Work and Wellness Discussion Series: How We Work

THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE  and THE ASSOCIATION FOR FACULTY WOMEN PRESENT:

WORK AND WELLNESS DISCUSSION SERIES

A discussion on:

How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim Your Sanity, and Embrace the Daily Grind by Leah Weiss

A special Skype discussion with:

Author, Leah Weiss

Moderator: Dr. Anne Cox, Associate Professor, Kinesiology Program

The Work and Wellness Discussion Series is hosted by the Professional Development Initiative (PDI) in partnership with the Association for Faculty Women (AFW) as a means for students, faculty and staff to read a book for pleasure, rather than what is assigned for classes. This series contributes to the promotion of a diverse and vibrant intellectual community on campus for those interested in world issues. It is designed to create a space for women and men to gather and talk about issues important to all through literature.

Participants: You do not have to be a graduate student or be officially affiliated with AFW to attend the meetings. All WSU students, faculty, and staff who are interested in are invited to participate.

All PDI events will be available to sites other than Pullman through a web link that will be emailed to you before the event. Please make sure to register on the link below and indicate at which WSU site you are located.

Please register for this event by clicking the link below:

Overview

“I have long thought that what the Buddha taught can be seen as a highly developed science of mind which, if made more accessible to a lay audience, could benefit many people. I believe that Dr. Weiss’s book, in combining such insights with science and good business practice, offers an effective mindfulness based program that many will find helpful.” —His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

A practical guide to bringing our whole selves to our professional work, based on the author’s overwhelmingly popular course at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In today’s workplace, the traditional boundaries between “work” and “personal” are neither realistic nor relevant. From millennials seeking employment in the sharing economy to Gen Xers telecommuting to Baby Boomers creating a meaningful second act, the line that separates who we are from the work we do is blurrier than ever.

The truth is, we don’t show up for our jobs as a portion of ourselves—by necessity, we bring both our hearts and our minds to everything we do. In How We Work, mindfulness expert and creator of the perennially-waitlisted Stanford Business School course “Leading with Mindfulness and Compassion” Dr. Leah Weiss explains why this false dichotomy can be destructive to both our mental health and our professional success.

The bad news, says Weiss, is that nothing provides more opportunities for negative emotions—anxiety, anger, envy, fear, and paranoia, to name a few—than the dynamics of the workplace. But the good news is that these feelings matter. How we feel at and about work matters—to ourselves, to the quality of our work, and ultimately to the success of the organizations for which we work.

The path to productivity and success, says Weiss, is not to change jobs, to compartmentalize our feelings, or to create a false “professional” identity—but rather to listen to the wisdom our feelings offer. Using mindfulness techniques, we can learn how to attend to difficult feelings without becoming subsumed by them; we can develop an awareness of our bigger picture goals that orients us and allows us to see purpose in even the most menial tasks. In How We Work, Weiss offers a set of practical, evidence-based strategies for practicing mindfulness in the real world, showing readers not just how to survive another day, but how to use ancient wisdom traditions to sharpen their abilities, enhance their leadership and interpersonal skills, and improve their satisfaction.