Work sucks less when talking about mental health becomes as boring as talking about going to the dentist.

When it’s just another thing. Like that show everyone’s watching. The game last night. Or that new laundry detergent that really does make your whites 20 percent whiter.

When it’s fully normalized and casualized.

That’s what Paul MacFarlane wants. A return guest on the DesuckifyWork® Podcast, Paul is a creative soul who believes our work should bring out the best in humanity.

And our humanity is crying out for some help right now. AI, layoffs, wars, polarization. It’s the soup we swim in every day. Why the hell can’t we talk about how we’re coping with all of it without making it weird?

We all have emotions. And we’re all bringing ‘em to work despite 100 plus years of effort to keep them out.

Let’s talk about them. Let’s help each other deal with them. Let’s realize that our capacity to feel things is the greatest gift in the universe and is the thing that will guide us through every possible uncertainly that comes our way.

Let’s be boringly, beautifully, unabashedly, human.

Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way.

(If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin

You can follow Paul on LinkedIn. And check out his site at thepaulmacfarlane.com to learn more about his work and his delightfully human take on the world.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

Bonus questions from Paul:Do you think the normalization and casualization of mental health would be a good thing? If so, how could you help make it happen?

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Work sucks less when we realize unity does not require uniformity.

A cohesive culture means everything at work. But it doesn’t mean everyone needs to show up in the same way.

In fact, it’s way better when we don’t.

A shared mission? Yes. And the only way to achieve it is if you invite everyone to bring the stuff that makes them interesting to the table.

Neil Ghosh has made it his mission to help make this approach a reality. He’s written a book called “Do More Good” and he’s speaking to folks around the world about it.

One idea I really love—in addition to rewarding performance at work, let’s reward “decency.” The people who do the right thing, are a delight to work with, make things easier, own their mistakes, support folks who are struggling.

The core value under all of this? Inclusion. Giving more people more pathways to be seen and valued. And helping teams bring out the best in everyone.

We do all that, we get more done and those big hairy missions that usually just sit gathering dust on company websites become living, breathing invitations to make an actual difference in the world.

Sounds pretty good to me.

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Welcome to the DesuckifyWork® podcast. The show where we cut through the BS and find ways to make work more fun, more human and less ridiculous. All of which makes your business more profitable, by the way. This episode is part of the ongoing Prohuman Series in partnership with Prohuman Foundation.

(If you enjoy this one, please like, share, rate, review or subscribe to the podcast.)

Let the desuckifying begin.

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You can follow Neil on LinkedIn. And check out his site at neilghosh.org to learn more about his work and his book. You can also check out his recent Fast Company and CEO World articles.

If you enjoyed the conversation and would like to find some calm in the chaos of work, I invite you to schedule a free half-hour discovery session. Type “meow” in the calendar invite and I’ll also send you a free DesuckifyWork® t-shirt!

Bye, everyone!

Bonus questions from Neil:What is one thing in the current work environment that is worrying you, not just for yourself, but for the next generation?

How often do you feel like an actual human being at work?

LIke someone who is valued, seen, appreciated and respected. Like a full 3-D person with emotions, quirks, brilliance, cofusion, crankiness and all the other stuff that makes us, us.

My guess is not often enough. Workplaces are often the most inhuman places we experience in our lives. Because somehow we got the idea that this is the way to get the results we want. Beat people down, keep it “all business” all the time and watch all the arrows move up and to the right.

Except that’s not how it works. Study after study confirms that companies do better when they treat people fairly and humanely. When they invite people to show up fully. When they stop using dumb corporate lingo like “circle back” and simply say, “let’s talk later.”

The robots may be coming for our jobs but many of us became just like those robots long, long ago.

We can do better.

You can check out the full podcast episode here or here.