Karoshi
Monday 11 Jul 2011 at 18:06 Posted by Steve Marshall Follow me on Twitter
When Suzanne Quentin, one of the meus founding partners in the US, sent over this video I will confess that my first stop was the duration tag; 12mins 10secs...?
Then a thought flashed through my mind, "12:10 - Do I have time for that?".
It turns out that my reaction is precisely the point the film tries to make.
There is a gathering field of evidence that leads us to believe that overly busy lifestyles are corrosive at a number of personal, organisational and social levels. Prof Cary Cooper recently claimed the data shows that Americans die earlier from preventable diseases than people in Canada, Japan and the UK. He suggests that the overly-stressed US may be to blame.
And so the film hits us right between the eyes. Karoshi. Literally, death from overwork.
The film questions the meaning of life and the purpose of work then goes on to frame the qualitative difference between 'welfare' and 'wellbeing'. It turns out that this apparently semantic difference hides the potential for an enormous and meaningful shift in the amount of energy, vitality, and engagement we bring to our lives and work.
So, If you feel, for one second, that you don't have the time for this video, then heed the symptoms, watch carefully and take note.
This one is for you and, of course, me.
Energy, Well-being, engagement
Reader Comments (2)
Wellness and well-being are close to my heart, as is cultivating a culture of slowness - slow conversation is one of my things, by which I mean mindful, considered, deliberate conversations. This film got me thinking about slow leadership and what that might look like. Any ideas out there? Could we begin a slow leadership movement?
I am a little concerned that the film points primarily towards physical wellness and I wonder how we move beyond the 'gym' version of wellbeing. Without mindfulness, the push to physical fitness can just become another stressor, another aspect of doing, over-engagement, busyness.
My contribution to well-being is to invite people to become more aware of their breathing, which is an amazing process. If we can slow and deepen our breathing, we are nourishing our bodies and minds as oxygen is a key (vital!) nutrient. Slowing and deepening our breathing also activates the soothing aspect of our autonomic nervous system (the unsoothing aspect is fight/flight/freeze), calming our system and enabling us to access perspective. Breathing is also used as a support for mindfulness, or being present - this physical process is rooted in the present moment and is always available to us to bring us back from future worries or past regrets.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, slowing is enlivening and vibrant, and offers the potential for better quality of choice in leadership as it creates space for us to access our deeper knowing and wisdom. Try focussing on your breathing, next time you're stuck at traffic lights, or in a queue or otherwise prevented from your usual speediness...
Mmm... I can certainly relate to the exercise 'treadmill' having spent many years on that particular wheel. At least it's nice when it stops ;-) Actually, I still enjoy the lung-bursting, heart-pounding exhilaration of extreme exercise but agree, when it becomes an habitual response, it can become dull and demanding.
The idea of a slow leadership movement sounds delightful. Rather than leadership for 'more...!' effort, output, profit etc how about something that keeps us in harmony with each other and the planet? Yes, I could sign up for being that kind of leader.
So, have we found the subject for your next book here?