Companies that provide support in the area of child and elder care are ahead of the curve and perhaps the competition. There’s new evidence such company-sponsored work life benefits have an impact on employee health and well being which might lead to higher productivity and lower health care costs. The obvious story here is that when employees have one less burden to distract their attention, they’ll likely be more engaged at work and more productive. This is a very basic principle of cause and effect, but is it enough to ignite interest towards change?

A study done by Bright Horizons Family Solutions (which offers such employer services) in conjunction with Dr. Jamie Ladge of Northeastern University, found that employees who work for companies that offer child and elder care support reported less stress and health issues. The study reviewed data from 4000 working parents to compare health, wellness and stress outcomes.

The study “revealed that there is a clear link between employer-sponsored dependent care supports and decreased stress and stress-related illnesses as well as decreased incidences of physical health issues such as headaches and digestive problems and more serious health issues like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.”

This study sheds light on the benefits of employee wellness not just from a physical standpoint, but from a birds eye mental view as well.

Workers with employer-sponsored dependent care benefits were less stressed and:

• Were 31%  less likely to report lost productivity
• Reported 25%  fewer personal health concerns

Paying attention to the well being of an employee is not just about perks, it’s about a holistic approach to their needs. Family issues are playing more and more of a role at the intersection of the work life merge. And some companies are starting to wake up to that. But the issue of bottom-line marketplace needs plays a role here.

Until corporations can see the results of such benefits on the spreadsheets, are the results of such studies less the harbinger of things to come, and perhaps more of a pipe dream. What are your thoughts?

My friend Reta’s husband, Tommy, has a brain tumor.  They choose to have faith in miracles, as hospice has now stepped in. Their love story is one for the books. But now, in what may be their final journey together, they choose to share about their life and a few common threads.  They lived full lives of love – with a lot of work hours in between.

Reta and Tommy spent most of their adult lives working in management. 75-110 hours a week for the better part of three decades. Friends were made, but so much time was spent doing business, hammering away on the computer,  and navigating corrections in the markets. Still time was also found for serving others and family. One wonders though. Could time have been spent a little differently? Could their striving for work life balance have played a more significant role? Reta tells me in retrospect, yes.

It’s all food for thought to share with others they hope. Here are some excerpts from a letter Reta wrote to Tommy’s children that she asked me to share. She humbly asks for good thoughts and hopes that in sharing this, it will inspire others to focus more on love and life, rather than those extreme work weeks. It’s simple: it’s ok to work to live, just don’t live to work. It’s a deep conversation for this Father’s Day.

Following is a video from the song Rent, Seasons of Love. Today, take a break and let this all sink in. Take the time to breathe and watch. How do you measure a year? How do you measure a lifetime? Are we conditioned as a society to live to work?

A letter from Reta to Tommy’s children:

Hello Children…

Just a note  to let you all know that Tommy is not eating too well. Just some fruit and I am now juicing for him daily a few times. He appreciates the juice, food is not possible to get down.  He hates taking pills, but now he needs them for the pain. He still has a sense of humor and that is great. The upside is he is doing what he can, and he is in decent mood overall.  He just has love in his heart for the Hospice folks, but prefers to just be alone with me most of the time.

On Love and Cuddling

We speak of love each day several times. I assure him I am not upset with him, as sometimes he thinks that I am. I tell him “no absolutely, not upset with you… just “life” some days,”  but never have I been upset with Tommy.

Our best moments are in bed snuggling and sharing our thoughts… he loves to cuddle up and touch… we both are snuggly bears.  Through the years when we went to bed, we always had the best conversations in bed. Sometimes we did not want to go to sleep as we had so very much we wanted to share with each other.

On Being a Good Person

He does communicate with me still, fairly well, overall. Your father is an amazing human.  He is the best person I have ever known. After being in the business world for nearly 30 years and working 75-110 hours per week and being around so many men through work – I have known lots of people. Tommy/your Dad is a tremendously powerful and kind and loving man.

On Perfection

I have never known anyone with such a pure heart.  It does not matter that no person is perfect… it matters how they live each day,  what they say about others, when they cannot be heard.  Your father never spoke poorly of others, not even when they spoke less then kindly about him.  He turned the other way.  He only had love for people. For life. for animals and nature.

May you each walk in beauty this day, and trust that Tommy’s/your Dad’s  path is good and strong. May you remember all the good and send him love from your mind’s and from your hearts that he feel it now while he battles to get through this.  Send him love, send him courage. Send him the peace that surpasses all.   Love, Reta

I went to college with Sarah McLachlan’s haunting voice. Her music and lyrics hit me on a soul level. I had always seen her life as perfect; her work life as one I aspired to emulate. Fame, creativity, the fabulous husband, children, career; all seemed to support the white-picket-fence fairy tale of being a successful modern career woman. Being a singer as a youngster, she was one of my idols. Now she has the nerve to share that she’s not perfect, nor was her work life scenario. Thank god. (sigh of relief)

McLachlan cut to the chase in an interview with Marsha Lederman of The Globe and Mail in her article, I’m Not the Girl I Was. The Grammy award-winner is releasing her new album on Tuesday, Laws of Illusion. Her first original album in seven years. And it’s one that turns her public persona on its ear and delves into some of the hardest times of her life, “the breakdown of her marriage, the desperate attempts to save it, the pain of moving on, and the glory of that too.”

McLachlan also spoke of the pain of change and growth. Her healing and transformation did not just impact her daily life, but also her career. Her definition of success has been altered. No surprise.

When we are brought to our knees in work and life, there’s this something special inside of us that emerges. It calls for us to go to a deeper level of consciousness and start questioning. Why am I hear? What’s my purpose? Is my reality truly aligned with my career. Here’s an excerpt with Sarah McLachlan from the article:

“I thought I was this person, and part of that is the artifice of the fantasy that we build up to hold up the perceived reality,” she explains, having clearly given it a lot of thought. “It’s all kind of a big illusion: the white picket fence and the perfect marriage and the kids. Check that box off, check that box off, and move forward. And then it all falls apart underneath you, and you’re left to pick up the pieces and sort out, ‘Well, who am I then?’ Because I thought that’s what I was and who I was, and I’m not all that. Or that’s not my life any more and how do I move forward from there?”

“I like the idea that we build up these walls or rules or laws to maintain our reality, and when they fall away, you’re left with a whole bunch of illusions,” says McLachlan. “Smoke and mirrors.”

With so many of us redefining our work lives post-recession and adapting to a 24/7  global marketplace, we’re challenged to navigate the stimulus that comes our way and cultivate resilience. But maybe the real challenge is to be real, authentic and walk and talk our truth. To do that beyond the smoke and mirrors of who we thought we were, and into the dynamic path of who we really are at our core.

Are you redefining success? If so, what are your keys to success? What is more important now that was not in the past? What illusions have you been living with? Please share your thoughts.

Heading off the plane last week at La Guardia Airport after a restful few days in Florida, my mind had already begun creating the rundown for the next day. I had meditated on the plane and that’s when I’m at my best. Those moments of shutting down and just allowing the creative juices to flow.

Even at close to midnight, I was ready for action. And then I ran into a billboard for a new book, The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working: The Four Forgotten needs that Energize Great Performance. The next day I went out and bought the book. Rare.

The title speaks for itself. I was taken with it because you don’t need a sledge hammer to drive home that message. Our WorkLife Nation is undergoing great transition as is the rest of the planet around the working and living experience.

In The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working by best-selling author Tony Schwartz, he simply and articulately hits upon fundamental core values: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. But it’s how he expands those categories with research and solution oriented ideas that suggest there is some hope in the quest for work life balance.

Using the “S” Word

Schwartz even goes out on the limb of using the “s” word; “spirituality” in the context of boosting employees’ energy and engagement in the workplace. And he also writes about the benefits of the breath.  But he just skims the top of the huge topic of meditation and deeper spiritual values without going into a dogmatic or woo woo place. Ultimately, his ideas are not airy fairy. He’s really talking about grounded concepts like appreciating your employees, allowing for some downtime, working with purpose and passion and fostering an overall shift in the workplace culture.

In an earlier post this week I wrote about a new book on the elements of a Meaningful Workplace.  Obviously there’s a trend here. Many of us are fed up with the status quo and we’re just plain tired.

The Energy Project

The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working is the brainchild of Schwartz and his team of experts in organizational development. The theory is that human beings are not programmed to continually work at the speed of light, but that we rather pulse between intense focus and rest. This makes perfect sense. When we don’t refuel, we shut down and burn out.

While no one has come up with the perfect formula to make that fluctuation between those states of consciousness seamless, this book is a nice way to start. This team has been working on their formula for quite a few years in some of the most prominent and progressive workplaces, like Google, Ford and Sony Pictures among others. The concepts are easy to digest, seem like no-brainers and makes one wonder why more corporate leaders aren’t making more of an effort to value and engage employees when the benefits are so clearly written on the wall.

The Breath & Meditation

Schwartz writes about the benefits of using the breath to recharge. I’m in agreement with that idea, and the need for core values and purpose to be embraced in the workspace, but let’s take it a step further.

For the last decade I’ve been instructing business executives in breathwork and meditation techniques. The breath is a great way to calm the mind, body and soul. Seventy percent of our waste is eliminated through the lungs. It’s hard to argue against the benefits of breathwork to detox the body, but we forget it can also be used to detox the mind. And when we do that, all kinds of benefits emerge.

Once the body is on that path of detox and relaxation it allows for the calming of the mind, and as Swartz writes in his chapter Cultivating the Whole Brain, better use of the entire right and left brain. The left brain mastering the more cognitive and intellectual response and the right brain governing the creative response.

The Benefits of Calming the Monkey Mind

In stillness, with fewer stimuli battling against it, it’s easier to focus the mind. Better conditions are set to allow more creative thoughts to emerge. That calm fuels overall energy inside and out. The meditative qualities of that state-of- being recharges the inner core of who we are as human beings physically and spiritually, and sets fertile ground for better choices.

A refueled grounded state can also reignite what might have become stale passion. When we stop our busy chaotic 24/7 sensory overloaded lives, even for a moment of the breath,  it allows us to remember who we are, why we’re here, and stretches us to ask,” How can I be apart of something bigger than myself.”

What are your thought on meditation in general? Have you ever meditated at work? Do you think that corporate America is ready to hear more about this or is it an exercise for entrepreneurs? Please share your thoughts!

Our work life experience as human beings on this planet seems like a race against time. How much information can we handle before our brains implode? Notwithstanding my dramatic flair, you have to admit we’re on a collision course with the consequences of “distraction” which likely has long term implications as you’ll read in the New York Times this week.

Hooked on Gagets

The New York Times featured an article by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Matt Richtel entitled, Hooked on Gagets, and Paying a Mental Price in which he covers the mental, psychological, and physical implications of “technology overload.” It’s a great read and dives into some of the effects of your “brain on a computer.”

Scientific research and potential solutions are included in the article and sidebar stories. For example, don’t check your e-mail every two seconds, don’t text and drive, limit your news sources etc. But in order to find the solution that’s right for you, in my opinion, you have to determine where you fall short in what I refer to as the “UPED U Cycle” which I have been teaching about in my lecture series “Practical Chaos” for the last decade.

The “UPED U Cycle”

Cycles have points within them that if altered in a minor way can change the outcome of an experience. Think of Chaos Theory. Just a small aberration in the initial conditions, can drastically change the long term behavior of a system. If closely examined, here’s how our work life daily existence can get tangled in a never-ending chaotic twist of continuous sensory overload. I call it the UPED Cycle which is based on our 24/7 climate of ease and access to communications and the addiction to respond:

Unlimited Incoming: A barrage of information is coming our way. The internet, tv, radio, blackberry, i-phone, newspaper (not so much anymore) family life, children, work, community etc.

Perceived Availability: Because we’re all wired to our families, work and communities and because everyone else knows you’re wired, people think you’re always available.

Expectation of Instant Gratification: That perceived availability leads to other people’s needs to be attended to. To be heard, answered and payed full attention to their needs in the moment.

Desire to Deliver and Excel: Our nature is to not fall short. To nurture and want to please in what is a competitive working environment. To make our boss or clients happy, we desire to deliver and excel to keep up with the Jones’.

Unlimited Interruptions: So, in order to please everyone at the same time, we are often taken out of the moment, are lead astray from the initial task and surrender to multi-tasking.

And so the UPED Cycle begins again. The trick is to monitor your incoming, and make concrete choices somewhere in this cycle to stump the system. Where do you think is the best place to stop the cycle? Please share your solutions along the chaotic journey to an UPED U. Get it.. UPED U!

After two years in the military, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky left to pursue a career as a writer. His writing was known for capturing the torment and happiness of the human soul and he also had strong opinions regarding work.

“Deprived of meaningful work, men and women lose their reason for existence; they go stark, raving mad.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky

We certainly work a lot and while most of us have not gone off the deep end, we’re certainly struggling as a society to better balance our work life and strive for more meaning at work.  How many of us truly embrace work as vocation? It’s a question rarely asked. And if employees and corporate chiefs started thinking of ways to provide a canvas for more meaningful workplaces – would it impact productivity?

Reframing How and Where We Work

Professor and Organizational Development expert Neal Chalofsky PhD addresses those questions in his new book, Meaningful Workplaces: Reframing How and Where We Work (Jossey-Bass 2010). His book is based on years of research which explore how some Human Resource driven programs impacted workplace culture, by focusing on a humanistic approach to organizational effectiveness. That means nurturing employees and recognizing their work life needs.

He offers a retrospective on how we’ve traditionally worked; the extreme overworked culture which has been acceptable up until now. But even with high unemployment, the traditional view is changing at the speed of light with Gen Y debating the attributes of working 9-5, Boomers rethinking their life skills and potentially switching careers, and many of us wondering, “why can’t I have a more fulfilling work life?”

But this book is not just another, “bring your whole self to work” book on exalting the human spirit in the workplace. It’s based on case studies and Chalofsky’s own experiences working for the government and in academia. And Chalofsky doesn’t dwell in the land of the white collar worker, he visits the hourly wage earners in car plants, working mothers trying to strike a work life balance, employees at insurance firms and the call center workers in the airline industry, among others.

It’s not just about perks

“First of all it’s not just about the perks, it’s about the overall culture, ” says Chalofsky in his book. He goes on to explain that there are benefits in shifting to a more humanized work life culture, because the company culture essentially values the employee, a departure from the “almighty dollar” approach he describes:

“Our culture has put human development in the service of economic development. Learning, skill development and the mastery of talent are more about increasing one’s ability to be more productive or make money than about developing one’s human potential. ”

Chalofsky argues that when the employee is embraced in a humane workplace, a climate is created which not only supports the growth of employee, but also creates a community in which the workers want to take on the commitment of loyalty to the company. He contends it makes for more engaged employees who share common values with the mission of the company, thus creating a pool of more productive employees.

Managing the tensions of work life balance issues

Chalofsky spends a good chunk of time on employees work life concerns. He cites a number of studies over the last decade which still demonstrate that work life balance employee assistance programs continue to be a hot potato which some companies embrace, but others give lip service as they see it as a money drainer. He examines flexible work arrangements, Results Only Work Environments and Mass Career Customization. He is neither advocate or opposition, he looks at both sides of the coin.

The Benefits of a Meaningful Workplace

Chalofsky says there is a need for more meaningful workplaces, and offers stats based on research done by the Society for Human Resource Management to present his argument. Among them, increased global competitiveness, demographic changes which might lead to a shortage of high-skilled workers, the aging of the workforce, and boomers making greater demand for work life balance. All of these factors are already impacting the workplace. Clearly, there needs to be more attention and awareness of the changing workforce.

The author is extraordinarily thorough in his research. I know this as I’ve been covering work life culture for much of the last decade. And the elements of a meaningful workplace are well thought out. While academic in nature, Chalofsky’ book is an easy read with some great anecdotes.  My only disappointment with this book is the prohibitive price. I hope that the $45 dollar cover price doesn’t dissuade potential buyers because the material is very much a blueprint for a new way of making work – work in a company setting.

The Elements of a Meaningful Workplace

In closing, derived from Chalofsky’s studies, here are the prevalent themes in a meaningful workplace.

1. Living a values-based culture
2. Caring about employees
3. Caring about the organizational mission
4. Work, play and community involvement

Chalofsky’s Elements of a Meaningful Workplace:

1. Values-Based Organizational Cultures, including Leadership and Work Life Issues
2. Social responsibility and Diversity
3. Employee Engagement and Commitment, and the Workplace as a Community

Which of these themes resonates with you? Are some topics too far off the interest of the corporate spreadsheets to be recognized as bottom-line concerns? How would you define a meaningful workplace? Would a more meaningful workplace impact productivity? Please share your thoughts.

The flowers aren’t the only ones blooming this spring. As we recover from the economic tumult, and high unemployment, many continue to rethink their career and redefine success – for themselves. People are popping with innovative ideas, allowing their personal brand to shine through and restructuring how and when they work.

Career transition often requires employing new tools, skills and/or a switch in perception. What’s emerging, is critical thought around the way we work. My Google reader is exploding with new stories, worklife books and lots of debate around balance in the blogesphere.

In the wave of change, some are switching careers, starting their own business, opting for higher education or acquiring new skills. The goals of these worklife pioneers: to better align their work with their values and passion, while still making a living and not burning out in what I call our WorkLife Nation which has seen a dramatic shift year over year.

“2009 was the year of the ‘career chaos economy,’ 2010 is the year of ‘career evolution economy’ infusing success, serenity and significance into our work life merge, locally and globally.”

I wrote about this back in December 2009 in this post: Redefining Business, Career and Personal Success in a Chaotic World. We’re collectively striving for better work life integration en mass like never before. It’s become a “WorkLife Movement” or “Revolution” of sorts.

Thriving in Our New Economy Takes Skill

Thriving in this new economy, requires adjustment, from the inside out. The evolution of our work life merge will manifest differently for everyone. It might mean doing work differently by embracing a more flexible or stress-free lifestyle in order to spend more time with family and children. For others it might involve switching to more fulfilling careers and embracing a business style which is more conscious of human capital.

New territory calls for a new train of thought. Whether you have decided to become an entrepreneur or start a new career, here are three skills which can keep you grounded while joining the goldrush toward a better worklife fit.

Communicating your Unique Message:
Articulating your business message with clarity and passion. This includes personal branding, by identifying the unique factor that embodies your essence. The “special something” that elevates your brand and uniquely makes you and your work distinguishable from others in your niche. The communication of your personal story or narrative is not surface material, it comes from a contemplative place.

Cultivating Resilience:
Navigating info overload, being productive and reducing stress. Employee Assistance Programs can only go so far in helping you get a handle on work related stress. You have to identify the stress factors, measure the impact of those stressors on your individual work life scenario, and then create your own program to tackle the issues with tools, programs and help from others. This might be as simple as taking on an exercise program, or getting help from a coach or wellness counselor.

Championing a Cause:
Embracing a cause that is bigger than yourself, which fuels internal change, creates community, and clarifies intention. With so many of us working overtime and doing more with less, this seems an elusive goal. But sustainable relationships inside and outside of work are often based on common purpose. When a thread of meaning runs through an organization or a group of like-minded people, it creates bonds and shared goals. When you champion a a cause that is aligned with your values, that intention feeds the joy within your individual work.

I flew into Chicago yesterday on a crack of dawn flight from New York. With only 3 hours of sleep, as I had anchored the 10 pm show @News12 Long Island, I landed at O’Hare exhausted – but with more enthusiasm than I’ve had in years. And after reading Alexandra Levit’s Water Cooler Wisdom blog, it’s clear why I’m a bundle of joy and energy.

#SOBCON 2010

I’m in Chi-Town to participate in the #SOBCON social media intensive, “a think tank where the virtual meets concrete” and I see it as the harbinger of things to come, breathing new life into my work life experience. It’s an effort toward expanding my skills as a blogger and journalist while keeping my foot in the world of news. In her blog post, Alexandra shares thoughts on the consequences and benefits of how we spend our intellectual energy:

“Did you know that people get physically tired because of emotional factors such as boredom, frustration, and anxiety? True intellectual stimulation, on the other hand, doesn’t exhaust us at all. …I could write nonstop for 8 hours and then run a 5K immediately afterwards, yet after spending a few hours at my corporate job I could barely drag myself to the train station….

In today’s business world, compelling work is sometimes in short supply… If your work is getting you down, look for ways to expand your skills and responsibilities and communicate actively with your managers about how and where you can lend your expertise.”

Free Agents in the same boat

This same guidance goes for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and independent contractors. While such  “free agents” are often doing what they prefer in their careers, the mundane chores of “doing business” generally set in. What does it take to go to the next level in business, your career, or job? Alexandra makes some great points in her post which include volunteering, taking a personal development or leadership course, contributing a new process to your company toward more efficiency and finally – changing your attitude toward your job. Approaching your job with the enthusiasm of your first day at a new job.

Igniting joy and injecting serenity into your working experience

The last one got me going. Not just because of shining a fresh new set of eyes on ones career, but because of the “joy” factor. Is there a sense of joy in your work that you have overlooked? Are there certain responsibilities at your job or in your career that you take for granted? You might be skilled at something that gives you a sense of purpose and passion at work that to others, is not enthralling. Do you like to write, create graphics, or enjoy working with customers. Perhaps there are colleagues that make the daily grind a little better. Maybe it’s your commute or the freedom to have more work life flexibility. How can we look at our work through a different lens, and inject some “serenity” into our work life merge? Sometimes we walk past happiness without noticing it. One of my favorite poems from Rumi comes to mind:

The Guest House:

This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. ~ Rumi ~

In a our new competitive 24/7 economy, are you overlooking the good in the shadow of the mundane or chaos? Please share!

Judy being contemplative for the camera

Information overload has blurred the lines in the work life merge. Unless we “insist” on creating the blended formula that works for us as individuals, we risk being consumed by the chaos of simple daily living. That means avoiding the “attention crash” by taking personal responsibility for our own Work Life Serenity .

This concept of “insisting” was needling at me after reading a post by Chrysula Winegar (@chrysula) at her blog, Work.Life.Balance.

Chrysula was commenting on a post over at Career Connection which was written by guest Meghan Biro on the entrepreneurial path to work life balance in which Meghan wrote:

“Work-life balance comes to us when we seek it, when we insist on it. You don’t need to be an entrepreneur to find it – you just have to be really sure about what matters most to you.”

Chrysula went on to explore further, writing:

“When was the last time you insisted on something that mattered to you, that enhanced your quality of life and your capacity to live with impact?”

Serenity appears to be the compete antithesis to thriving in a competitive, new economy where the early “tweet” catches the bird. But I’d argue it’s the contemplative downtime which often sparks critical thinking, creativity, and from which can emerge a silence that is yours as an individual. Silence, serenity and/or bliss are not woo woo places to be. They are challenging journeys to an unknown destination. That’s why they are so undervalued, and why the silence is feared. We don’t know what we’ll get in return when ROI – Return on Investment trumps everything.

When one “insists” on stopping, even for five minutes a day, it’s thumbing your nose to the rest of the world and its dictates of 24/7 being the “god” of commerce. 24/7 might be the dogma of the new economy, but you are the master of your time. We can following the 24/7 guru while heading to the guru within. The paths are not mutually exclusive. But one has to employ great discipline to get quiet.

When one “insists” on creating a formula for their personal work life serenity, that’s the signal to the world and the inner voice that says, “throw at me what you will, I’m ready to consume it, and use it as fuel to thrive in my business and go to a deeper place as a human being.”

Today begins a new life here at WorkLife Nation. Hope you’ll join me for the journey.

Who am I? The great question harkens back to the exploration of self- inquiry suggested by the great eastern sage and mystic, Ramana Maharshi. But it’s also the perennial question in a changing business culture. We are identified by our actions, our words, our brand, our mission statements. In the context of our work, in a time of transparency which calls for us to wear our integrity on our sleeve, we are called to align our business message with our values. Articulating that message is sometimes a challenge, but embodying our own brand of authenticity should be an easier task.

“Just be it,” conjures debate when talking about authenticity. Authenticity is not something we can buy in a bottle, it’s something that emerges from our soul through individual experiences in the way we live and do business. The wisdom that manifests allows us to identify with certain value systems, opinions and beliefs. While our authentic nature as human beings springs forth in that process, it can be trumped by the dictates of society, our need to conform, the desire to fit in and in business – the challenge of competition.

But what if our authenticity was looked upon as the competitive advantage? No pressure, but to be authentic in the way we do business as human beings with integrity. CV Harquail PhD is an organizational psychologist who blogs at AuthenticOrganizations.com. She’s featured in this weeks web video. Here are her top three top tips for being an authentic business person in a nutshell:

1. Be the change you want to see in the world.
2. Enact the values you want to see in your organization.
3. Affirm and cherish other people’s efforts to do the same.

I especially like the last one. My mother always told me that as we elevate others, we elevate our selves. Enjoy her wisdom!