Deborah Connors - A Better Place To Work: Daily Practices That Transform Culture

Published by Well-Advised Publishing, February, 2018

ISBN: 9780995876200

ISBN: 9780995876217 (e-book)

Copyright 2018 by Deborah Connors

All rights reserved. To paraphrase the words of my friend Eoin Finn, we all know that it is illegal to copy material without express written consent. A lot of people have put a great deal of work into this book. Violating any copyright laws is just an un-cool and un-yogic thing to do and we are asking you nicely not to do it. Here is the rest of what the law says: No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Editor: Danielle Anderson

Typeset: Greg Salisbury

Book Cover Design: Brenda Hewer Design

Portrait Photographer: Landon Sveinson Photography

DISCLAIMER: This book discusses various evidence based practices that have been shown to impact workplace culture in a positive way. As the author states, every culture is different and therefore it is important to tailor each practice to meet the particular needs of your workplace and culture. And even then, the practices you use may need course-correcting as you move forward. The advice and practices herein may or may not be suitable for your situation and the author and publisher will not be liable for any loss of profit or any other personal or commercial damages, including, but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Some of the names and personal characteristics of the individuals involved have been changed in order to disguise their identities. Any resulting resemblance to individuals living or dead is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

This book is dedicated to the 28 Canadian Workplace Wellness Pioneers. These individuals were nominated and chosen by their peers for their groundbreaking work that has contributed to our understanding about what makes workplaces positive and healthy. We will never fill your shoes, but we can follow in your footsteps.

Gratitude

Some people go away for months to write. Others, like me, fit in minutes between volleyball games and family dinners (thank you Jordan and Jess for the balance in my life), or while travelling back and forth to Alberta in a Ford F150 (thank you Mike for doing all the driving, and for reading all those chapter drafts that I left on your pillow), or in coffee shops in Greece (thank you Mom and Dad for that opportunity to disconnect, vacation and reflect), or dog-sitting in a beautiful house in Ucluelet (thank you Dan and Denise for allowing me that space, and to Charlie the dog for taking me out on walks three times a day) and in hotel rooms while on speaking trips to share this content (thank you to my remarkable clients that make that possible). It takes longer to write this way, but the work is better for the reflection that comes between the spurts of writing.

When I led The Better Workplace Conference for the last time in 2013 (what a great celebration that was!) and I thought back over the 17 years of how this event evolved from the original Health Work & Wellness Conference in 1997, I knew there was a book to be written. It was going to be about the ideas that were shared at the conference over the years that needed to reach a larger audience. I am extremely grateful to the over 600 speakers who shared their stories at Health Work & Wellness/The Better Workplace Conference between 1997-2013. Your messages made a difference to creating awareness about the need for healthier and more positive workplaces in this country. Thank you. All your names are listed in the Resources section.

As I started to write, I took a course with Carla Rieger that helped me to peel back the layers and get to the core of what I had to offer to the world. Thank you Carla! Later, I took an online course with Patti Digh called Organizing Your Writing Life, which was not at all about getting my files in order, but all about what blocks us from writing (which is never about having a messy office!). Thank you, Patti, for the inspiration to develop writing rituals.

Knowing nothing about the publishing industry, I took another online course with Julie Salisbury of Influence Publishing and learned how complex and ever-changing this industry is. Thank you to Julie, who became my partner in publishing this book, and to Greg Salisbury for typesetting and to Danielle Anderson for her great editing.

Over the course of creating chapter after chapter, many others faithfully read each version and provided feedbackthank you to Pat McCue and Shonagh McRae, and also to Rixta Moritz and Hugh Culver for the extra feedback on a few chapters.

Most importantly I am grateful for the organizational health experts from around the world that agreed to in-depth interviews and willingly shared their wisdom and their brave and inspiring stories, some very personal and painful, so that others can learn and benefit: Dr Martin Shain, Dr. Graham Lowe, Dr. Linda Duxbury, Dr. Robert Quinn, Mary-Lou MacDonald, Mary Ann Baynton, Dr. Michael West, Melissa Barton, Dr. Gregor Breucker and Marie Mac Donald.

Thank you to Thoughtexchange for providing the platform for me to hold an online conversation with the organizational health community in Canada and beyond to gather feedback on positive organizations and what leaders need to move in that direction.

In the early years of the conference we realized we needed a good photographer onsite to capture the excitement, the connections and the fun being had. Some of those pictures are included in the center of the book. Thank you to my friend Gottfried Mitteregger for showing up for all those first years, and my nephew, Landon Sveinson, for taking over this role for the final few years. You are both so good at capturing the essence of what is happening at an event, and bringing out the spirit in each person you photograph.