Did You Know We Have A Podcast?

The latest episode of "Edgy Ideas" is out now!

If you enjoy reading this newsletter, I’d like to encourage you to listen to my podcast, Edgy Ideas. During each episode I welcome a different guest - thought leaders in the world of leadership, psychology, activism, technology and more - to discuss what it means to live a ‘good life’ and build the ‘good society’ in our disruptive age.

Together, we discuss our human dynamics in today's networked society. Addressing topical themes, we explore how social change, technology and environmental issues impact on how we live, and who we are - personally and collectively.

The Edgy Ideas podcast aims to re-insert the human spirit, good faith, ethics and beauty back into the picture, offering new perspectives and psycho-social insights.

Sounds good, right?

I think my readers (that’s you!) would be particularly interested in the most recent episode Well-Being at Work with Sir Cary Cooper.

In this episode, Professor Cary Cooper shares his extensive experience of working to create healthier and happier workplaces. Cary shares his belief that in times of rapid social change, organizational workplaces are more important than ever as sites that can provide healthy environments that support our well-being.

Cary identifies key turning points that informed his work; firstly in the 1970s  stress was for the first time identified as a big challenge, and the response was to support the individual to cope with their stress better, e.g. stress management and responses such as today's mindfulness.

In the 2008 financial crash and the subsequent 'job restructuring' when organizations stripped their workforce to the minimum, Cary observed a change in workplace responses when a manager said to him that the number one challenge he had was staff retention. This began a shift whereby organizations weren't so concerned with managing individual stress but realized they had to provide workplaces that offered healthy environments where employees could flourish, in order to ensure their well-being, get the best performance from them and to retain them.

Cary identifies the line manager as perhaps the key ingredient for a healthy and productive workplace. Most line managers are chosen for their technical ability, and yet their role is vital in terms of people management skills. Reflecting on the UK's focus on growth, he points to the lack of a policy that focuses on this key area of people management; improving this he believes would be vital to increase growth.

Cary reflects on his personal journey and shares that his life from an Eastern European Jewish working-class background story continues to impact on him,  citing the constant need to 'prove himself' as the driver of his success.

This is a wonderful podcast with one of the great figures of our generation, who has contributed to organizational health and well-being. 

You can check out this and past episodes here.

Enjoy the listen!
Simon