Sandbox Blog

Statistically the odds are good that there is not a single person reading this (or any of their friends) who has not tried at one time or another to change their partner. Whether you are still with the partner you tried to change is not relevant – that you tried to change them is. Human beings like to be right, it validates everything from our intelligence to our sense of self-worth; pretty powerful stuff. But what if you being right means your partner has to be wrong? Where does that leave them?

There is no shortage of written work on the difference between the introverted and extroverted personality style.  From their tendencies in work, play and relationships to which is a ‘better’ way to be there are many theories.  Interestingly, despite this abundance of information, most people are still getting it wrong. 

Words have the power to heal, the power to motivate and uplift and words have the power to influence and change.  Though we all know this to be true, most of us think of great speeches of history, moving monologues in movies or rousing oratory as something that others who are far more skilled with words have written.  We allow ourselves to be moved and shaped by the words of others, yet do not often consider that the words we off-handedly use can be equally as powerful.

Perhaps for many people in their ‘normal life’ there isn’t really a need to consider the difference.  However, there are few in this time of pandemic who would likely consider their life to be even close to what was once normal.  Most people’s lives ebb and flow to some degree – there are some stressful times or occasions, some events that make us feel anxious, but generally, we move through them or that stressful or anxiety causing time passes.  But what happens when there is prolonged stress or the anxiety is caused by something that has no foreseeable ‘end date’?

In times of extreme stress like we are currently experiencing, we can find ourselves overwhelmed by a confusing array of feelings and thoughts. ‘Confusion’ is the key word – we can experience so many conflicting reactions that it’s hard to make sense of any of them. Unfortunately, we often react or take action without fully understanding those feelings and thoughts, leading to potentially negative consequences in our relationships.

Effective communication is a vast field fraught with a seemingly limitless number of landmines – and that is on a day where it’s ‘business as usual’. Well – currently it is not business as usual and the potential pitfalls of interpersonal communication loom large in many relationships, partnerships and corporations. In times of stress it is the brain’s job to keep us safe – that means the body is flooded with adrenalin and higher brain function is paused (effective decision making) so we can focus on escaping the looming danger. This is likely not something that you don’t already know, but what if that heightened stress response continues for days? Weeks? Or even months?

Quick Tips on HOW TO FEEL CONNECTED - FROM A DISTANCE!

As we all shift our collaboration to online meetings there are a few key things to consider to optimize our time for productivity. Check out the tips below:

It’s hard to build real connections with your colleagues if you never get beyond superficial chit-chat. And yet people who have workplace friendships are not only more likely to be happier and healthier, they are also seven times as likely to be engaged in their job. What’s more, employees who report having workplace friends have higher levels of productivity, retention, and job satisfaction than those who don’t.

Labour shortages in Canada are, in part, due to the strong demand for workers generated by robust economic growth here and around the world. Real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow globally and in Canada by 3.9% and 2.0%, respectively, in 2018. The expansion should continue into 2020, spurring continued healthy demand for workers.

Staffing challenges exist, causing urgent hiring needs according to Robert Half Technology's State of Tech Hiring in Canada research. Sixty-two per cent of IT decision makers polled plan to expand the size of their teams by adding full-time employees in the first six months of the new year. However, 89 per cent of those surveyed said it's challenging for their company to find skilled IT professionals.