Library
May 25, 2020
David Rock, Ph.D. coined the acronym SCARF which stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. These are the five domains that influence us emotionally, much of the time as a threat. Leaders can mitigate the impact of SCARF threats by creating some SCARF rewards. Status Common status threats include not being able to influence work decisions, feeling one’s opinions or concerns are minimized, being a target of sarcasm or ridicule, and feeling disrespected. Leaders can work to diminish this threat through soliciting employee concerns and perspectives, active listening, demonstrating vulnerability (I’m having a hard time with this, too) and […]
April 28, 2020
People crave certainty. Knowing what is coming next frees our brain to perform. It is easy to drive and talk to your passenger at the same time until the car in front of you slams on its brakes. We instantly respond to the threat. Our brains will focus on that uncertainty until it is resolved. Then we can go back to our normal functioning. Those brake lights have been facing us for several weeks, even months. Our uncertain world has no defined outcome. This level of stress over time becomes distress. Stress shows itself differently among different people. And […]
March 19, 2020
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and establishes the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act both effective April 2, 2020 until December 31, 2020. The bill basically amends the employers’ threshold from 50 or more employees to fewer than 500 employees. The Secretary of Labor has the authority to exempt small businesses with fewer than 50 employees when the requirement would jeopardize the viability of the business. Employees who have been employed for at least 30 days are eligible for expanded FMLA leave related to childcare and employees are immediately entitled to qualified […]
February 24, 2020
Some stress is good, even required to elicit activity. Too much stress is bad leading to feeling overwhelmed. Amy Arnsten, Neurobiology and Psychology Professor at Yale University calls this the “Goldilocks of the brain.” Stress must be just right to achieve peak performance. This sweet spot is different for everyone, and even different in the same person over time and different based on the task being performed. We find ourselves in the zone when we achieve that perfect amount of stress. High stress over time can have a debilitating effect on the mind and body. The body reacts to a […]