Guiding lights, hidden gems and sparkling insights

into the world of work

Thanks for spending time with me today. As promised, here are some reference points, ideas and deeper dives on the themes covered in the talk. If something is missing or you hit an unexpected paywall, let us know.

We hope the resources below help you find safer passage through the seas of today’s working world. For additional insight on why many leaders and teams feel so rudderless and anchorless (and, possibly, why they are talking in whispers and handing out copies of Mutiny on the Bounty at lunch), just sign up for my newsletter or join us for our weekly vlog.

And finally, if you can think of someone else who might benefit from some clarity, rails and direction on these and similar themes, feel free to pass on my details or recommend me as a speaker.

I’d love to help if the diary allows (I have to justify this wardrobe somehow).

LAY OF THE LAND

  • The State of the Workplace 2024 Report: Gallup tells you how many people in an average team are fully engaged, quietly seething, or wildly sticking forks in the printer. Cut by country.

  • Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, 31,000 people in 31 countries. Pretty much anything you’re wondering about is here including lots on overwhelm.

  • Slack also has some good stats but weaves them in a salesy way (tech tools will solve all etc.).

BRAIN OVERFLOW

  • My favourite book on stress is Rob Cross and Karen Dillon’s Microstress, the link is to an HBR piece.  Or see Rob on my vlog here. 

  • Burnout vs Boreout.  On our vlog but also a short article here in Forbes.  

  • For the switch-cost effect and impact of diet, lifestyle, sleep etc. on concentration, read this Guardian extract of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention by Johann Hari. The rest of the book is very accessible, my kids even enjoyed listening in the car. Actually, only one of them did but we take those odds in our house!

WHAT WEATHER DO YOU BRING?

  • Bosses are the weather.  We all look up with far more focus and attention than we look down (we are wired for survival). Here is an HBR article about how power and politics works in organisations.

  • A lot of what we’ve assumed about feedback is wrong, this long-read HBR piece explains how most negative feedback is more about us than them.

  • This one explores the value of appreciation in terms of engagement.

  • Zeynep Ton’s book ‘The case for good jobs’ is a must read for all those in the retail and service industries. You can watch her speaking here at the MIT Sloan Global Women’s conference.

“NO!”

  • My book of 2024 was Energy Rising by neuroscientist Dr Julia DiGangi.  She sees every problem as a choice between two kinds of pain (this includes any negative feeling, irritation, stress, frustration, boredom etc.).

    • Familiar pain: keep doing what you always do, in this case agreeing to a task you don’t have time or energy for.

    • Or a more powerful pain: changing the dynamic by doing something that your brain sees as risky, but which is more rewarding and will increase your emotional power and energy.

    • This doesn’t mean black-and-white thinking or saying ‘no’ to everything. She encourages us to ‘feel our shake’, as when we lift heavier weights, and practice breaking familiar patterns.

  • On this theme, there are TONNES of books on creating better habits. If you only read one (and you haven’t already) make it Atomic Habits (the link is to his website).  If you read two, 4000 weeks is eye-opening, this link is to a Guardian article about it.

  • If you want my summary in a three-minute vlog, it’s here.

GENDER AND WORK

  • You’d expect my book to be top of the list, right?! Or the Sunday Times cover story gives a good summary (if you have problems accessing it, we can send it to you).

  • I love the work of Eve Rodsky, she analyses who tends to take which domestic roles in heterosexual relationships. This is especially relevant for those who still have small children.

WHAT ARE YOU HEARING?

  • I follow Nancy Klein and use a very informal version of her thinking partnerships (real version has a few more rules!).  You can find out more about her ideas in this review or buy her book for deeper insight.

  • On a team level, I like the work of Felix Koch and Phil Burgess who have introduced the idea of thinking triads to improve empathy, mental health and connection at work.

JOY JOLTS

Three things I am into at the moment. 

  1. Motherkind by Zoe Blakey is the perfect buy for anyone who just had a baby.

  2. Rory Stewart’s Politics on the Edge is a painful peer into the reality of political process in the UK.

  3. Rivals. Disney+. No more to say.