corporate wellness

Five More Powerful Guidelines for the Wellness-Led Organization

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We are on the third of four blogs and associated podcasts located at this link – Podcast – discussing the Well-Led guidelines for a successful organization that simultaneously cares for its employees and mission.  You can apply these guidelines to lower risk and increase organizational, program, and project success.

Before discussing Well-Led Guidelines six through ten, let me briefly summarize the previous two blogs.  The first two blogs are located at Three Key Reasons Your Organization Should Be Wellness-Led and Five Essential Guidelines for the Well-Led Organization.

In the first blog, we gave three reasons why support of employee wellness is essential for an organization intent on ensuring sustainable access and lowering risk.  A focus on employee wellness leads to better decision-making, strong camaraderie, a shared sense of purpose, and a reduction in sick days with a corresponding increase in productivity.

In the other blog, we looked at the first five Well-Led Guidelines; all focused on planning with employee health as a critical input.  The first five guidelines were:

  1. Acknowledge that overwork is counterproductive, so plan for downtime in your schedule.  Do not overallocate your people.
  2. Build downtime away from work during the week to allow people to focus on non-work-related tasks.
  3. Incorporate fun and incentives into work.  Indeed, all work and no play makes for a dull existence.
  4. Keep your team energized with healthy and culturally appropriate snacks.
  5. Don’t risk your employees’ health by making them come to the office during a weather or other emergency.

These are just the highlights of the first five Well-Led guidelines. Five Essential Guidelines for the Well-Led Organization has examples of how to do it and anecdotes of what goes wrong if you do not follow the Well-Led guidelines.

Now, let’s jump into Well-Led Guidelines six through ten. 

6. Build civility and respect for the individual in all company processes.   We all know what happens when people do not treat each other civilly.  You have stalemates, animosity, in-action, and resentment.   Just look at the dialogue on Twitter now, X, or our current political impasse. On the other hand, we all know what happens when a team actively listens to one another and allows a voice for the opposite viewpoint.  You make a better decision, avoid group thinking, and build a shared purpose.  But it is not easy.  This does not mean you never need a tiebreaker; that is when authentic leadership emerges.  Or that you always have consensus.  It means that everyone involved understands the reason for the decision and emerges as colleagues who respect but do not necessarily agree.  And perhaps, the opposing viewpoint is turned to when the initial decision does not work.

How do you build an organization based on civility and respect for the individual? Believe it or not, I turn to two political figures:  our first president, George Washington, and a hero of mine and favorite Professor, Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. 

When he was 16, George Washington wrote 110 rules of civility to guide his life. Washington wrote down the rules presumably as an exercise in penmanship but later committed them to practice and memory. They helped develop the decorum, civility, and courage that guided Washington through war and the birth of this nation. You can read Washington’s Rules of Civility here. Washington’s Rules

The rules initially composed by French Jesuit priests in 1565 range from the practical to the profound.  Respect and civility toward friend and foe are at the root of the rules.  Rule 1 lays this idea out perfectly with the words:  “Every action done in the company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.”  Many in the public sphere would do well to take this rule to heart!

Most of the rules have applications today.  One of them that I found particularly compelling is Rule 18:  “Read no letters, books, or papers in the company, but when there is a necessity for the doing of it, you must ask leave: come not near the books or writings of another to read them unless desired or give your opinion of them unasked also look not nigh when another is writing a letter.”   What does this mean for our sixth Well-Led Guideline?  When you are in a face-to-face meeting, no laptop or phone use.  If you are remote, put your camera on and be present.  No multi-tasking.

There are many more applicable rules on civility.  We have added a link to my blog on this topic in the blog in the show notes.  Washington Rules of Civility for Today

Many of you who pass through Austin have seen the statue of the airport’s namesake, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.  Ms. Jordan, who I was fortunate to have as a Professor at LBJ School of Public Affairs, was a towering intellect, the epitome of integrity, and a hero to all Texans. She also encapsulated in one person the power of diversity and the spark and spirit that binds us together.

Ms. Jordan, I, and other students had many engaging debates in the classroom.  These discussions were governed by Ms. Jordan’s rules of Civil Discourse, which I took from her engagement in the discussion. I believe each organization should implement something similar.

  1. She understood all angles of an issue. In particular, she could often articulate the opposing views’ perspective better than they could themselves.
  2.  She would then clarify where she agreed with their perspective to emphasize where there was common ground.
  3. Only then would she respectfully bring up where she differed from the group or person’s perspective with concise arguments based on her view of the facts.

7. Technology to help, not replace people.  This next rule, believe it or not, is related to the one that came before.  Organizations, particularly technology-focused ones,  can show bias toward technology, just as human-focused organizations can show to the person with the loudest bullhorn.   Use technology, particularly AI, in a judicious manner.  AI and other technology should be used to free humans from the mundane and to spark creativity from the launchpad of technology.  Not to replace them entirely but to add more value to the organization. 

8. Celebrate diversity and learn about other cultures. Diversity of opinion and the ability to share ideas across cultures, creeds, generations, and genders is transforming.  Each of us brings to a solution a unique perspective that no one else can replicate.  It is tempered by our experiences, upbringing, and the place we call home.  Each person was put on this earth to fulfill a unique purpose.  A true leader’s mission is to meld the singular talents of each person to gain the best result.  What unites us is undoubtedly more significant than what divides us; what unites us is the spark of humanity in each person! It is also imperative for personal growth to learn from one another and to celebrate differences.

In rule six, we already talked about how civilly listening to diverse opinions brings better decisions and engages all participants when done right.  But it also is essential to allow people to be exposed to other cultures in a non-work environment to build understanding.  One way to do this is to build an event like I did with my team.  Each year, we had a Festival of Lights where team members all over the globe shared their holiday pictures and discussed their festival of lights (Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah, Bodi Day, Quanza, and many more).  It was not mandatory, but people loved it.  It showed the commonalities and differences of our team in a positive light. 

9. Always plan for training. Not planning for training when taking on a new venture or bringing a new person into the organization can hurt morale and stymie productivity.  In my experience, most people want to expand their capabilities and follow their organization into new ventures.  It is, therefore, crucial to provide well-constructed training so people feel that the organization is vested in them and they are enabled for the task in front of them.  I have seen too many projects go south because the leadership did not take the time to refresh members on crucial training topics or introduce new training for the new venture. 

10. Lead from the bottom. The last rule for this podcast is that you need a mechanism to hear and capture ideas from those doing the work.  The best ideas come from those performing the heavy lifting.  So, develop an incentive system to capture team members’ ideas and offer incentives and recognition when their ideas are used. 

Next week’s blog will examine the guidelines eleven through fifteen. Until then Thrive through Wellness.

The Final Five Amazing Guidelines for the Well-Led Organization

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This blog brings to a close our blog series on the Well-Led Guidelines for sustainable company success through a focus on employee wellness.  The first blog, Three Key Reasons Your Organization Should Be Wellness-Led, examined why organizations that make employee wellness have more sustainable success and happier employees. The next two blogs. Five Essential Guidelines for the Well-Led Organization and Five More Powerful Guidelines for Organizational Success, provided the first ten Well-Led guidelines for organizations and projects, while this blog provides the final five.  If you want to hear the series and other content from either our personal blog (this site) or corporate blog site, check out our Change Well podcast available on Spotify and Apple Podcast or on our Wellness Leadership podcast page

We at Wellness Leadership LLC have integrated these fifteen guidelines and the Global Standard for Risk Management from the Project Management Institute to develop a first-in-class assessment and strategy model for sustainable success for organizations, programs, and projects. If you want our services, please get in touch with us on our website, www.wellnessldr.com.  Also, be on the lookout for our first chapbook, The Well-Led Organization, at the end of February 2024.

Now, on to guidelines 11-15 of the Well-Led Organization.

11. Plan in affirmations and thankfulness. In his still relevant 1936 book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie wrote, “Lincoln once began a letter saying: “Everybody likes a compliment.” William James said: “The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” He didn’t speak, mind you, of the “wish” or the “desire” or the “longing” to be appreciated. He said the “craving” to be appreciated.  Some 85 years later, the sage Ted Lasso put this concept in simpler terms, “Believe”! 

You can get people to do incredible things on their own accord if you authentically believe in them and appreciate what they do for the organization.  What are some tips to show you believe in your team and are thankful for them?  Here  are just three:

  1. Post signs of encouragement.  I have seen this simple technique work on many occasions.  On one occasion, I noticed an off-the-rail project transformed by the positivity of the new project manager.  Taking over for the previous, less optimistic project manager, the new leader posted positive messages throughout the project site. This was reinforced by a can-do attitude that empowered the individual team leads.  People went from complaining about obstacles to solving problems.  Soon, the project was on track.  What if your project is remote and not at a single project site? You can be positive and affirming in the stand-up meeting.  One way to do this is to set an affirming word or phrase for the day or open with a success story.
  2. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. Okay, I know I have moved from Ted Lasso to Mary Poppins.  But like Mary, always temper your constructive criticism (the medicine) with a positive comment.  Start with a positive comment, and then the person will be more receptive to the recommendation.
  3. Show you are thankful.  Lastly, never underestimate the power of thanksgiving.  A simple handwritten note thanking a person for their efforts can work wonders.  For team efforts, plan a celebratory outing.  A little thanks goes a long way!

12. Be engaged and lead up front. The lesson in leadership is that sometimes, the leader has to show the team how it is done.  This does not mean that every time a team member needs an extra boost to complete a task, the leader has to do it for them.  No! It suggests that at some critical junctures, it is essential that the project director lead the way and show the prowess that got them to the position in the first place.  Also, the leader should be engaged and there for critical moments.  As a Quality Assurance Director for a leading IT consulting firm for 30 years, I always checked whether the project lead was present for critical rollouts.  And nothing got my ire up more as a project lead was not there for a crucial event.

Engaging and showing confidence and resolve during critical events is always the best move of a leader.  First,   it shows your team you care and are with them, especially since most critical deployments happen on the weekend.  Second, you are there for necessary decisions and lend a steady hand if something goes wrong or needs correcting.  Lastly, you are on hand to affirm the team when things go well and take responsibility when things go wrong.

13. Leaders eat last.  While leaders are meant to lead upfront, their needs should be secondary to the team’s.   The best way to get a person’s loyalty and make them feel cared for is to ensure they have the necessary equipment, knowledge, and nourishment. 

I will give a simple example, which I still remember even though it has been over fifteen years.  Our team had a tight deadline and had to present at two remote locations in less than a day. The only way to get to our second location on time was to rent a small prop plane, one seat shy of our party.  Instead of taking the front seat near the pilot, our boss sat in the only place left – a tiny compartment with a flip-out next to the garbage.  The lead wanted us to focus on the presentation close to the time we landed.  I was already loyal to my lead, but that simple gesture cemented it.  Lead up front, but take a backseat to their needs!

14. Be great by doing good!  People work for money but stay engaged when they believe in the company’s mission, vision, and purpose.  Also, it is my experience that most people are generous and want to give back, albeit the form of altruism differs amongst individuals.  An organization with an inspiring vision statement and a purpose beyond the bottom line will drive employees to higher levels.  Likewise, properly formed employee resource groups that allow employees to give back significantly impact employee morale and provide a positive impression of the company to the community.  Let me give an example.  

My prior company had a program established by three younger consultants called CoderDojo.   This program is a coding program for kids and teens, some of whom have never been able to code.  The program provided the consultants with a leadership opportunity and a venue for applying their skills.  The final class was the best part of the program.  The students got to display their coding projects, and judges from our company’s senior leadership handed the awards.  The participants were happy and proud, but the consultants who made up the program were even more motivated!

15. Build in fitness breaks.  The last rule is like the first rule: acknowledge that overwork is counterproductive.    Set a rule that each meeting starts 10 minutes after the hour or half hour, depending on the timing.   Encourage people to set an alarm to move on their watch for at least 10 minutes each hour.   Another way to build fitness in the workday is to have a walking meeting or a fun fitness break.  Establish a wellness calendar with fitness and mindfulness breaks. 

These fitness breaks were especially crucial during the pandemic when everyone stared at their screens for days.  One of the programs we established was Peloton Pandemic Pandemonium.  I knew we had a cohort of Peloton riders on my team, so we established a calendar of live Peloton rides when people would voluntarily ride and high-five each other.  Other programs were Bollywood dance, Yoga, and digital Karaoke.

There you have it!  The last of the fifteen rules for the Well-Led organization.  Next week, we will move back to a topic on individual wellness – Body and Soul combos.  Until then, Change Well! 

Five Essential Guidelines for the Well-Led Organization

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Welcome to Part Two of our blog series on wellness in the workplace.  In last week’s blog, we discussed just three of the reasons that a focus on employee wellness was good for the bottom line.  This week’s blog examines the first five of fifteen guidelines for a well-led project, program, or organization.

We at Wellness Leadership, LLC believe that today’s best-led organizations focus on the wellness of their employees first and foremost! Gone are the days when you had to decide between mission and people.  The best way to accomplish the corporate mission is to enable your people to fulfill their purpose! 

Our well-led guidelines operate within the risk management domain.  Every Project Management Professional knows that there are three critical constraints of project management, also known as the Iron Triangle of Project Management: scope, schedule, and budget.  They also are aware of the significant risks that impact these components.  For example, we all know that disagreement among stakeholders over requirements or vision can lead to scope creep and, in turn, impact budget and time.  Likewise, a delay in an external dependency, such as a related project, can impact the schedule and cost.

Yes, the average PMP can rattle off the key risks from the PMI manual and may even be able to come up with a mitigation plan for that risk.  But in my thirty years of experience running and QA’ing projects and teams, I have seen more projects and organizations go off the rails by inadequately accounting for employee wellness.  Here are just three examples.

  1. A project scheduled its critical initial deployment one week after Diwali.  Consequently, when a problem arose just before the release, the vital resources from the India delivery center were not on hand to correct the problem.  The US-based leadership team had addressed the timing for Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks but forgot the key holiday time for most of the resources for their global team.
  2. A key developer and informal leader of the project did not trust the underlying architecture and had voiced his opinion to management.  Instead of discussing and addressing the concern, the project lead indicated that the architecture was used on thousands of projects.  The developer only wanted to make a minor recommendation, but due to the lack of attention, they left the project, taking some critical resources with him.
  3.  A project pushed toward a tight deadline and shifted to a mandatory work schedule.  The new schedule impacted the employee’s non-work appointments, such as school and daycare pick-up, causing anxiety and resentment.  As a result, absenteeism increased, and productivity decreased, impacting the schedule even more.

I could name many more examples, but our 10-15 minute podcast would turn into hours and not be very inspiring.  Instead, I have categorized the top fifteen wellness considerations for projects, programs, and organizations, along with approaches to address these considerations.

Here are the first five guidelines for wellness and corporate success!

1. Acknowledge overwork is counterproductive.  We all know the pressure of tight deadlines and schedules.  The first inclination is to work harder and longer to finish the job on time.  However, overwork is counter-productive and leads to burnout.  A Gallup study found that employees are around 2.6x more likely to search for other jobs if burnt out.  Also, overworked employees tend to make more mistakes and errors in judgments.

I first learned this lesson from my high school football coaches. One year, the new and full of fire coaches conducted a  football camp with three daily hard workouts.  The team lost two critical early games due to injuries, resulting in the team missing the playoffs.  The following year,  the coaches adapted and added a rest period each day at a pool the following year.  Even though the team on paper was less potent than the year before, they won the playoffs. 

The lesson of the football team applies to the workplace.  Overwork in the office can lead to critical mistakes, rework, problems with retention, and absenteeism.  It also can lead to people falling asleep on the job.  Before I got the message on overwork, I remember being on a late-night troubleshooting call and hearing snoring in the background.  Our testing lead, who had been up for almost a day, had fallen asleep.  What are some tricks to avoid overwork?

  1. If someone is allocated as a part-time FTE, do not schedule them for full-time.
  2. For Full-time FTEs, load them in the schedule for no more than 6.5 hours a day. If you are working in an Agile structure, ensure you account for non-productive time in capacity.
  3. If the resulting schedule after correct loading is too tight to hit a deadline, either pull in additional resources or make the hard decision at the start to move the deadline.
  4. Ensure you account for key holidays for all groups on a global team. An excellent way to do this is to subscribe to an online service such as GlobeSmart or your organization’s equivalent.
  5. During a crisis, ensure only the people critical to solving the problem are on the call.  Let the rest off the hook.  Sometimes, this takes some prodding since, in my experience, most people feel vested until they become resentful for too much work.  If people want to stay involved, set up a rotating pool of team members to spell each other.

In closing, you may be able to overwork your team or organization to hit one project deadline.  But rest assured, a good chunk of your team will not be around for the next project.  They will be looking elsewhere as soon as the project is over.  Don’t overwork your team. Instead, build an organization for sustainable success across multiple projects.

2. Build-in time away from work.  A corollary to the first rule is to build dedicated time away from work so people can complete their non-work commitments.  The best way to do this is to plan this approach upfront.  Provide each team member with a block of time during work hours to get non-work commitments done.   You could choose 3 or 4 standard blocks and let people choose their blocks.   The individual schedules would then be loaded into the schedule.  Most people need some time during work hours to get family commitments done.  It is best if a time is built into the schedule so they can rely on it each week and others on their team know.    

For those projects and organizations that must collaborate heavily, look for time to build an organizational non-work block during regular hours.  Even though it was over 30 years ago, I remember when General Shalikashvili used this concept effectively as Commander of the 9th Infantry Division.  All commanders in the division had to cease work while in garrison for three hours each week to allow soldiers to go to the PX or do other family business.  This was quite effective in building morale and allowing soldiers needed family time when not in the field.  It was affectionately known as Shali Day.  Later, General Shalikashvili went on to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.    One last thing on this topic.  Once you establish work hours, set policies to not call, send emails or hold meetings during non-work hours except in real emergencies.  Once the policy is set, lead by example!

3. Incorporate fun and incentives.  Even when you properly plan not to overwork your team and give them appropriate time off, challenging projects and programs can be a slog! It would be best to find a way to make the project fun as the organization strives for a common goal.  One of my first bosses was the master of building fun into the project.   Here is my favorite example.  For one project, she made a poster of the Empire State Building with a stage of the project (design, code, test, etc.) every 30th floor.  She then gave each team a small cut-out image of King Kong with the name of their assigned work stream.  We would gather twice a week at the end of the day to move our King Kongs up the Empire State Building.  You got a lottery ticket for each stage you progressed.  It built fun into a challenging project and built camaraderie.  Some people won up to $100 on the instant lottery ticket.   

4. Offer healthy, culturally appropriate snacks/food.  Projects that run on time need people with energy.  Almost everyone who has been on a project has had a pizza or wings lunch at one time or another.  But that is not what I am talking about.  Pizza and less nutritious foods can be occasional treats, but look to providing your team with healthy snacks.  They need nutritious options to do their best work. When planning outings, include healthy food that fits your team’s dietary needs.  I will never forget the first two times we had a team outing in Texas; the leadership in charge of the food choices ordered barbeque.  That is ok for some people.  But half my team was vegetarian.  After fretting that they only had potato salad for sustenance, I made the rule that all outings were to have a vegan option.  Food that fits a team needs vegetarian food for Indians and healthy snacks.

When it Snows, Stay Home.  Don’t risk your employees’ health from a pandemic or weather risks.  In addition, you should build a schedule contingency for such an occasion and a weather risk with an appropriate mitigation plan.  We should all know about this risk from the recent pandemic, but weather and its impact on employee safety are sometimes not always considered.  Here is a real-life example.  We were pushing for the deadline on a major project, and there was some indication that an ice storm would hit that evening.   Our project team decided to hold a meeting to determine how to deal with other project risks when the organization we were working with left early to avoid the storm.   The risk management meeting went long, and we did three things wrong.

a.  All Southerners, we blew off the risk of the ice storm.

b.  We were so immersed in other risks and their mitigation that no one checked if the risk materialized.   

c.  Once we left for the night and the roads had become exceedingly dangerous, there was no plan to accommodate people in a nearby hotel.

The result was three key people were injured, either walking to their cars or slipping into a ditch.  Bottom line:  Do not discount the ice storms of risk!  Have a mitigation plan and take care of your employee’s safety.

If you want to hear the associated podcast, find it here: Next week’s blog will cover Well-Led Guidelines 6-10. Until then, remember to Change Well.

Three Key Reasons Your Organization Should Be Wellness-Led

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Today, we begin the first of a four-part series on why your organization should lead with wellness and fitness, followed by subsequent blogs with tips and tricks to get you there!

I was fortunate to be in the Army in my early adult life.  One of the perks of the Army is that you are paid to work out every day and keep fitness top of mind.  Likewise, the Army has weight standards that each soldier needs to meet.  It was part of your role description and responsibility.  An unfit soldier will put himself and his unit at risk.   I, therefore, had the pleasure and pain to exercise regularly.  Sometimes, it was exhilarating, like singing cadence at the top of your lungs while on a battalion run.  Other times brutal, such as the yearly Obstacle Course administered by the Department with a Heart at West Point.  Exercise and maintaining your weight standard were good, necessary, and part of your job description!  While the Army has other wellness areas that continue to improve, they had the fitness component down. 

My life changed when I left the military and joined the corporate well in the early 90’s.   Early morning calls replaced morning PT.  Long hours on planes and in front of a computer slinging code affected my health.  At the time, it seemed that fitness and taking care of myself was no longer part of my job description or even opposed to it. 

Companies and I at that time did not yet see the impact of wellness on work.   The drive for more billable hours and seemingly higher productivity dominated.   This corporate culture (or my take on it) resulted in weight gain, loss of my health, and a decline in productivity over time.

Luckily, the corporate culture and my thought processes changed around 2010.  Corporate wellness programs, such as those at Google, Microsoft, GE, Salesforce, and Accenture, to name some of the top ones, are now focused on fitness and the human aspects of work.  I greatly advocate for these programs and credit the wellness programs of my prior company as instrumental in turning my life around.  It is why my wife and I started our company, Wellness Leadership, LLC.  To read about the five corporate programs that helped restore my health, click the link in the show notes titled Five Corporate Wellness Programs that Saved My Life.  

Before jumping into my three top reasons for investing in the wellness of your employees, let me give you a few statistics.  I got this from a compilation of several sources on the Gapin Institute website. 

  • Companies with highly effective health and wellness programs report 11% higher revenue per employee, 1.8 fewer days absent per employee per year, and 28% greater shareholder returns.

In companies that provide health and wellness support:

  • 91 percent of their employees say they feel motivated to do their best (vs. 38 percent of those without)
  • 89 percent of their employees are more likely to recommend their company as a good place to work ( vs. 17 percent)
  • 91 percent of their employees have a positive relationship with supervisors (vs. 54 percent)

Expanding upon these facts, let me give you my take on why I think a focus on the wellness of the members of an organization improves an organization’s outcomes. 

Here are my top three reasons why:

  •  Improves Decision Making.  The enemy of all good decisions is stress.  Exercise and fitness help relieve stress and keep away fatigue. A simple 20-minute walk will provide a few minutes to clear your mind, allowing you to focus on the problem.  Better yet, get up and walk around the office during a phone meeting when things get heated. The simple step of standing up will shake off the cobwebs that tend to collect during back-to-back calls. 
  • Builds Comradery.   The best thing about the Army was the camaraderie.  One way it was built was through morning PT.  While I am not advocating that each company go on a company run each morning, I recommend a common fitness program to build spirit de corps.   Such a common fitness program helped me to know my colleagues better through fitness events (MS 150, Annual Veterans Walk, etc.) and programs (active rewards programs, Fitbit competition).  One simple example was a random competition I and some colleagues engaged in one Saturday.  One of my friends started a Fitbit weekend competition, and although we were all in different states, we kept apprised of the others’ progress.   We all engaged in friendly and sometimes hilarious banter through the Fitbit app as we each surpassed 10 miles.
  • Reduces  Sick Days.  Staying fit helps to keep you out of the doctor’s office and in yours during working hours.  Research conducted at Brigham Young University, the Center for Health Research at Healthways, and the Health Enhancement Research Organization suggests unhealthy eating is linked with a 66% increased risk of loss of productivity. In comparison, lack of exercise is associated with a 50% increased risk of low productivity. My experience bears this out.  Before returning to fitness, I was habitually hit with bronchitis and, at least twice a year, pneumonia.  Both resulted in sick days and loss of productivity when I worked through it.  Since returning to my target weight and improved fitness, I have had neither bronchitis nor pneumonia.  I’m not sure how many days have been saved, but approximately a week a year.  There was an increase in productivity on those days when I should have been recovering, and I drove through and worked despite my illness.

These are the top three reasons an organization should focus on member wellness.  Increased productivity, esprit de corps and better decisions are just three reasons wellness is imperative in the work world.  In blogs over the next few weeks, I will further discuss 15 guidelines for the Well Led organization. Until then,  lead through wellness!