic Polytechnic.

They can also learn about digitalisation and industry topics such as microbiology laboratory safety and stem cell technologies, through NTUC's mobile learning app ULeap.

So far, close to 1,500 PMETs have gone through these programmes, and e2i and CIEU aim to train another 1,500 by next year.

GSK senior chemical engineer Charles Wong, 36, attended the Project Zodiac course in March and April and was one of the top graduates. He said he used what he learnt on a yield improvement project he was leading.

He led his team of about 20 people to reduce the scope and cost of the project by 95 per cent, while still achieving the same yield outcome.

He also convinced senior managers to endorse the new plan by tailoring his presentation to their different communication styles.

The team was able to complete the project while he was on paternity leave in June.

"I felt very proud as a person and also for my team," said Mr Wong.

More here:
Building leadership, digital skills in biomedical sciences sector - The Straits Times