Is the generation gap causing frustration for you or someone you know? Have you found yourself making any of these statements? "They just don’t show respect like they used to." "The work ethic isn't the same as it used to be." "They aren't interested in pursuing leadership roles." For quite some time now, my clients have expressed their challenges in understanding the younger generation in the workplace. I've observed a significant gap not just in their worldviews and values but particularly in communication, leading to a lack of connection between the generations. This communication gap often ..read more

Written by Julia Hetherington So here we are at the beginning of 2022. How did that happen?! The New Year brings an abundance of positivity - new beginnings, fresh ideas, renewed energy. For some however, this can mean a time of questioning and contemplation; where they are in their lives, what areas need changing and possibly improving. This reimagining, coupled with the reality of returning to the daily grind after the summer holiday, so often results in a feeling of dissatisfaction and unhappiness at work and a desire to change jobs or careers. There is a lot of conversation around “The Gr ..read more

Written by Julia Hetherington Guilty, as charged. I am bound to my phone. I like to have this little piece of technology close to me and if I don’t, something is missing, I feel on edge, not quite right. What the heck is going on?! Less than twenty years ago, I didn’t even own a mobile phone. Once I finally purchased one (a true late adopter!) I owned the simple Nokia 1100 with no functionality to do anything beyond making phone calls and sending the odd prepaid text message. And I was very happy with that…in fact, I was strongly devoted to that Nokia phone for a long time, even after most of ..read more

Written by Anna Gibbons With the festive season fast approaching, you’ll no doubt be attending end of year functions and decorating your Christmas tree. But do you notice the rituals you have consciously (or unconsciously) created for yourself? By increasing our awareness of the little things that we incorporate in our daily life to help us relieve stress, we can really amplify their benefits, which we all know we can do with right now after a challenging year on all fronts.  Whether you know it or not, you will have rituals that exist for you and the science suggests it provides certain ..read more

As human beings we have a natural drive to strive for mastery. This desire for excellence and superiority – becoming your best - can be incredibly self-motivating. There is a positivity about looking forward and focusing on progress, however there is also a downside. We are our own worst critics and combined with external pressures, we often feel bad about our perceived inability to “master” something – whatever that concept really means.   “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” -       Ernest Hemingway The 20th century novel ..read more

I have to be honest, it has been one crazy year for me and Best of Today on many levels. It’s only in the last month or so that I finally feel like my feet are on solid ground again and I am back in the thriving space.    The last 12 months have come with a lot of learnings. There’s nothing like an unexpected and sudden shift to a new city with four children, along with a freshly launched business at the onset of a global pandemic and a lockdown in a new neighbourhood to put someone in the languishing space of wellbeing. It’s interesting on reflection how much I resisted being in my ..read more

The term ‘mindfulness’ can bring up various images for people.  They may see a Buddhist monk, someone practicing yoga, the meditation pose or someone doing deep breathing. Not as many people would think of neuroscientists, researchers and executives practising mindfulness at work. The exciting thing is that mindfulness now has research behind it.  We can now explain why mindfulness is no longer just a Buddhist term, but a ‘must-do’ for executives. I personally look at mindfulness for executives and leaders the same as a sports conditioning coach for an Olympic athlete.  If you ..read more

  Learning to be more present can strengthen our relationships and help us find pockets of calmness and fun during the day. Best of Today's Founder Anna Gibbons shares how we can all practice being more present. Human beings have always needed a strong sense of kotahitanga (togetherness) in order to thrive.  However, the latest statistics from Southern Cross suggest that over 50% of New Zealanders feel they don’t have enough family time and 42% are unhappy in their personal relationships.  Their study showed:  55% of Kiwi parents want more family time. This figure is eve ..read more

  Living and working in your ‘bubble’ for over a month means you will be well on your way to hard wiring some new habits. On average, research has shown it takes around 8 weeks to create a new habit in our brains (yes, this is why our Best of Today programme is 8 weeks long!).  With this in mind, be curious about what new habits you could be creating in your ‘bubble’ whilst at home.  Have you found yourself… Going to bed later and perhaps getting up slightly later also? Drinking more regularly? Exercising more regularly than before? Eating healthier? Eating more treat ..read more

  As we face this crisis together, it is more important now than ever to prioritise our social wellbeing and foster quality connections with our family, friends and colleagues. But how can we increase connection, with lockdown and other physical distancing measures in place? Kotahitanga (togetherness) is one of Best of Today's key messages A strong sense of belonging and togetherness is essential for our wellbeing. Whether it's sourced from family, friends or co-workers, people have an inherent desire to belong and be part of something greater than themselves. Feeling this sense o ..read more