Barefoot in the heart: Father Christmas

Day 24 (Saturday 24th December 2016)

24 successive match wins is international rugby's longest winning streak
(achieved by Cyprus between 2008 and 2014, when their run was ended by Andorra in Paphos) -
something for the England team to aspire to. England won their 14th consecutive rugby union
international when they beat Australia 37-21 at Twickenham on 3rd December 2016,
and ensured that they finished 2016 unbeaten.

It is Christmas Eve. I hope you have managed to get all that you wished to achieve done by now - I have a busy day ahead and may have to cram all my Christmas preparations into the late afternoon. Mind you, it is only my fault that I have left things so late. However, regardless of my own short comings, I can always find time to read a piece by today's contributor - he has become part of the Advent Blogs' tradition - Neil Usher. Neil is widely recognised as a creative and inspirational wordsmith. His offering this year is one of his barefoot pieces; given the day, the subject, a traditional festive character, is apt. Due to the need for it to be read as a complete piece there is no pictoral punctuation. Neil invariably delivers a thought-provoking and beautifully crafted Advent Blog and this year does not disappoint.

In addition to being an exceptional writer, Neil is known for his position at the forefront of thinking about work and the workplace, he writes an excellent blog on the subject - workessence. Neil is employed as the Workplace Director for Sky and has deep roots in property and facilities management. Neil understands that the environment in which people are based has a profound impact on how they feel and hence perform. You can follow Neil on Twitter (his handle is @workessence).

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Barefoot in the heart: Father Christmas

December only means one thing your obsession with possession the gift of receiving it never stopped you wanting scoping believing in hopeful fragility I'm everywhere at the same time via the impossibility of fractal transgression that eludes the military and even time I'm the least feared man with a beard in history no need for a third runway I'm living pantomime always behind you weaving fantasy through a childhood where everyone has been good irrespective no filters no sortation just one commonly-held nation without vanity older than creation but unstamped by time I bring fighters from their trenches for a fleeting moment of humanity amid the collective insanity I'm reconciliation the living manifestation of forgiveness even Trump gets to ask for a PlayStation beyond the miracle of the shimmy of my sleekly sleddish vehicle by the snowbound still of the awakening dawn I'm back in the peace of my lair with just the symbolic yet shambolic reindeer terrified of the pale pink skies content to just be iconic it's me that eats all your carrots and mice pies though I wish you'd leave a rare steak and chunky fries got to maintain this orbital girth it’s the USP that makes you love me long after you stop believing I have any part of reality but there’s always a distant bell that rings the faintest possibility of the frailty of your adult logicality for beyond the jolly innocence I’m destiny but in my frostbitten heart I am barefoot you perpetrate this state of clinical obesity I'm ridiculed stripped of my masculinity the ultimate self-parody no succession plan in the recurrence of eternity tortured by a lack of elf engagement and frantically maintaining the illusion of home delivery my seminal utterance a shallow trio of santa guffaws the spirit as ephemeral as a flambé as armies return to the trenches the homeless to park benches I keep thinking this year it will endure but it's repacked and returned nothing ever learned and while I promise myself with exhausted regularity I'm done from a love stubborn whole and pure every year I've returned

In For a Penny, In For a Pound

Day 5 (Saturday 5th December 2015)

5 ingredients are required for a traditional Punch:
spirits, water, sugar, lemon juice, and spice
The word Punch comes from the Hindi word for 5

Today's piece has been contributed by Alice Frame a Learning and Business Development Consultant at TMS Development. It is a brave post that has dark coal dust and the slight gleam of a comet's tail as she shows us all the way to be open, honest and self-aware. Prior to moving into Learning and Development, Alice was a senior manager within the clinical trials arena, running teams in Europe and Asia. She commenced working in the area as a technician whilst studying part-time for her Masters in English. Alice is interested in positive psychology and nurturing happiness in the workplace. You can follow her in Twitter at @AliceLsAndDs.

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Would You Hire Someone With Depression?

Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.

— Albert Camus

I found this blog post incredibly hard to write and that was partly due to being unsure as to whether or not I should write it at all. I’ve been debating writing a blog about depression and the workplace for a while now but when I’ve shared these thoughts with friends, some have felt it could be a potentially career limiting move – hence the title.

Full disclosure: I returned to work recently after 6 weeks off with depression. One of my biggest concerns about coming back to work was what excuse I was going to give my colleagues for being off work sick. Ultimately I was debating as to whether or not I should pretend I’m not depressed. In the end I decided to come clean and in the spirit of “in for a penny, in for a pound” I also decided to write this blog.

So, would you hire someone with depression? Would you be put off or concerned? It is true that we’re now better informed about mental illness in the workplace than ever before but for many people, they still choose to keep it hidden and instead explain their absences with fictional physical maladies. I also can’t help but think that some industries and professions are much more supportive of mental illness than others; has your experience been the same?

Lenny Henry has said this about how his depression has affected his life: “[t]hat’s where depression hits you most – your home life. It doesn’t affect your work.” Until about 7 weeks ago I would have agreed with Lenny, as it was seemingly easy enough to play a part 9am to 5pm everyday, but it wears, those 8 hours at work make 5pm feel like 2am and there’s nothing to do but go to bed. How depression affects your relationships and home life is for a different blog.

I’ve been suffering from depression for about a year or so now, induced by chronic pain from a back injury from playing netball (I’ve had 3 prolapsed discs for around 4 years now), and so I’ve never had the dilemma of asking myself – should I disclose my mental illness to a prospective employer, or not? What do you all think? Would you disclose it in an interview or application form? As Sarah Lancashire has said, “It’s a cruel illness, because you can’t see it and you can hide it so well.”

I’ve always been proud of never having had long-term sick leave despite my chronic pain but I can’t say that anymore, 6 weeks is a long time. Would I judge myself so harshly if I had been off for 6 weeks with broken legs? Probably not.

In hindsight, had I been more proactive in verbalising my situation to my boss and my colleagues, and explaining how difficult I was starting to find summoning the “energy to merely be normal” I could’ve perhaps prevented some of what followed over the next couple of months. I think when you’re ambitious, motivated and high performing, it is really hard to talk to people about your limitations.

Despite this period of darkness, now that I’m back at work I’m still determined to be high performing, to deliver a quality service to my clients and to try and contribute positively to the workplace. I’m not saying I’m fine now, but for those of you out there, reading this blog and worrying about dealing with your depression and maintaining your career, I do wholeheartedly believe that we can achieve our goals and be successful.You’re not alone; according to the charity Mind, 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. Take comfort in the knowledge that some of the greatest minds and stars have suffered as we do and yet achieved greatness (this is also where I got the inspiration for the somewhat tongue-in-cheek Hemingway quote) – to name but a few: Stephen Fry, Buzz Aldrin, Abraham Lincoln, and many more. Take heart, keep going.

I found this comment by JK Rowling in an interview with USA Today back in 2008 to be particularly comforting:

"I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never. What’s to be ashamed of? I went through a really rough time and I am quite proud that I got out of that."

I hope that in the future, learning that a potential candidate suffers from depression would not put you off hiring them.

As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and your experiences.

All Will Be Revealed

Having enjoyed the test of writing to others’ themes earlier this month, I requested three fresh words and couldn’t help but smile when a relatively new contact, Tony Jackson, a member of the HR community, who writes an excellent blog, promptly gave me “Revelation”.  At the start of January the ever inspiring and occasionally provocative Simon Heath had presented me with “Antediluvian”.  I pondered whether I should write a piece that follows on from my former blog, stretching my thoughts from the times before the Great Flood (as defined in the Book of Genesis in The Bible) to the Apocalypse, as per the end of the New Testament in the Book of Revelation.  I was tempted to eulogise about angels and demons (perhaps a topic for another post) or to dive down an intellectual rabbit hole - there is a scholastic tome, Revelation, Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John by Steven J. Friesen, which considers the impact that living in a time where imperial leaders, specifically Caesar Augustus, were worshiped as gods must have had on the Book of Revelation, with Nero perhaps being the inspiration for the Beast of the Sea.  It could have been interesting to consider eschatology and draw a comparison between typical, patriarchal organisations (with command and control and little contemplation of the emergence of a new order or an end to the regime) and more collaborative institutions, exploring the impact of the development of social media that is inspiring rebellious talk, encouraging greater creativity and the sharing of thoughts.



Durer: The Revelation of St John,
the Sea Monster and the Beast with the Lambs Horn 1497

But then two other words arrived: “Congruence” from the estimable Ian Pettigrew.  Ian is a coach and expert on leadership and resilience, he is also one of the nicest of men I know, with the ability to see the spark in others and to make them shine; and “Holistic” from the multi-talented Jon Bartlett, whom I am honoured to call friend.  Jon is also a leading coach with an interest in resilience.  He is an excellent photographer, a keen cyclist and he cares deeply about people and their ability to escape limiting beliefs and achieve their potential.  Like his proffered word, Jon considers and works with the intimate interconnections within a person’s life, those that make them the whole being they are, and which influence their thoughts and behaviour.  There is a connection between these words.  Revelations are often a form of confession that enable you to appreciate the bigger picture and to understand the way in which things fit together.  The author Jeanette Winterson makes the following comment in her autobiography, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

“Most kids grow up leaving something out for Santa at Christmas time when he comes down the chimney.  I used to make presents for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”



Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Victor Vasnetsov 1887

 This statement tells you much about her home life as a child, reading between the lines it must have been one of religious zealotry, with a focus on the imminent destruction of the world and the salvation of the righteous, it clearly had a profound impact on her.  As a mother, I am mindful of the impression I am making on my own children (and I have spent much time considering how my experiences of being parented have moulded me into who I am and how I treat others).  Parenting is tough and demanding and there should be no finger of blame – everyone gets it wrong at some stage; there is no universal approach that suits all.  However, I do believe that adults have to be responsible and try to lead by example.  People at any age need to feel cherished and children are wonderful sponges, eager to absorb information, to copy and to learn.
 

It is the congruence of experience and understanding that leads to learning (this approach is espoused in the theories of the humanist psychologist Carl Rogers who believed that “individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering self-concepts, basic attitudes and self-directed behaviour”).  It concerns me that we make so little time for our children to help them develop and fulfil their potential.  The western work culture, which usually demands long hours from the workforce and is one where many employees do not take all of their allocated holiday, often deprives both children and their parents of valuable time together.  People usually learn best from other people, but this requires meaningful time with those who care and who can be genuinely supportive.  Every day I meet adults damaged by bruising experiences and lasting misconceptions forged during their upbringing.



Vintage postcard

Of equal concern is the way in which our society is preparing our children for the future.  We have a strong focus on academic achievements.  However, the education system we have in place has not changed since the last century and nor have the “core” subjects.  The UK has slipped down the global educational standards league tables since 2006 (from 24^th to 28^th for Maths, 17^th to 23^rd for Reading and 14^th to 21^st for Science), although the position has remained static for the past couple of years.  Education continues to be a matter for concern as we contemplate our ability to compete in the global arena. There is a proposal now to extend UK state funded schooling to 45 hour weeks, with shorter holiday periods (cut from 13 weeks to 7), and for a 9 hour school day filled with a broader range of learning than the current focus on academic and vocational exams.  This is intended to boost education standards, reduce youth crime and antisocial behaviour and reduce childcare costs.  But what are the costs of the change? 

• Will we really be equipping our next generations with the skills that they will need? 
• Are employers working with the educational establishments to make it clear what proficiencies and attributes will help students thrive once they enter the workplace? 

• Have we given much thought to what the world will be like and hence the talents they will need? 

I think there is much we can do to enhance the manner in which we prepare the next generations for their turn to care-take our planet.  Traditionally we have focused on academic and vocational subjects, but “soft” and "creative" skills have their place – as the use of technology increases we need to ensure people are effective at communicating and comprehending others’ points of view.  Increasingly the world of work involves collaboration and for that you need to understand other parties’ needs and opinions.  I believe we should encourage children to think and find out more for themselves, rather than learning prescribed answers and dates by rote – information can now be sourced with ease, it is those who can apply knowledge in a productive way who will be most useful to society.  We must become less censorious and encourage children, liberating and encouraging them into wishing to seek knowledge.  For them to succeed, we must become more tolerant of failure, with mistakes come learning and potentially positive outcomes (James Dyson failed over 5,000 times before be created his innovative vacuum cleaner).  Nelson Mandela said:

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children.”

Our society’s soul is exposed in our approach towards families, employment practices, educational establishments and the workplace.

Much can be uncovered when you make the effort to observe and to try to understand.  True revelation requires you to hear the music and not just read the notes transcribed on a page.  This is where having a holistic mind-set comes in - things are often not quite as they seem or there is more to a situation than meets the eye. I love the work by Ecuadorian graphic designer Javier Perez, who turns daily objects into clever minimalistic illustrations.  The success of his work depends on the convergence of unconnected, different objects to create a unified image (not dissimilar to the congruence of ideal self and actual self to form an effective whole):

by Javier Perez

It is important to look at the complete picture, rather than being distracted by a detail that is only a small constituent part.  If asked, few can say where they have seen this image before (many wonder if it is from an eighteenth century wall paper design):

 But almost everyone in the UK is familiar with one of these:

The hummingbird is seldom remembered.  In order to be successful (and not just at work), we need to pay attention to the details that when combined make up the whole.  By being aware of a complete scene or scenario and how it fits together you are better placed to make the right assumptions and decisions.  The photograph below was taken in China (given that today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, I will take this opportunity to wish you "Kung Hei Fat Choi" - may the Year of The Horse provide you with a wonderful ride).  The snapshot looks like an unremarkable photo of a tractor and loader, until you notice that there are tanks in the background.  However, the most remarkable aspect of this picture has probably escaped you...


NY Times, taken by Reuters correspondent Terril Jones

This is in fact the only photo that shows the famous man from the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989, he stood alone, confronting the tanks; you can see him to the left of the frame, calmly carrying what looks like shopping bags, as he walks towards the tanks (everyone else is running or riding away):
 

The importance of this picture was not appreciated until 2009, which is when it was published.  The man's identity is still unknown, but many people around the world are familiar with and acknowledge the importance of this picture:

The brave actions of one man have made a lasting impact on the world.  I doubt whether, at the time that he strode towards the tanks, he had any idea of the influence he would exert.  If these photographs had not been taken the event would have passed unnoticed.  Yet his courageous but small act has impacted the way that we all think.  When similar incidents occur (such as news footage of people standing defiant in Egypt or Nepal) our brains are triggered to recognise and respond in a familiar manner.  This can be a dangerous trait - it is all too easy to take the reflex path of thought and not explore the rationale for why things are happening.  This leads to congruence bias where, because you are convinced that your reasoning is correct, you fail to test your hypothesis.  As mentioned above, our world is changing fast and what was fit for purpose or the old regime may not be what we need now.

As is often said at New Year - "out with the old, in with the new". 

We must move with the times - think about the skills and capabilities both we (and our children who will be responsible after us) will need.  It is crucial that we don't let congruence bias prevent us from actually comprehending the world ahead.  We must strive to think holistically to gain a better insight.  If we work together, an auspicious future can be revealed (as opposed to suffering an Apocalypse now).