For the past 32 years I have had a front row seat at the ongoing drama of elation, disappointment, achievement, loss, bravery and betrayal that occurs every day in the world of business. This has been the sustaining and motivating privilege of working all these years in the EAP profession. Employees and managers and family members have trusted me to listen to their hopes and fears and joys and sorrows. Along the way I have seen up close how meaningful and pleasurable work can be for some people. I have also seen how stressful and devastating emotionally it can be for others at critical times.

I have seen leaders who were honest and loyal and understood exactly how to bring out the best in people. Unfortunately, I have also seen too much of leaders who were selfish and short-sighted and cultivated work environments that thwarted employees and produced far more frustration than creativity.

Along the way I have continued to be fascinated by the different ways that individuals think about and cope with their ambitions, responsibilities and difficulties. At the same time, over the course of this quarter century there has been an unprecedented bonanza of actionable psychological research advancing our understanding of such topics as: motivation, communication skills, leadership, productivity, happiness, and adult learning.

Oh…and did I mention that personal computers, the internet, social media and mobile communications got dropped into the mix along the way and changed how and when we work together.

I want this blog to be a place where we can think about the psychology of behavior, health and productivity in the workplace.  What makes us more productive and more fulfilled? What gets in our way and impairs health, safety and productivity? What can we do to perform better and feel better about our work? How can we successfully manage the demands of work with our family and personal lives as we live through a period where the boundaries between them are eroding rapidly?  And perhaps most of all I want to think about how the EAP profession can help make the workplace a healthier and more productive environment.

There’s a lot to talk about. I’m looking forward to it.