Navigating Complexity with Transformative Learning
March 2023 Newsletter
As organizations move further into the challenges of 2023, a new kind of generative dialogue is emerging in executive boardrooms around the world. Leaders are grappling with questions about the future of work and talent development. How will work and talent development evolve in an increasingly complex and digital marketplace? What skills will future workers need to thrive?
These questions have taken center stage as employees demand workplaces that prioritize their well-being, personal growth, and purpose-driven work. This month’s newsletter explores the shifting landscape of work and its impact on talent development, and offers insights on how organizations are getting future-ready.
Increased Complexity Across the Work, the Worker, and the Work Environment
Employees around the world are demanding a new kind of ‘income’ in exchange for their time, effort, and expertise; and office perks are losing favor. Free food, laundry, kombucha taps- small efforts that helped employees feel valued while giving a spark of joie de vivre, have now become office expenses that employees are happy to forgo. In exchange, today’s workers demand workplaces focused on personal well-being, purpose-driven work, and the investment of their capability development. In the context of thriving, they are committed to doing meaningful work in workplaces that excel at providing psychological safety and opportunities for growth. Does this describe your workplace? The U.S. Surgeon General compels organizations to use validated tools, like the THRIVE Index, for data-backed insights into workplace well-being.
Navigating from the Past to the Future Worker
We are shaped by the past, not defined by it.
How is the future worker shaped by the past? This year 3,400 people across 10 countries were asked who had the greatest impact on their mental health. Take a minute to think about who that is for you. For these people, it wasn’t their doctor or their therapist. Tying first with partners, managers had the greatest impact on mental health for almost 70% of people. What does this mean for the future worker?
Sit with these two pieces of information:
(1) employees are putting a premium on workplaces that prioritize well-being and (2) managers are responsible for impacting employee mental health 70% of the time.
Are you comfortable with managers in your organization holding this power? Creating a thriving workplace culture for the future worker requires thinking critically about how past experiences with traditional management structures are influencing how we define the future of leadership.
How Does Your Organization Get Future-Ready?
Stop being defined by the past and embrace change. Change is learning, and all learning is preceded by unlearning; ‘loosening’ the influence of our previous beliefs on our actions. There is a lot of unlearning needed to disrupt traditional management practices and to reconsider how to re-skill the future workforce with people-first skills like building trust, demonstrating compassion, meaningful conversations, being inclusive, and valuing whole-hearted leadership practices. Embracing this type of transformative learning fosters a thriving workforce, and thriving employees create thriving businesses.
Explore our Transformative Learning eBook to learn more about how Canvas works with organizations to achieve their future-ready goals.
Thriving Worker, Workplace, World
When we thrive, not only does our personal sense of fulfillment deepen, but our connection to the community strengthens as well, motivating us to expand our positive impact. This ripple effect is palpable - as we thrive, our workplace thrives, and our community thrives. At Canvas, we remain dedicated to fostering thriving through our contributions to Kiva, an organization that enables individuals to make loans to entrepreneurs who are striving to transform their lives, their families' lives, and their local communities.
Women’s History Month
In their non-fiction book Half the Sky, Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, the authors endorsed Kiva and other similiar efforts noting that "microfinance has done more to bolster the status of women, and to protect them from abuse, than any laws could accomplish." By supporting Kiva, we are actively contributing to our vision of building a world in which all people can thrive.
Fostering Cultural Transformation and Alignment in a Global Financial Institution
Canvas is proud to have recently finished the first 4 phases of a culture transformation project with one of the premier global financial institutions.
Chief Experience Officer, Bruce Landry reflects on the client experience:
"I just watched one of our clients conduct an 'All-Managers' meeting rolling out their new values, purpose statement, vision statement and mission statement. This moment has been a long time coming as they forge a culture that is fit for their fintech business inside a much larger global financial institution. I can’t help but feel proud of how Canvas has partnered with them to get to a point where management is on the same page and prepared to hit the ground running following their 'All-Hands' meeting this month. The energy I’m witnessing from the leadership team and the readiness of the larger management team to bring this to their teams is energizing."
Don’t Wait for Change, Make it Happen
At Canvas, our mission is to empower you with the insights and tools necessary to drive meaningful change within your organization. Are you ready to explore what lies ahead? Our range of resources, including podcasts, blogs, videos, eBooks and more, are designed to equip you with the knowledge and strategies to create a workplace culture where everyone can thrive. If you're seeking trusted advice and guidance on navigating and disrupting the complexities of modern business, we invite you to connect with our team today.
We are also excited to announce that our Chief Creative Officer, Dr. Susan Gray, will be hosting our newest podcast series, "in tension" - where we'll explore timeless leadership contradictions. Follow us on LinkedIn and tune in on Monday for the first episode.