iOpener Insights

This article was first published on 11 July 2024 on LinkedIn by Santiago García. Santi is an iOpener consultant as well as co-founder of the Future...

We always love to see the range of literature on happiness at work expanding! Selma Fehrmann has a new book out on the subject, entitled Happiness...

In late November I spent three trying days holed up in a hotel room in Prague nursing Covid while my colleagues from iOpener (Vik Kumar, Oriana...

If your New Year’s Resolution (NYR) is to not read long articles, here’s a brief summary of this blog post:

You know how important yet challenging it is to quantify the return on your learning and development spend. But now, recent findings by iOpener...

We’ve been researching work happiness for over 12 years now, and have over 60,000 responses to our questionnaire. A key insight is that professionals...

I’ve worked in a few places with unachievable and ultimately futile sustainability targets, with whole committees formed to wrangle for months over...

As a totally virtual company, recently every team member received a book via Amazon

We’re coming towards the end of the fifth International Week of Happiness at Work, a movement that aims to make Happiness at Work the norm, not the...

This article was originally posted as one of Stephen's excellent, insightful LinkedIn posts. Here you'll find more leadership tools, wisdom and wit....

I was recently asked by a colleague “What do mindfulness and executive coaching have in common?” It struck me as a very interesting question, and it...

‘What’s a nice Priest like you doing on a coaching course?’ This is a question I’ve been asked more than once over the past few months.

I recently went to the Gielgud Theatre in London to see The Mirror and the Light. It’s a play based on the third book of Hilary Mantel’s trilogy...

To make a speech, all you need is three things. You need your authentic voice, your warm heart and an occasion. That occasion may be one that has...

All my professional life I have worked with barristers, the people you see in English courtroom dramas on TV or films who wear the funny-looking wigs...

There are some very simple principles when it comes to working with the news media. But it’s amazing how few individuals and organisations get it...

I’ve spent a large part of this summer rummaging through a suitcase. Not a sad pretence at going away on holiday to somewhere exotic but an...

The Art of Everyday Influence and Persuasion I bought a flat during lockdown. Chain free. A walk in the park surely? According to property website...

As the summer ends and many of us contemplate a return to the office, anxiety abounds. Fears about Covid... care arrangements for elderly parents and...

I’m inspired. As a Positive Psychologist, with VIA strengths of Curiosity and Love of Learning, attending the 2021 International Positive Psychology...

Before your working life was disrupted by Covid-19, your view on what constituted Executive Presence in a virtual world was probably somewhat...

Alongside the immense suffering that this pandemic has caused, there have been a few silver linings. One notable silver lining is that mental health...

You experience work on three basic levels. You have: an organizational experience a team experience (and perhaps more than one different team...

This week made me reflect on receiving kindness from others and highlighted that deep listening to someone else is a gift of kindness, which creates...

When you were a pre-schooler, you were routinely told two things: Be nice! and Take turns! It turns out that these two social norms - of empathy...

What are the assumptions commonly held about coaching.After reading ‘Coaching: The (Secret) Code to Uncommon Leadership’ written by my friend and...

For the past week the Ever Given container ship has been wedged across the Suez Canal. It’s blocking one of the world’s busiest trade routes and...

You may think of the International Day of Happiness as a day on which you must be happy. And you may feel the pressure to get happy. Let’s be...

How can you measure a year? In lockdowns? In virtual meet ups? In the amount of times you’ve said “you’re on mute”? For many of us, this week marks...

We’ve been measuring Achieving Your Potential (AYP) through our Performance-Happiness survey, the iPPQ, for over a decade now. And we’re intrigued...

Not only are we in between Christmas and the New Year, but it somehow feels like much of 2020 has also been a time of in between. In between what...

There are upsides to this pandemic. Like realising how resourceful, capable and proactive you can be whilst, at the same time, dealing with high...

There are upsides to this pandemic. Like realising how resourceful, capable and proactive you can be whilst, at the same time, dealing with high...

Organizations are being held under the spotlight by employees for their handling of this pandemic. It’s a reflection of the fact that work plays a...

With the global economy in a protracted state of flux, it’s not at all surprising that 94% of you report that you’re dealing with personal and...

by Katie Demain

There’s a lot that you – our followers and iPPQ respondents – are telling us is going well for you at work at the moment. Really well. Read on to...

In June, we saw some interesting variations in the responses to the iPPQ.

One of the first things that really shook me, in more ways than one, was to find myself in the devastating earthquake in Mexico City in 1985. I had...

I’m struggling to get my head around the last couple of weeks. Watching that video for 8 seconds is unbearable, never mind for 8 minutes and 46...

The May iPPQ data is in.

When you can’t take the heat, head for the kitchen.

by Katie Demain

The early results are in, as we continue to collect data about people’s wellbeing and resilience at work. And they’re worth shouting about.

In adverse moments companies need to make an additional effort to preserve the psychological safety of their people. They have a lot at stake.

COVID-19 has knocked us off-kilter. Leaders are under pressure. Employees are under pressure. This collective fear and ensuing stress is...

The Happiness at Work assessment is iOpener’s online survey that assesses your wellbeing and resilience at work. The assessment is completely free...

My mum was a junior school teacher all her working life. Now, she’s a sprightly 70-something-year-old retiree and does not like to be idle. In...

‘How are you feeling?’ might be the toughest question for you to answer right now. Having been a freelancer, or using the sexier term a “gig...

Here’s a gift from iOpener that will provide a wellbeing check-in for you and your people, and help you build resilience in these tough times.

How do you form a personal connection through a screen? As we collectively settle into a long stretch of working from home, we’re quickly...

Perspective & framing can make all the difference How often have you had an amazing experience in a workshop? When you leave you’re feeling truly...

How do we make executive learning stick? The stickiness factor of professional learning and development is the most striven-for characteristic of...

How will you hone your skills when you can’t leave home? This past Monday we got a call from one of our clients. As a top-tier business school...

You, like many others, could be facing radical changes in your working environment right now. At iOpener Institute we want to support you in bridging...

Are you a good egg when it comes to emotional intelligence? We’ve seen a surge in sign-ups for our session ‘Understanding & Using Emotional...

Vik Kumar, iOpener’s Managing Director

Our global community includes mastery-level facilitators and coaches across Europe, MENA, Asia, the USA and Mexico backed by a brilliant team of...

iOpener’s leadership solutions are research-backed. Our latest white paper is a theoretical and practical analysis of innovation in leadership.

Our global community includes mastery-level facilitators and coaches across Europe, MENA, Asia, the USA and Mexico backed by a brilliant team of...

In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world things are changing, and fast. Adapting to this environment is essential for...

This week, January 26th – 2nd February 2019, is National Storytelling Week. It was created by the Society for Storytelling in 2000 to increase...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay spoke to HR Zone about why resilience is such a vital skill for leaders in 2019, to manage the pace of change and thrive in our...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay spoke to HR Zone about the fundamental impact technology is having not just on the way we live and work – but also on the way...

Our global community includes mastery-level facilitators and coaches across Europe, MENA, Asia, the USA and Mexico, backed by a brilliant team of...

At iOpener, our global community includes mastery-level facilitators and coaches across Europe, MENA, Asia, the USA and Mexico, backed by a brilliant...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay wrote an article for HRD Connect on the importance of engaging millennials through purpose.

The humble cup of coffee. A bit like the water cooler, coffee is sometimes seen as just an excuse to get away from the desk. How many hours of...

Last week (September 6th) was National Read a Book Day and here at iOpener, we have read a lot of leadership books over the years. It’s a topic we...

Organizations across the world are adapting and innovating in order to survive the ever-quickening pace of change. The world of learning is evolving...

Monday 30th July was International Day of Friendship, an event based on the recognition of the relevance and importance of friendship as a “noble...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay recently spoke to livemint about how to select the right executive coach to ensure success.

In the latest installment of her regular column, our CEO Julia Lindsay wrote an article for HRD Connect about how we can use active listening to...

Even if you’re not a football supporter, it is hard to escape the World Cup at the moment. Germany’s history-making exit, the use of VAR and...

In the second installment of her regular column, our CEO Julia Lindsay wrote an article for HRD Connect about how we can maximize focus and time on...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay wrote an article for HRD Connect about how we can solve the productivity puzzle facing organisations today.

Henry Ford was a pioneer who said many profound things including ‘the only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing’.

iOpener Consultant and Personal Impact Specialist Simon de Cintra has recently published a brilliant new business book entitled “Unlock Your Business...

We are delighted to have been selected by Belgium-headquartered group Etex to be a learning partner in the delivery of their Leadership Academy.

Today is #InternationalDayofHappiness – a day where all 193 United Nations members states around the world come together to create more happiness in...

We are delighted to welcome Jonathan Hann as Operations Director for iOpener Institute for People and Performance.

At iOpener, we were really lucky to work with a clever, conscientious and charming intern last year (paid in case you’re wondering). She was with us...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay wrote an article for LinkedIn Pulse about how leaders inspire others to succeed.

What leaders should know about achieving an agile work environment in a VUCA world VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) is the...

Our CEO Julia Lindsay spoke to HR Zone about the three core steps to improving team happiness at work. Her text is based on our robust and meticulous...

How well does your job fit with your initial expectations of it? In Roald Dahl’s 'Matilda' , the young heroine’s unscrupulous father sells cars which...

iOpener in Conversation: Mindfulness in the Workplace Short Version:

Jo Bishop Reviews Challenge 4 and Wraps up the Series… Reviewing Challenge 4: Connecting achievements of the organization and team to individual...

Jo Bishop Reviews Challenge 3 and Launches Challenge 4 Reviewing Challenge 3: telling stories in an authentic and inspiring way (#inspiringstories):

How Mindfulness Helps us to Lead in Challenging Times

Happiness at Work and Doing Something Worthwhile We all want to feel we’re doing something meaningful with our lives. Given that we’re at work for...

Jo Bishop Reviews Challenge 2 and Launches Challenge 3 Reviewing Challenge 2: link evidence of efficacy and efficiency to pride in achievements...

A Yogi’s Perspective on Leadership Shaking and sweating with the exertion of holding a yogic plank pose during last night’s yoga class it occurred to...

‘Communicating with the Media and Tough Stakeholders’ at Chicago Booth Exposure, that’s what we all fear. Being caught on camera when you haven’t had...

Jo Bishop Reviews Challenge 1 and Launches Challenge 2 Reviewing Challenge 1: sharing positive experiences and news with clients, customers &...

The steps to creating an organization worth recommending Last year, we kicked off a 10-part series on the things that most affect your Happiness at...

Join Jo Bishop by completing four challenges to generate more positive emotion… How well do you generate positive emotions in others?

The emotional power of mutually uplifting experience A few weeks ago, I went with good friends to see Camille O’Sullivan at the Union Chapel. It was...

How ‘zero trust’ can compromise the happiness and performance of employees In September 2016, the conclusions of a report by USA Today, produced by a...

The Benefits of Mindfulness in the Modern-Day Workplace What do you know about Mindfulness in business?

Leadership and the Search for ‘New Cheese’ What does Cheese rolling have to do with leadership today?

What jazz teaches us about coaching At the Club Inégales recently, down in a basement on North Gower Street, I found myself watching members of the...

How to boost your competitiveness through diversity Angélica Dass is a Brazilian artist, born into a family “full of colors”, where racial identity...

Why employees leave their jobs and what you can do about it Talent retention is on every HRD’s radar, if not their KPIs, because it has such a direct...

What makes people decide to stay in a role or quit? £4.13bn: a modest estimate of the cost to UK businesses of employee turnover in 2014, according...

How trusting in the vision of your organization’s leaders affects your Happiness at Work It’s time for a quick history lesson. During the Wars of...

What difference does motivation make to your Happiness at Work?

We’re proud to announce that, starting on Monday 21 November, iOpener Institute CEO Julia Lindsay will be taking part in a series of online debates...

How liking your job can make everything better You’ll have doubtless heard the phrase “It’s not work when you’re doing something you love.” And it...

How being able to raise issues affects your Happiness at Work

How having interesting work makes a big difference to your Happiness at Work Do you find your work interesting? If you don’t, then it’s really...

Sophisticated machines are fast outpacing jobs. What does this mean for the future of work? And if there are no jobs, what we will do with our time?

How a fair culture in your workplace affects your Happiness at Work Last week we kicked off our new blog series on the 10 things that most impact...

What affects your Happiness at Work? What has the biggest impact on your Happiness at Work? In carrying out robust, meticulous research into the...

When we talk about Happiness at Work we talk about a positive mindset that enables people to maximize their performance, and achieve their...

How to respond well to questions and demonstrate your presentation skills Your presentation skills are a core business asset which can make or break...

How being resilient can boost your Happiness at Work We’ve been hearing a lot about post-Brexit resilience, not least in terms of the FTSE and the ...

Left a job in the last five years? Let us know why

How to make sense of your organization In a previous post on this blog I argued that one of the reasons why people are becoming a source of...

What not to talk about at work – what’s on your list? If you had to make a list of things not to discuss at work, what might you include? Sex,...

Organizational pride is a win-win for everyone Are you proud of your employer?

In search of the Knowmad-friendly organization Knowmads — the nomadic professionals of the knowledge economy — are in their element under uncertainty...

Avoiding the pitfalls when things are already falling down It’s every executive’s nightmare. A rolling news story that just won’t go away and which...

Doing difficult things often makes us happy at work My husband Chris and I recently joined a local sailing club and bought a sailing dinghy. Whilst...

Trust is vitally important to organizations, so why do many seem not to care? Several studies evidence that the trust citizens have in institutions...

How to build capability and capacity in others Leaders are increasingly stretched at work; their long days accompanied by a feeling that they’ve...

Happiness at Work drives engagement Let’s lay out our position right from the start. There’s no doubt about it that engagement and Happiness at Work...

How what we think of as a ‘good employee’ has changed over time Obedience, diligence and expertise can no longer be the attributes that define a good...

Work-related feedback is a dynamic process. It has the potential to enable employees to appreciate how they can achieve more, and the potential to...

Giving feedforward in the iOpener way Recently we brought a mix of iOpener consultants and employees old and new together to take part in an internal...

I was flicking through the sleeve notes for Dolly Parton’s latest album as a passenger on a long drive to York recently when I was reminded of a...

Work like a human, not like a machine If we send a human to do a machine’s job it is very likely that the human will do it worse. Beyond the physical...

Debussy said that “music is the space between the notes”. Similarly in coaching, the real work gets done in the space between the coach-client...

Millennials or Gen Y, the digital cohort born after the early 1980s, are motivated to stay with their employer, and to actively recommend their...

Here’s Adrienne Selko in Industry Week using our research and others’ to investigate the top reasons why so many employees quit.

Bias is all about having a one-sided view or a closed mind to new ideas or situations. You can recognize biased thinking when it comes along because...

In today’s globalized and networked world there are no secrets: everything is known and everything can be imitated more easily than in the past, no...

Last month, we continued our exciting work with Chivas The Venture finalists at Saïd Business School. Here’s what our consultant Rob Geraghty had...

Being able to craft an organizational context where employees can work at their best is a question of competitiveness for many companies nowadays,...

Here’s our academic peer-reviewed paper from 2013 on measuring Happiness at Work, in the British Psychological Society’s Assessment & Development...

In November 2015, Imperative, a B Corp that is looking to “double the number of purpose-oriented people in the workforce over the next 10 years”, in...

Harvard Business Review says that it can be tough enough to manage your own stress. But how can you, as a manager, help the members of your team...

Co-written by iOpener Chair Jessica Pryce-Jones and CEO Julia Lindsay, Running Great Workshops & Meetings For Dummies delivers the tools managers...

Sharing the results of her four–year research journey in simple, jargon–free language, iOpener Chair Jessica Pryce–Jones exposes the secrets of being...

Happiness at Work. That short phrase can sound pretty flaky taken in isolation. But research and scholarship are showing time and again just what an...

Starting any new role is stressful as the pressure to get it right and to be seen to get it right is so high. And that’s particularly true when you...