Return Policy

It's been widely reported that the difference between us and the rest of the animal kingdom is apposable thumbs and the ability to reason. And wouldn't it be so much easier if that was the only difference?

We human types are complicated creatures and I suspect our reasoning minds add way more complication than is required to live a successful and contented life. We want more money to buy more things; we want to climb company ladders to achieve bigger titles; we want a nicer house than Bob across the street; the list is endless and most of it is useless to finding happiness or contentment. 

More More More

When we get our first apartment, it's usually filled with hand-me-downs from our parents or family. I think I was well into my 20's before I purchased my very own set of new cutlery (silverware) which went nicely with my very own set of new dishes and cups. 

Fast forward many years and many moves and many sets of dinnerware, and now I have stuff I actually don't even remember buying and why is that? Are we seeking something we can never catch? Is last year's car not good enough for us? Do we really need that food processor that will grate cheese in seconds?

Less is More

I think one of the sources of our unhappiness is that we have no clue what we want or what we'll do when we find it. I recently had to return some items I bought online because they were the wrong size. As I was dropping them off at the courier place, I realized two things – I didn't need the items and have no intention of re-ordering different sizes. What is that? Boredom? I'm not sure.

I guess we can make the case for just about any decision. That's why you can buy a McLaren supercar in hot pink. Our reasoning minds aren't always sound in their decisions. So while we search for something we'll never find, perhaps figuring out what we need and dumping the rest is a good first start?

 Perhaps my parents' old couch was all I needed?

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Race Cars and Rock Stars

When I was a kid, I could entertain myself for hours; sometimes entire days, with my books, music, and toys. I had a good childhood. Then I met my first love which was hockey. I was hooked for the next decade and a half reading books about it, playing whenever and wherever I could. And despite my mother's disappointment, I was never going to be the starting goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

We were middle middle-class. My folks probably lived paycheck to paycheck most of the time. But they always found a way to put food on the table, pay the bills, and get my sister and I cool gifts at Christmas. Nothing about my life is a story for the ages.

Fender Telecaster and a set of Pilot Sport Cup 2s

There is something strange that humans possess which no other beings experience and that is a yearning for more. Our cat doesn't spend her days wishing she was a panther. She is a content companion who thinks we are awesome because we give her food a few times a day and a comfy place to nap all afternoon.

Sometimes I watch super car channels on YouTube and imagine owning a Bugatti Chiron, but I don't then spend the next two hours being depressed I will never have one. I don't listen to music wishing I was the rock star either. If we're unhappy, money in the bank, adoring fans, and a $3 million hyper car in the garage won't help.

The reason for our unhappiness is often because we can't define what will make us happy instead of looking at what is good in our lives that already brings happiness.

But I will take the Chiron in navy blue, thanks.

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Your Good Life

If we want to invest in "the good life", where should we put our time and energy? Robert Waldinger outlines riveting data from a 75-year-long Harvard study of adult life that continues today. It seems clear; a happy life is not measured by a larger paycheck, more stuff, higher investments, or financial net worth.


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Sixty Thousand

We have an average of 60,000 thoughts every day. Do we need milk? Should I call her? Did the presentation go well? Perhaps the parkway will be a better route? Thoughts after thoughts after thoughts that often overlap and drown us with indecision.

We have as many choices in a day as well. Yet we add more thoughts to our already busy brain hoping we can make the right decision each and every time. We don't listen to our intuition. We know what we want but we either don't think it'll work out or we continue to find reasons our logic may be flawed. Or worse, we try and predict the reaction of others.

Watch out for the Lizard

We call it a gut call. It comes from the reptilian complex in our brain; some call it the lizard brain. It's that burning feeling you get when you know you're right but then doubt creeps in. We may believe we're using logic but we're often not.

We get lost in the worry about judgement from others, concern of being ridiculed, or our own general hesitation. The late Alan Watts remarked on this in his lecture "Choices".

Watch, listen, then choose.


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Doing Our Happy Work

There aren’t usually many surprises in most employee surveys. We want to be compensated fairly, enjoy a collaborative work environment, and have the ability to advance within the organization.

Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics who explains some of the elements that make us happy or unhappy at work.


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What Makes You Happy?

Make more money, have more time, buy more things, all seem to be what we think are linked to happiness. Matt Killingsworth has been studying what makes us happy.

It's not what you may think.


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Are You Good With People?

Time and time again, employee and human resource surveys show us compensation is not the sole driver for our work. We all want to make a good living but if it’s the main reason people work at your company, you may have bigger issues.

If you think you can make people happy with their 2% increase during annual review time, you may have lost the room. Compensate people properly but pay close attention to why they come to work every day. Ask them, get their feedback, and act on it. The majority are unhappy at work and it’s not necessarily because of the work!

Human stuff

It’s all that human stuff that few have time to talk about because they have to deal with the deadline for the client who needs that report by 3pm. However, it is that very human stuff that will eventually affect your relationship with that client.

Those who think they can fool their customers or clients with a smile while they're internal customer service is crumbling, need to give it more thought. What happens outside of the organization begins inside it.

Culture is Critical

It doesn’t matter the industry or level of complexity, pay people properly, give them time to have a life, and remember they have hopes and dreams and feelings and a need to have purpose too.

Some claim that’s too touchy feely and we will agree to disagree. Leadership is about the human side of getting the job done. It begins with understanding the layers of people. And none of us needs to go any further than ourselves to get those answers.

Then we can get back to products and services.
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Smile and Wave

We've heard it our entire life; smile and people will like you better and you'll feel better. Well, sometimes we don't want to smile because we're stressed.

How often do you smile? How important is smiling? How inviting are others when they frown? It may sound like a superficial discussion, but Ron Gutman explains it can affect our success, lifespan, and the quality of our very existence.

Watch and smile.


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What Makes Us Happy?

If we want to invest in "the good life", where should we put our time and energy? Robert Waldinger outlines riveting data from a 75-year-long Harvard study of adult life that continues today. It seems clear; a happy life is not measured by a larger paycheck, more stuff, higher investments, or financial net worth.


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As a passionate leader, Kneale Mann has extensive experience as a business advisor and project manager in numerous industries and organizations including; human resources, corporate training, financial services, media, real estate, healthcare and more. He is always open to meeting leaders who want to improve their bottom line through strong culture and leadership.

Choices

We have an average of 60,000 thoughts every day. Do we need milk? Should I call her? Did the presentation go well? Perhaps the parkway will be a better route? Thoughts after thoughts after thoughts that often overlap and drown us with indecision.

We have as many choices in a day as well. Yet we add more thoughts to our already busy brain hoping we can make the right decision each and every time. We don't listen to our intuition. We know what we want but we either don't think it'll work out or we continue to find reasons our logic may be flawed. Or worse, we try and predict the reaction of others.

Watch out for the Lizard

We call it a gut call. It comes from the reptilian complex in our brain; some call it the lizard brain. It's that burning feeling you get when you know you're right but then doubt creeps in. We may believe we're using logic but we're often not.

We get lost in the worry about judgement from others, concern of being ridiculed, or our own general hesitation. The late Alan Watts remarked on this in his lecture "Choices". Watch, listen, then choose.

Because you've already chosen.


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As a passionate leader, Kneale Mann has extensive experience as a business coach and project manager in numerous industries and organizations including; human resources, corporate training, financial services, media, real estate, healthcare and more. He is always open to meeting leaders who want to improve their bottom line through strong culture and leadership. knealemann@gmail.com

Is Happy Work Possible?

There aren’t usually many surprises whenever I see an employee survey. Most (all) of us want to be compensated fairly, enjoy a collaborative work environment, and have the ability to advance within the organization.

Are those the things that make us happy at work?

Dan Ariely is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics who explains some of the elements that make us happy or unhappy at work.


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit
New Book out in 2016 – Details soon!

Are You Happy?

I’ve mentioned it a few times here that I’ve gone through a lot in the last 18 months but when I step back it gives me perspective that what I’ve experienced is child’s play compared to what others have endured. I have a close friend who often says; don’t compare, but our personal experience is often our most vivid perspective.

We fear losing our income; we stay in stagnant relationships because of money; we settle for good enough, and there's so much more we could do with our lives that isn't attached to wealth or stature.

Who are these people?

What is it about a small close-knit group of people living into their 10th decade on a small Island in Japan or a man who rides his bicycle into town to make a few dollars a day running a rickshaw to return to the tent city where his son greets him with a big smile and gives him joy?

American film maker Roko Belic set out to find what makes humans happy and the result was his 2011 Academy Award nominated documentary entitled Happy. I finally watched it as it’s now available on Netflix.

It's fantastic!


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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Focus

I met Mike when he was just finishing teachers' college with a bright outlook on a positive future. I spoke with him this week, days before his second wedding, and he is just as positive after teaching for almost three decades. Mike has a great family, strong friendship network, and outstanding outlook on life.

Mike isn't just a friend, he's one of my brothers.

I asked him how he has kept so calm and positive all these years and he said it's all about focus. He works hard to ensure his students are well prepared for their future, enjoys his home, hangs out with friends, plays a bit of hockey, has a few at his local pub, rides his motorcycle, and spends time with his loving partner Sue.

Less is Much More

Mike doesn't view his life as overly complicated yet he also noted that most of us make it far too messy and confusing. He knew what he wanted 30 years ago and kept his focus on a balance of fulfilling work and a good life. I've often used Mike as an example of someone who has it right. Perhaps we do make it too complicated chasing something we can't often define? There's ample evidence Mike has had it right all along.

So as I travel to his wedding this weekend, I will look forward to seeing my old friend who has been with me through every twist and turn of our lives; the friend you can call after not speaking for months and it feels like no time has passed. Mike's unspoken lesson for me, and perhaps for you, is that focus is not something that requires a lot of sweat and toil once you know what you want.

Let's stay focused and enjoy the ride.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

Smile for the World

How often do you smile? How important is smiling? How inviting are others when they frown? It may sound like a superficial discussion. But it can affect our success, lifespan, and quality of our very existence.

Ron Gutman explains.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Ron Gutman

Do You Enjoy Your Work?

Millions of employee surveys have been conducted in our time on this planet.  The usual issues come up in every one – our compensation, ability to advance, appreciated talents, and purpose realized. The interesting discovery in most studies is that someone's salary is usually not the source of their biggest grievances.

I'm sure you know someone (I hope it’s not you!) who is unhappy at work. It could be the work, but it’s quite often the stuff around the work – leadership, culture, people, collaboration, communication, and other human elements. Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers writes; “Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning.”

Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economics, explains some of the elements that make people happy or unhappy at work.


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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

TED | Dan Ariely

Shiny Things

Make your numbers, finish that task, meet that deadline, the cycle continues as we race to some unknown finish line that keeps moving in the wrong direction. Our impatience is creating less efficiency. The faster we go the slower we get things accomplished.

Matt Killingsworth has been studying what makes us happy and explains some of his findings in his TEDx Talk. This video is only 10 minutes long so hopefully your mind won't wander too much.

Squirrel!


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Kneale Mann | Leadership and Culture strategist, writer, speaker, executive coach engaging leaders, collaborative teams, and strong business results.

Is Your Business Cultured?

Time and time again, employee and human resource surveys show us compensation is not the sole driver for our work. We all want to make a good living but if it’s the main reason people work at your company, you may have bigger issues.

If you think you can make people happy with their 2% increase during annual review time, you may have lost the room.

Compensate people properly but pay close attention to why they come to work every day. Ask them, get their feedback, and act on it. The majority are unhappy at work and it’s not necessarily because of the work!

Good with People

It’s all that human stuff that few have time to talk about because they have to deal with the deadline for the client who needs that report by 3pm. However, it is that very human stuff that will eventually affect your relationship with that client.

Those who think they can fool their customers or clients with a smile while they're internal customer service is crumbling, need to give it more thought. What happens outside of the organization begins inside it.

Culture is Critical

It doesn’t matter the industry or level of complexity, pay people properly, give them time to have a life, and remember they have hopes and dreams and feelings and a need to have purpose too.

Some claim that’s too touchy feely and we will agree to disagree. Leadership is about the human side of getting the job done. It begins with understanding the layers of people. And none of us needs to go any further than ourselves to get those answers.

Then we can get back to products and services.

Kneale Mann

2012 Top 10 - July 2012 | istock

Our Distracted Minds

Other than our ability to reason and opposable thumbs we humans certainly do spend a lot of our precious time worrying about stuff that has happened or may never happen. Eckhart Tolle says we spend most of our time thinking of the past and the future and very little on the moment we’re in right now.

Make more money, have more time, buy more things, all seem to be what we think are linked to happiness. There is ample data proving that is untrue.

What Was That?

Another fact is our inability to fully focus. We spend a lot of our time thinking about other things other than what we're doing. Think about that as you become a better leader. Half of your team may not be paying attention at any given moment.

Matt Killingsworth has been studying what makes us happy and explains some of his findings in his 2011 TEDx Talk. This video is only 10 minutes long so hopefully your mind won't wander too much.


Kneale Mann

TEDx | Matt Killingsworth

Are You In Control?

We have choices to make every minute of our lives. And there is a growing suspicion that we should make them faster and more accurately. Time is money, we don’t have all day, the team is depending on it, and revenue will be affected.

Baba Shiv is the director of strategic marketing at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. He has been studying behavior and neuroeconomics with a focus on motivation and emotion for many years.

Make Your Choice

Research has shown a counterintuitive fact about human nature which is sometimes having too much choice makes us less happy. Baba shares a personal story and some of his findings which measure why choice opens the door to doubt. He suggests that ceding control can often be the best strategy.

Some feel leadership is about being in charge and making the final call. But in a fully collaborative enterprise, responsibility can often be enhanced by allowing others drive choices. We may not want to be the one who makes all the decisions after all.


Kneale Mann

TED | Baba Shiv

That Culture Thing

Time and time again, employee and human resource surveys show us compensation is not the sole driver for our work. We all want to make a good living but if it’s the main reason people work at your company, you may have bigger issues.

If you think you can make people happy with their 2% increase during annual review time, you may have lost the room.

Compensate people properly but pay close attention to why they come to work every day. Ask them, get their feedback, and act on it. The majority are unhappy at work and it’s not necessarily because of the work!

Good with People

It’s all that human stuff that few have time to talk about because they have to deal with the deadline for the client who needs that report by 3pm. However, it is that very human stuff that will eventually affect your relationship with that client.

Those who think they can fool their customers or clients with a smile while they're internal customer service is crumbling, need to give it more thought. What happens outside of the organization begins inside it.

Culture is Critical

It doesn’t matter the industry or level of complexity, pay people properly, give them time to have a life, and remember they have hopes and dreams and feelings and a need to have purpose too.

Some claim that’s too touchy feely and we will agree to disagree. Leadership is about the human side of getting the job done. It begins with understanding the layers of people. And none of us needs to go any further than ourselves to get those answers.

Then we can get back to products and services.

Kneale Mann

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