Work Less, Produce More

The number one performance enhancer in the world is sleep. Whether you measure error rate, reaction time, mood, decision making, emotional intelligence - we simply aren't performing up to our capabilities if we don't sleep. And yet, we cannot think ourselves to sleep, believe me I have tried. In this week's podcast we speak to Dr. Jonathan Charest, the director of Athlete Sleep Services at the University of Calgary, on how to improve our performance with sleep.

When we talk about working less and producing more, this conversation changes when the success metrics change, for example when you work in sales. In this episode we talk to Lyndsay Dowd, CEO of Heart Beat for Hire and veteran sales executive, on how we can both push for key sales metrics, and create sustainable work.

We are seeing discussions about the 4 day work week happen across the world for large corporations but what about for entrepreneurs? While entrepreneurs often have the most autonomy about their work it often translates to working all the time, everywhere. In this week's episode we speak with Jason Duncan about how to manage time and energy to work less, produce more as an entrepreneur.

What does communication have to do with working less, and producing more? Well, everything. Our ability to communicate effectively can make or break our ability to do our job, and nobody understands that better than this week's guest, Richard Newman - CEO of BodyTalk - a company that teaches the science of communicating.

If I book in breaks during my day, I end up doing errands or something I HAVE to do. Today's guest talks about adding back recess - a time in your day, even if only for a few minutes that you play or do something you enjoy. Something often lost after grade school.

Every time I have a question about the workplace, I will run it by today's guest, Dr. Benjamin Granger and it seems he is already doing some research on exactly the topic I am interested in. This time I ask about the 4 day work week, is it the answer? Are there other ways to think about flexible work? And most importantly, what would he do with the extra day off.

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Greg Wells who is personally and professionally obsessed with health and performance, particularly under extreme conditions. As a scientist and physiologist, he has dedicated his career to making the science of human limits understandable and actionable.

So what does he think are the skills that we need to work less and produce more?

p.s. It isn’t laundry.

The way we are working is not working. Work from anywhere, at any time has turned into work from everywhere, all the time. How can we leverage the science on how to be more productive, creative and get more done in less time, but also how do we strategically and effectively take time off? This episode is an introduction to this season where we take a deep dive into these questions.

Mental health at work is a current topic of interest, especially since the beginning of the pandemic. While we have seen a slide in mental wellbeing across populations, there are some clear gender differences that have become apparent. In this episode we speak to Jake Stika, the executive director of Next Gen Men, a non profit focused on health and wellbeing of men in our communities and gender equity in the workplace, on some of the key differences for men's mental health and what we can do to better support them at work.

The act of gratitude has received a lot more attention lately, as we all navigate periods of stress and uncertainty. Gratitude may seem like a simple tool but the depth of gratitude can have on your psychological well-being, the person you are expressing gratitude to and the people who observe expressions of gratitude. Gratitude has extensive positive consequences in the workplace as leaders and team members. This tool is free, has benefits to you and those around you but also can be one of the most challenging things to remember to do when you are in survival mode. This week's episode, we dive into all of this with the founder of Gratitude at Work, Steve Foran.

Happiness. We will all take a little more of it, especially after the ups and downs of the last couple of years. Beyond the personal impact on mood and wellbeing, the data clearly indicates happy employees are high performers. In this episode, we speak with happiness researcher, Dr. Gillian Mandich, about what we can practice to improve not only our own happiness but the happiness of those around us.

We know mental health is important, and we care about our team but how can you be proactive to protect and enhance mental wellbeing as a leader? What influence do you have? Probably more than you think. In this episode, I, Dr. Lisa Belanger take you through tips and techniques you can start to implement immediately at NO COST to help yourself and your team boost mental wellbeing, engagement, productivity in our hybrid, remote or in office workplace.

Done well, science communication can help us to make informed decisions as individuals, businesses and policy makers. However, effective science communication is a rare skill set of interpreting complex research and communicating it to the audience in an understandable way for what they want and need to know. In this episode I speak with Jay Ingram, science communicator to children and across research disciplines and everyone in between.

Neurodiversity refers to variation in the human brain regarding sociability, learning, attention, mood and other mental functions. This can include people with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia to name a few. Covering a remarkable part of the population, in this episode we speak with Dr. Ty McKinney on how we can reimagine our hiring processes and how we support individuals at work to leverage the unique skills and talent of our diverse teams.

Resilience is a word that has been thrown around a lot during the past couple years, and with good reason. We have been surviving a global pandemic and our ability to be agile, deal with change, uncertainty, and stress have been challenged. What can we as individuals, teams and organizations do to increase our capacity to be resilient? In this episode we speak with world-renowned resilience expert, Dr. Robyne Hanley Dafoe on how we can build resilience and better tolerate stress every single day.

Conflict is simply a reality of humans working together, a necessity to innovate and tension that can help embrace the power of diverse minds and yet, we are rarely taught how to manage conflict. In this episode, I speak to Amy Gallo, an expert on workplace conflict on how to lean into, manage and have productive, meaningful conflict.

We all know physical activity is good for us, but the benefits specific to mental health and work performance are not always top of mind. As hybrid and work from home become the norm and physical activity and mental health deteriorate - should companies incentivize or pay for behaviours, such as physical activity to not only take care of their employees but also help boost their bottom line? In this episode we speak with Dr. Marc Mitchell about creative approaches to increase physical activity and all of its brain boosting benefits.

While we aim to make strategic decisions, this can be challenging if we are advancing into the unknown. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Paul Schoemaker, a world expert on strategy, decision science and leadership, about scenario planning and strategizing in periods of uncertainty.

We are working at a faster, more rigorous pace than ever before. That relentless push is not how humans were designed to perform. We, as humans, need adequate breaks and recovery. In this episode we speak with performance expert Dr. Greg Well, exploring the question how do we design our days to perform at our best? Learn how to slow down, to speed up.

As we reimagine work with some of, or all of our workforce remaining online - how has our approach to leadership changed? How do we connect with, engage, motivate and hire in a remote world? In this episode, we speak with Shelly Spiegel, who has been managing her fully remote team for over 20 years for her insight on how remote work world is different and how we can lead more effectively.

Nature has an undeniable benefit to both our mental health and our performance. How can we make the most of the benefits provided by nature? How can companies leverage this effect? With such potential of nature, we speak with Cortney Cameron, earth scientist and nature therapy practitioner about the business of connecting people to nature and the role of nature in our business and professional lives.

They say laughter is a short vacation, and could we not all use some quick vacations, several times a day? The benefits of humour are extensive as it can impact culture, help mitigate stress and difficult situations. Practiced ‘safely’ (and we will talk about what that means) humour can be your company’s strategic advantage and a remarkable leadership skill. With an interview with humour expert, Michael Kerr, learn how to use humour to (and I quote) “laugh all the way to the bank”.

Employers are constantly looking for ways to attract and retain employees. Continuing education incentives are not new, however, the way the program is created and implemented can change your desired outcomes. In this episode we sit down with Matthew Daniel from Guild Education to get insight into different considerations for education incentives including how they should be part of your diversity and inclusion strategies.

Investing in your people and culture can seem like something to be done when business is doing well, however, it is often what helps your business thrive. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Benjamin, Head of Employee Experience Advisory Services at Qualtrics to discuss the impact of employee experience on customer experience and what companies can do to ensure their employees feel cared for, supported, engaged and appreciated. We will examine how employee experience will translate into customer experience and brand reputation.

Have you ever stopped and wondered how this lasting pandemic will shape the class of talent entering into the workplace? What opportunities and set-backs are involved? How can companies prepare for this “war” and what perks and benefits should they consider offering? Listen in on the conversation with Dr. Lisa Belanger and Randy Tarnowski Senior Researcher at Handshake, to gain insight into what can be expected as we enter this war on talent.

Motivation. You might feel like you have it or you might be wondering how the heck to get it. It is something that ebbs and flows throughout our lives and what might work for you, might not work for the next person. So join us as we sit down with Dr. Ashley Whillans from Harvard Business School to explore the behavioural aspects behind motivation and how to motivate your teams.

Diversity and inclusion is a conversation we need to have and acknowledge the gap that exists. We have seen more and more companies making efforts to educate, create diversity task forces, and implement new policies that have been lacking for so long. How can leaders take a proactive approach in ensuring they are creating diverse and inclusive workplaces? Join us as we sit down with Erin Davis; Director of Corporate Engagement at Catalyst, a global non-profit, and Dr. Ivan Joseph; keynote speaker, author and educator to further explore this topic.

For peak performance we need optimal rest and recovery. One of the ways we can achieve this is through vacations, but should we be aiming for a specific number of days? And why is it we feel hesitant or guilty in taking them? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Jan Packer and Dr. Sarah Dolnicar from The University of Queensland Australia and Dr. Ondrej Mitas from Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, as well as insights from Krystal Ho, Director of Global Operations at IQMetrix to explore the science of vacations!

This week's episode is all about a trending topic that could ultimately change the current norms of our work schedule. We are talking about the 4-day work week and exploring whether it is beneficial to employee productivity, health, and happiness, as well as considering the questions of could we do it? How? And what considerations should we be taking? Join us as we sit down with Drs. Karen Foster, Chris Higgins, and Steven Globerman to unpack this topic.

Burnout, a word we all know, may have experienced or know someone who has suffered through. Is burnout a buzzword or a byproduct of our environment? In this episode we sit down with one of the original leaders in the field, Dr. Christina Maslach, to explore what exactly is burnout, what factors can put us at increased risk for burnout, and who needs to claim responsibility for this global phenomenon.

This week on myth busters - err, The Science of Work, we explore the blurred lines between our professional and personal lives. Is it a continual sacrifice without any balanced resolution? We sit down with researchers Dr. Kimberly French from Georgia Tech School of Psychology and Professor Russo from University of Bologna and Director of the Global MBA at Bologna Business School, Italy, to get answers to whether work/life balance is achievable and what we should be striving for.

Breaks are required by law, but we don’t always seem to take them in our day. Do you power straight through your work day or do you step away from your desk here and there?  We’ll look at the key to taking effective breaks to boost our mental focus and overall performance. Join us as we speak with Dr. Robert Pozen, author and senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Dr. Stefan Schneider, a professor at the German Sport University, to explore the importance of breaks and why we should be taking them.

We’ve all heard the word ergonomics, but what exactly does an optimal office set-up entail? How can we make our work environments work for us and improve focus and productivity? Join us as we sit down with Gale Moutrey, Global VP of Workplace Innovation and Brand Communication at Steelcase, as we explore considerations for the optimal office setup!

Are you considering an MBA for your career? Join us as we speak with Tom Adams, President of the Quantic School of Business and Technology and Aleem Nasser, high performance strategist and university lecturer, to explore the MBA and answer the questions of what value it brings, its benefits, and uncover whether getting an MBA in today’s workforce matters.

We all want to stay ahead of the curve and prepare for the dynamic landscape that the future of work brings. So what are the skills we should be developing? Join us as we sit down with Bhushan Sethi, joint global leader of PwC’s People & Organization Practice, and Jay Connolly, Global Chief Talent Officer at Dentons Law, to explore the future of work and what skills we need to be developing.

Let’s admit it, there have been plenty of times we’ve left a meeting thinking it could have been summed up in an email. This episode will explore the research behind meeting productivity and whether meetings can ultimately help or hinder our bottom line. We sit down with Dr. Steven Rogelberg, author, researcher, and professor - to dissect the science behind meetings.

Join host Dr. Lisa Bélanger, as she and other experts look at the data behind the science of work. Have you ever wondered if getting an MBA is worth your while or how to lead an effective meeting ? Listen in to find out how to optimize the skills we need for the future of work.