Links

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    Linked: These 7 productivity “rules” are harmful, anti-scientific myths

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    But notice what is missing from all of this advice? Any actual science. Or, for that matter, any interviews with the thousands of people who actually do the same thing, and aren’t nearly as successful. Sure, maybe Jeff Bezos gets up every day at 5 AM, goes for a run, then schedules some deep-think time, all before he even checks email. Do you really think it you or I did that, that would make us as successful as Jeff Bezos? I guarantee you, his sleep schedule and morning routine is similar to hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people around the world, who do not have lives that we would want to emulate. But we don’t read those stories, because no one cares.

    On the other hand, in order for a lot of these productivity hacks to have ant scientific fact behind them, we would have to look at those people and see how maybe it’s not the morning routine that makes Bezos worth a gazillion dollars, it was something else entirely.

    But then, those articles are much harder to write and would involve a lot more work, and even admit that you can’t hack your way to a billion dollars in success. We wouldn’t want to do anything like that, would we?

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    Linked: Should employers provide mental health training for management?

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    The one that gives me pause is the last bullet, but not because leaders shouldn’t have that knowledge, but more because human nature tells me that is the one most likely to be misused and create really uncomfortable situations. There’s a very fine line between being aware of signs of someone struggling and diagnosis. I absolutely do not want anyone in the workplace diagnosing people. Watch out for signs of stress and ways you can support the folks who work for you proactively? Sure. Decide for yourself that they have depression, or should be referred to an Employee Assistance Program? Not so much.

    But, here’s the thing I will fully admit when saying this. Avoiding this type of behavior is absolutely something that solid mental health training should be a part of. I’ve heard far too many instances lately where organizations are reading a lot about mental health, and burnout, in the workplace and then dispatch their managers to have conversations with their teams about it, and zero training.

    Those conversations are dangerous. You have to enable your leaders to go into those conversations with some education and expertise on the subject Just telling them to go and have the conversations without getting them up to speed on how to do so, creates a situation that is likely to end up with some very alienated employees.

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    Linked: Intentional connection in the digital office

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 3 minutes

    The only thing preventing most offices from being fully remote is simply a lack of know-how, or an unwillingness to commit to that change and design the workplace around it. Once you do that, what you’ll find is that rather than hoping for some magic collaboration, you decide who to invite to the table, and ask for their input, on purpose. Intentionally.

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    Linked: The shortage of tech workers is about to become an even bigger problem for everyone

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

    The shift in tech skills is one of the contributing factors, but it’s not that technology has been changing, because that ALWAYS happens. It’s the insistence that employers can find people with a skill that didn’t even exist 2-3 years ago instead of actually developing the people they already have, or hiring people who can continue to adjust and learn these skills.

    How many jobs are going unfilled because you’re looking for someone with expertise in a technology that has only been around for the last 1-2 years? How do you expect there to be a bunch of experts on this technology? How do you expect recent graduates to be familiar with the technology that their college curriculum hasn’t even caught up to yet?

    It’s not possible. So you might want to start adjusting your hiring, recruitment, and staff development processes, because that’s how you shrink the talent gap, by creating the talent yourself.

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    Linked: Forget ‘networking’ — just connect with people you find interesting

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Justin also has some good advice for how to “be a good hang” online and make friends. I know more than a few people who could use that advice to be a little less awkward online. (i.e. Compliment people’s work, not their appearance, um yes!)

    Check it out at the link below, but if I was going to give my own take on that idea, is that for my own social media I usually try and consider what I have to offer the people who choose to follow me. I have this blog, obviously. I can share some other, useful, information, and even a laugh or two mixed in.

    For me, most of what I do online goes back to my background in training. I learn something, and I want to share that with others. So I do.

    And I try not to be “cringey”. 😉

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    Linked: Companies hope new benefits will solve your mental health issues. Don’t fall for it.

    ByMike McBride Reading Time: 1 minute

    It’s cool if your company wants to provide an assistance program or pay for access to an app that will help with meditation, etc. Good for them. But, if the source of your mental health issues is the day-to-day stress of working in an understaffed, toxic, environment, for far less money than you’re worth, and they won’t address that? How much do they really care?

    Fixing that is going to require a lot more, as the article below points out. How many organizations are willing to make those kinds of changes?