Leadership Institute at Columbus State University

Bring the Joy Back A lot of us have experienced being distracted, overwhelmed, or lost of traction on tasks. This has become known as pandemic brain. Social and behavioral scientist and assistant professor for the College of Public Health at Temple University Jeni Stolow says this is a “cognitive impairment that the whole world has been going through because it’s triggered by things like stress.” For the past 24-48 months, in addition to feeling this way at home, this emotion has spilled over into the work-life for many. I am coining this the work fog. Across different regions, professions, and roles in the organization, workers must find joy at work again. Dr. Rebecca Newton, a psychologist who studies how professionals thrive in organizations has observed the following as reasons why that spark of joy at work is absent: 1.)    Burn out from two years of loss and grief. 2.)    Feeling inauthentic because you still have jobs to get done. 3.)    Workers have been ‘showing up

  After the Holidays: Transition Back to Work Last night you peeked at your work email only to become quickly overwhelmed, you snoozed the alarm three times, you contemplated taking a “sick day”. These are just some of the things you may experience this morning as you return to work after a long holiday break. If you’re looking for a better way to get back into the swing of things this new year, these tips are for you. Face reality your inbox is full Before returning to work, face the fact that you will have a lot to catch up on since closing for a week or so. To reduce the immediate pressure to respond to everyone the first few days back, avoid scheduling meetings or calls in the first week. Schedule time on your calendar to work through your inbox. Or set an automatic reply for the first few days back: “I am currently working through my inbox since being out of the office for 2 weeks. Please give me grace as I work through my emails. All emails will be responded to by Monda