Maze Runners Consulting, LLC

Nothing says "Happy Birthday!" like a dollar store card signed by everyone you've never spoken to in your office before and a $5 Starbucks gift card, right?
Maybe not... 🤔
Check out our article on birthdays and to get some more insight on how you choose to celebrate, or not celebrate, may be affecting your workplace.

Reflection on Workplace Birthday Rituals: Authenticity and Time The 1980s saw massive layoffs. The turmoil from this period wasn’t just people losing their jobs, but people losing their jobs who thought that their relationship with their employer was personal and that they would always have a job. Work was like a family. People given pink slips felt betrayed, ...

Courtesy and kindness from others help make the very act of living together so much more enjoyable. Today, someone bought my coffee in the drive-up line at City Brew, which is an amazingly kind act that will make my whole day brighter. Research suggests that we start reining in our acts of kindness at a young age because we don't recognize the power of kindness. Read more about why we undervalue kindness and perhaps reexamine your own kindness in the world.

Undervaluing kindness starts early | BPS Acts of kindness make the giver, as well as the recipient, feel good. But research also shows that we systematically underestimate how well other people will respond to a range of positive acts, including giving compliments, expressing gratitude, providing social support, and performing a random act...

We at Maze Runners Consulting hope everyone had an excellent holiday season and end-of-2023 celebration!
Getting back to work after a nice vacation can pose some interesting and sometimes unexpected mental challenges. This article from MindTools explores some approachable ways to overcome that hurdle!

Returning From Vacation - How to Handle Work After a Break Learn strategies that will help ease the transition back into your working routine after a vacation.

Most women I know, and a few men, have certain "power clothes" that they wear in specific situations. This may not be clothing just to give a make-or-break presentation, but could also be an outfit that helps you tackle that garage project, or a favorite fuzzy robe to recover from illness. "Enclothed cognition" is the academic term for clothing affecting your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and it is found to be a generally valid idea. So go buy that power jacket that makes you feel like a Marvel hero.

Enclothed cognition brushes up well | BPS New analysis shows that after the alarm was raised on the replication crisis in psychology, research into how clothes make us feel, think, and act has improved substantially.

Courage is something I have been thinking about lately with the rise of the hatred surrounding the Israel conflict. If we understand fear and courage, perhaps we will all do a better job of being brave when necessary. This article may give you insight into developing courage in yourself and others.

People who see themselves as more courageous do better in fear-inducing situations | BPS We frequently come across situations that require courage, big and small: job interviews, dates, public speaking. Unlike fearlessness, where we’re not afraid of what we’re about to do, courage necessitates feeling fear and pushing through, sometimes in an act of great resilience.

If you clear out your email inbox every day or week, no need to read further, you are awesome. If you are unhappy with or even frightened by your email, which is increasingly my reality, then this article is for you!

https://mazerunnersconsulting.com/newsworthy

Post-COVID normalcy isn't here yet, and many are struggling with issues that may slide into depression. Whether you are thinking of helping a colleague, friend, or yourself, this article offers a brief summary of how to recognize depression and what to do. And remember, for health and happiness, if you do nothing else try and get moving! It is unlikely if you exercise consistently (defined as 3-4 times a week for 6-weeks) that you will become depressed.

Five Ways to Help Someone With Depression Knowing how depression works can help you better support loved ones who are struggling.

If you are bored, that can be a very good thing for your creativity. This article may help you appreciate and harness your boredom.

How To Deal With Boredom, Digested By Emily Reynolds. How do you deal with boredom? And does being bored even come with some benefits? Here’s the research on boredom, digested.

You are not alone if working-from-home is causing you stress. Research is showing that many people are looking forward to getting back to a work environment that isn't their home. Two take-away ideas from this article may help you make the best of the situation right now:
1. Create a "commute" transition time to separate your home from work. For example, take a short walk to switch gears.
2. Create your own work-home time boundaries and stick to them. For example, stop reading or responding to emails after you "leave the office" to help you relax and focus on something besides work, life family and friends.

Coping With Remote Working During Covid-19: The Latest Research, Digested By Emma Young. How has the shift to working from home affected our mental health — and what can we do to make our new working lives better?

Are you feeling stuck because of all the stops and starts of COVID-19? You are not alone if you have False Start Inertia. Read more and take action to get moving again.

Maze Runners Have you ever had the experience of starting to work on something and then stopping, possibly due to circumstances out of your control? And then starting and stopping again?  For example, a parent waking at night to tend a child and then going back to bed, only to be roused again.  And the cycle r...

Take a cue from the birds in COVID-19 business leadership. This post tells you how.

Maze Runners Running a business right now may feel like straddling two different cars in a Fast and Furious movie, during a hailstorm, in the dark. But as a leader, you still must decide how to keep your team working together and moving forward. Thinking like a bird may help.