Ep47 The Psychology of Belonging at Work

As we navigate the complexities of the workplace, it's essential to foster an environment where every mind is valued for its unique contributions. This episode introduces Dr Ian Iceton, a neurodiversity advocate with a rich HR background and personal ties to the topic, who guides us through the transformative process of integrating neurodivergent individuals into our professional spaces. We delve into the importance of language, the evolving understanding of conditions like autism and ADHD, and the role of inclusive communication in developing a supportive corporate culture.
 
 Our discussion with Ian extends beyond mere awareness; it's a deep exploration of how compassion and understanding can reshape our workplaces. We confront the misconceptions that can arise when neurodivergent behaviours are misinterpreted, stressing the need for education and sensitivity towards differences in communication and sensory experiences. We illuminate the unique ways in which neurodivergent individuals may express and perceive emotions, offering insights for managers and colleagues to build truly inclusive teams.
 
 Finally, we celebrate the diverse ways in which we learn and work, acknowledging that what might seem unconventional can be tremendously effective. We champion the idea that embracing cognitive diversity is not only beneficial for neurodivergent individuals but also enriches the entire team. Our conversation with Dr Iceton concludes with actionable advice and resources for those seeking to support neurodiversity in their organisations, ensuring that every employee, regardless of how their brain is wired, has the opportunity to thrive. 

Connect with Dr Ian Iceton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-iceton-1865695/

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Why do managers bully their people? What do they hope will happen? What does Psychology and Neuroscience say about bullying at work? In this episode Amanda and Caitlin look at the science, the psychology and the neuroscience to try to unpick this difficult topic. 
This episode title was recommended by Julie Grosvenor from Dudley MBC, at the NW Coaching & Mentoring Conference in November 2023 in Birmingham. Thank you Julie for recommending this episode.

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Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/

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Trust is the foundation to Psychological Safety, and Psychologically Safe teams are more likely to speak up challenge and ask questions, thus creating more innovative solutions and improving team performance. Does this mean therefore that trust is the foundation of team performance? In this episode of The Chief Psychology Officer we look at the importance of trust at work, and what teams can do to improve the levels of trust at work.

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For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform as mentioned in this podcast please contact Amanda via email: hello@betalent.com.

Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/

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Get ready for a festive and light hearted episode of the Chief Psychology Officer Dr Amanda Potter becomes the host, interviewing Senior Consultant Kristian Lee-Bell and Business Psychologist Caitlin Cooper, sharing heartwarming tales of the best advice and the worst gifts they have ever received. 'Tis the season for a podcast that unwraps the magic of holiday generosity, laughter, and science behind the joy of giving. But that is not all, they also take time to discuss the psychology of gift-giving, or the neuroscience behind those thoughtful presents? This podcast episode unwraps the answers as we delve into the intricacies of why we give and how our brains respond to gratitude.
The Chief Psychology Officer episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/
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For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform as mentioned in this podcast please contact Amanda via email: TheCPO@zircon-mc.co.uk.

Timestamps

Happy Christmas 2023

·       00:00 – Hang on a minute; who’s hosting?

·       00:52 – Introducing; Caitlin Cooper

·       01:39 – Introducing; Kristian Lees-Bell

Big trouble in Little Asia…

·       02:32 – If you knew me well…

·       03:14 – SWEETCORN WITH A ROAST?!!!

·       04:01 – Lessons in Asia

·       04:48 – KFC and Beer; you can’t ask for anything better

·       06:00 – Memories of a Geisha

·       07:05 – You must be joking?

·       08:53 – You’re only as good as you feel

·       09:37 – Penny, this one’s for you…

Beware of yourself baring gifts

·       10:28 – Crocs are the way forward

·       11:41 – Mmm… Cheese and Bacon rolls

·       13:07 – Sweetcorn at Christmas is weird

·       14:24 – The wrapping, is the gift

·       15:46 – Socks and pants come to you with age

·       17:03 – Leave myself till last

·       18:34 – Sometimes a card says more than a gift…

The rest is poetry

·       19:50 – Poet’s corner

·       21:02 – Enough fish, to build a curtain rail?

·       22:01 – Check out my new grills!

·       23:08 – Pot (no kettle) Black

·       24:27 – It wouldn’t be a podcast without Neuroscience

·       25:34 – Amanda Potter, this is your birthday:

·       26:17 – The end.

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The ability for senior leaders and C-Suite leaders to make decisions has been reported to be the single most important characteristic of success for those leaders. As a result, for the past 20 years the Zircon Psychologists have been researching decision making behaviours to understand how leaders make decisions and how leaders, teams and businesses can capitalise on the cognitive diversity of the team to be more innovative, efficient and decisive. In this episode Caitlin Cooper interviews Dr Amanda Potter to understand this research and draws out the topics of resilience, psychological safety, bias and belief when discussing decisiveness in leaders.

The Chief Psychology Officer episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/
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Timestamps

The Value of Diversity in Decision Making

·       00:00 – Introduction to Decision Making

·       01:04 – I definitely like Italian food.

·       01:45 – Don’t leave work without making a decision…

·       02:53 – The 90’s were pretty wild

·       04:09 – Leaders know what they want

·       05:08 – Cognitive Diversity revisited

·       06:30 – Right or wrong are just words; what matters is what you do.

I just can’t decide!

·       07:47 – We have form

·       08:28 – The seeds of our work

·       09:53 – The 10 commandments (of decision making)

·       11:31 – It really depends…

·       12:09 – Showing real style

·       13:03 – Personal reference

·       14:52 – Thinking first, deciding later

·       16:26 – Belief Scale

Sorry what was that again?

·       17:07 – What can teams do to better their decision making?

·       19:50 – Learning from failure and recognising our flaws

·       21:26 – It’s a cultural thing…

·       23:38 – Psychological Safety revisited

·       24:19 – I’m a bit biased, but my decision to include this is final!

·       25:37 – Fundamental Attribution Error

·       26:41 – The effect of Diversity

·       28:22 – Reverse mentorship: the rise of the Shadow Boards

Solidification

·       29:56 – Neuroscience!

·       31:58 – You’re not delaying on purpose, are you?

·       33:38 – A bit of fresh air helps clear the head

·       34:49 – Let them eat… chicken & bananas?...

·       35:51 – The Mozart effect

·       36:24 – I’ve made my decision.

·       36:55 – The end.

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What does neuroscience say about burnout? In this episode, Senior Consultant Kristian Lees-Bell and the Chief Psychology Officer Dr Amanda Potter build on the neuroscience of resilience podcast and discuss the physiological and neurological reaction to stress, the emotions we feel as a result and the risk of burnout. This podcast explains the chemical response to burnout and starts to outline some actions you can take to reduce the risk of burning out and remain stronger in prolonged or acute stress situations. 
The Chief Psychology Officer episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/
To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zircon-consulting-ltd/
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For more information about the BeTalent Resilience and Psychological Safety questionnaires mentioned in this podcast please contact hello@betalent.com

Timestamps

Neuroscience of Burnout

·       00:00 – Introduction to the Neuroscience of Burnout

·       01:13 – Tell the story you know…

·       02:01 – Atkins Neuroscience, not the diet

·       03:22 – You are what you eat

·       04:04 – Dopamine; its on the list.

·       05:10 – Serotonin; the superglue to Dopamine’s sticky tape

The Persistence of Memory

·       06:05 – What is Burnout?

·       06:58 – I think you ought to know, I’m feeling very depressed…

·       08:04 – I’m too tired to write something witty here, also my head hurts

·       09:08 – GPP (Genuine People Personalities)

·       10:06 – I’m feeling no connection here

·       11:00 – What was I doing again?

In my mind’s eye…

·       13:27 – Burnout in the workplace

·       14:09 – The 12 Steps (not by the AA)

·       15:16 – It affects us all; own it!

·       17:42 – Perhaps it’s an age thing…

·       18:20 – It’s your personality

·       19:28 – The Brain’s HPA and feeding yourself cortisol 

·       21:19 – This is stressful!

·       22:35 – Solipsistic this isn’t it?...

Burnout is much more than skin deep.

·       23:25 – The process

·       26:10 – You’re overthinking the little details

·       27:35 – Try to be nice, but always be kind

·       28:23 – What does your therapist say?

·       29:40 – Let set some boundaries here:

·       31:25 – Please share

·       32:16 – The end.

Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/

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What does neuroscience say about how you can cope effectively with stress and improve your resilience? In this episode, Senior Consultant Kristian Lees-Bell and the Chief Psychology Officer Dr Amanda Potter discuss the physiological and neurological reaction to stress, and the emotions we feel as a result. This podcast explains the chemical response to stress and starts to outline some actions you can take to train yourself to calm the stress response and feel happier and stronger in times of difficulty.

The Chief Psychology Officer episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/
To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zircon-consulting-ltd/
To access the resilience and psychological safety research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://zircon-mc.co.uk/zircon-white-papers.php
For more information about the BeTalent Resilience and Psychological Safety questionnaires mentioned in this podcast please contact hello@betalent.com

Timestamps

Neuroscience of Resilience

·       00:00 – Introduction to the Neuroscience of Resilience

·       01:43 – Each step is as individual as a snowflake

·       03:07 – The states of play

·       03:43 – ARE YOU GETTING STRESSED?!

·       04:28 – One more thing the 70’s gave us

·       05:30 – Acute or Prolonged?

·       06:29 – Creeping on the come up…

·       07:04 – Resilience is self-care

The large thing between your ears

·       07:57 – You’re only as stressed as you feel

·       10:01 – Brains!

·       11:23 – Neuroplasticity revisited

·       12:46 – It’s all about healing

·       13:50 – This is all sounding a little risky…

·       15:08 – Lay all of your trust in 2 paleolithic lumps of grey matter

·       16:17 – Stress => growth

·       16:57 – The worrier

Cortex praefrontalis

·       17:45 – The part that makes you… you

·       18:42 – You’re built different when you’re younger

·       19:59 – Chemistry; the study of change

·       21:14 – Keep the roid rage under control

·       22:12 – Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic

·       23:27 – My mate Teri told me…

·       24:04 – Talk positively

·       25:05 – (Refer back to Podcast No.45)

C13H16N2O2

·       25:54 – Dopamine and Serotonin

·       28:33 – Let there be love!

·       29:27 – Laughter is the best medicine

·       30:00 – The Science of Sleep (not the movie)

·       31:19 – It’s like being in a spa…

·       32:54 – Mind altering chemicals

·       33:35 – It’s taken me a while to say this… but I feel like an imposter!

·       35:12 – A Dose of tips

·       37:56 – Just one more thing…

·       39:04 – The end.

Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/

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Most employees need to feel like they belong to the team in which they work in order to be fully motivated and engaged. Belonging is the feeling of being accepted and respected in a team or organisation and is created by having inclusive work environments. When we belong we feel connected to colleagues, there is the right work life balance, and our values are lived at at work. 

The feeling of belonging in a workplace is more important than we would think. In fact research has shown that the extent to which we belong significantly contributes to improving our productivity and morale within a team or organisation. In this episode, Senior Psychologist Caitlin Cooper and Dr Amanda Potter the Chief Psychology Officer explore the concept of belonging and how organisations and teams can improve the feeling of belonging for each of the people in their team. 

The Chief Psychology Officer episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/
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For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform as mentioned in this podcast please contact Hello@BeTalent.com

Timestamps

Psychology of Belonging

·       00:00 – Introduction to Belonging

·       00:33 – Oh My God! We didn’t kill Kenny!

·       01:13 – If I don’t fit, I must quit.

·       02:25 – The impact of COVID-19

·       03:18 – I’m the architect of my life

·       04:14 – Self-reflection

·       05:29 – Who’s right and who’s wrong?

·       07:11 – Inclusion is not an illusion

“I just space out” – Peter Gibbons

·       08:10 – I feel we have a connection here…

·       10:00 – Trust

·       10:57 – It’s my red stapler

·       12:02 – Can I go on the slide please?

·       12:54 – What does Belonging actually mean?

·       13:13 – The 5 drivers

·       14:36 – Don’t worry; this is a safe, necessary space

·       15:39 – In order to share heart-to-hearts, you need a heart to begin with…

Respecting boundaries

·       16:38 – The signs are in body language

·       17:50 – This reminds of this person I know…

·       19:11 – Territorial disputes

·       21:34 – Resilience and Psychological Safety revisited

·       22:22 – Belonging or Loyalty?

·       23:15 – Look, Listen, Lead & Learn

·       24:37 – $8 Billion?!!!

With open arms…

·       25:32 – Accept and Respect

·       26:10 – Don’t go breaking my heart

·       27:02 – The biological benefits

·       28:51 – In summary…

29:58 – The end. 

Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/

To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zircon-consulting-ltd/

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What would you say about yourself if introduced to a new potential employer or client for the first time? What would be the most important things you would like to share about yourself? In this episode of the CPO we look at Elevator Pitches, are they useful, how do we prepare one and what is important to share? 

The Chief Psychology Officer episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/
To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zircon-consulting-ltd/
To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://zircon-mc.co.uk/zircon-white-papers.php
For more information about the BeTalent Strengths questionnaire mentioned in this podcast please contact the BeTalent team via email: Hello@BeTalent.com.

Timestamps

Creating your Elevator Pitch

·       00:00 – Introduction to the Elevator Pitch

·       01:04 – It feels like the first time…

·       01:53 – 30-60 seconds to sell yourself

·       02:21 – Crosby or Otis?

·       03:32 – A ride on the gauche train

·       04:00 – (not) the key to success

·       04:52 – Filling the void, not touching it

·       05:38 – A Proustian moment

Molding the clay

·       06:07 – Anytime, anywhere!

·       08:06 – I have no time for this…

·       09:09 – Great for products, not for people

·       10:01 – The mark of a true warrior, is humility

·       11:04 – Help me, to help you!

·       11:52 – Let’s set the scene…

·       12:34 – What is your role?

·       13:15 – What is the problem you’re solving?

·       13:46 – What’s the solution?

·       14:12 – What’s next?

Practice makes perfect

·       14:48 – Great, now let’s go again!

·       16:12 – The Amanda Potter Story

·       17:10 – A big difference…

·       18:28 – The clock is ticking…

·       19:44 – Contextualizing

·       21:00 – One more time

·       22:51 – In summary…

·       23:42 – Energize!

·       24:11 – It’s not just what you say; it’s how you say it.

·       24:58 – Feedback

·       25:15 – The end.

Episodes are available here https://www.thecpo.co.uk/

To follow Zircon on LinkedIn and to be first to hear about podcasts, publications and news, please like and follow us: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zircon-consulting-ltd/

To access the research white papers mentioned in this and other podcasts, please go to: https://zircon-mc.co.uk/zircon-white-papers.php

For more information about the BeTalent suite of tools and platform please contact: TheCPO@zircon-mc.co.uk