‘To be well is to feel free and heal. To live well is to find the source of our energy. To work well is to create ideas that improve the lives of others.’ ~ Nikki Wilsworth

I wrote this article for Asset Magazine in March 2022.

As we elevate well-being as strategic concern in both our personal and professional lives, the case for well-being has never been more apparent, nor (more) critical. We have an opportunity to change the system, ask better questions and intentionally find the reasons as to why it is we do, what we do, and how we can do it better, now and in the future. On purpose.

In order to work well we need to be and live well.

It is a holistic and inextricably connected experience that as a society of people, business owners, users, consumers, makers and doers, we can collectively and collaboratively improve the lives of others, reduce the very necessary impact on the environment and build a more sustainable and ethical future.

Ultimately sustaining our personal energy is the means to an end as is delivering a sense of purpose across a wide range of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) priorities.

We have an opportunity, and an obligation, to engage on the urgent needs of our society and planet and take action. We need to be well in order to do this – personally to contribute to the collective and economy and as businesses to be a force for good.

As we re-evaluate our lives to conserve our energy and focus on where best to place our interests and change, it is the new nature of how we live and work that we know the importance in finding the equilibrium.

The bottom line is strategy.

 

The Great Resignation or preferably: The Great Realignment is making this rather real for most people.

But what does that mean for you and what does that mean for business?

 

We know we are only as good as the sum of our parts and we operate in ecosystems: depending on each other, reliable resources, collaboratively, creatively and coherently.

How well we communicate, find resolve and play our part in leveraging our energy will ultimately have better and more optimal and sustainable results. We only have to look at nature to find a metaphor in just about any natural ecosystem. 

 

Positioning business knowing and understanding key trends and behaviour as tools to strategise within global and local context and designing better experiences and processes.

Knowing your purpose is key to success and offers a competitive advantage to future fit your business or organisation in this new world order.

 

 

In this time of transition and transformation there is opportunity to change the direction, the conversation or existing narrative and write a new story of what being well, doing well and feeling well means – personally and professionally.

 

Taking action and responsibility in personal wellbeing strategy that aligns to purposeful business strategy, making the shifts in our ecosystems and levelling up on our energy that unpins it all will mean doing well, feeling better and improving efficiency and accountability across the board.

 

It is important to get the design right in how we think, build, create and imagine our futures collaboratively, from both our personal experience, that impacts our working lives, and therefore that of others, but also as business of the future. Taking action in preserving nature and the environment to which we fundamentally depend on to survive and heal.

 

A study done by the British Academy – The Future of the Corporation, is a review of the role of business in society. “It combines research from a range of academic disciplines with insight from senior business and policy leaders. In 2018, it highlighted trust in business and its impact on people and the environment along with globalisation and technological disruption as drivers of a shifting view of business. The research suggested a need to develop a new, more human framework for the corporation around well-defined and aligned purposes, complemented by ethical cultures and commitments to trustworthiness.”

Knowing why we do what we do gives people more meaning and direction. The future of the corporation lies in doing business well.

 

To lead ourselves and our businesses of the future is to make a case for well-being and fundamentally asses where we are at by asking the right questions. Getting a reality check on where we are is a good place to start.

Learning to listen more is key to understanding ourselves, the people around us, teams, clients and needs. To ask ourselves and our businesses what are we seeing, what are we hearing, what are we ignoring is a simply way to check in, as is observing behaviour.

 

Educating ourselves with compassion and resilience and developing better skills to cope, is a must to be relevant.

Creating environments that help people rather than hinder people is going to be the game changer in how we resonate. Feeling safe matters.

Aligning strategically with the support of teams and good leadership is imperative and responsible.

 

The bottom line is the health statistics go hand in hand with the climate crisis. They are are simply alarming and focus on driving change, more than just raising awareness will be the differentiator for all of us.

 

There is also no quick fix and a one size fits all solution. There is leadership in navigating this, as is developing the tools to facilitate and guide the process depending on what is needed and required within your circle of influence.

It’s a responsibility to be well, do business well as the collective society supports this.

 

To give some statistical perspective that is rather sobering if you calculate the very numbers related to your immediate circle:

 

·      1 in 3 people worldwide suffer from multiple chronic diseases and employers are feeling the effects.

·      85% of employees are not engaged in their job.

·      1 in 4 adults worldwide have reported depression or anxiety during the pandemic.

·      1 in 2 people in the UK will have cancer in their lifetime.

·      1 in 7 women and 1 in 6 men in South Africa has cancer.

·      Cancer is the leading cause of death globally with 1 in 6 people.

 

Think about this in context to all the people and business you engage on a daily basis from the grocery store to the kid’s schools to travelling on holiday. To grasp the magnitude of the need to succeed at getting well-being right and on track is a strategic concern.

 

We have seen incredible growth in the last 2 years with South Africans taking ownership of their health and exercise, as well as, spending more time in nature and the outdoors since WFH. Hiking and walking have increased exponentially according Brand Mapp’s recent study.

 

Tapping into the healing power of nature is calling, as is the consideration to alternative therapies for coping. Including these interventions as part of business strategy, endorses studies that improve bottom line results.

Reconnection with people in work and social environments will be about alignment with others first.

Finding safety and trust to deal with burn out, fatigue and isolation will encourage healing, education and development leading towards the optimal experience of being, living and working well.

People who are supported and guided in simple lifestyle changes will be a return on value and an investment for any company.   

 

The more you see, the more you know and the more ideas you have to ultimately find the solutions you need to live and work; to learn and grow; to do better; to feel good about yourself and explore more of what you are passionate about, leads to a meaningful life.

Wellbeing and education is key.

Streamlining information and sources will offer a good sense of direction. 

Being well to do this, is the bottom line.

 

While the nature of business has certainly changed, the fundamentals remain the same and the solutions are often simple. Designing a new eco-system is essential to success in both work and happiness and the opportunities for your business and self are in the change. It is about prioritising nature and wellness as a source of inspiration to drive innovation and cultural change. 

 

Wishing you well.

#thewaytoworkiswell

** Study by Virgin Group

*** Statistics released by NHS, WHO and CANSA

Link to the article.