Managing Stress in the Workplace Panel Discussion

201 S. Shackleford,Little Rock AR 72211

25 May, 2021

Description

Panel discussion on managing stress and recognizing burnout in the workplace Stress is a part of our daily professional and personal lives. At work, it appears in the midst of projects, meeting deadlines, achieving goals, in expectations from our boss, financial constraints, staffing challenges, navigating different personalities at work — the list goes on and on, and we haven’t even mentioned the myriad of worries, troubles and frustrations every person brings from home to work. All of these things (and many more) drain our passion for work and life. Stress may be inevitable on the job, at home and everywhere else in between, but it seems like now more than ever before (the pandemic has brought an entirely new set of strains), people are carrying an abundant amount of weight on their shoulders, frustration, tension and are consequently feeling the physical and emotional effects of being burned out. The stress we carry also affects our coworkers, spouses, children, friends and random people we come in contact with. How do we manage and lessen the stresses and frustrations, regain peace and refill the passion we had for life? How can we identify stress and burnout in others and help them, too? Our panelists will share their personal experiences with stress and burnout and discuss strategies they learned to reduce stress in their own work/personal lives and practical tips to help others. This interactive session will include people from a diverse group of organizations with a variety of experiences that will lead to a rich discussion. The panel discussion will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 25 at the Plaza Hotel in West Little Rock. ABOUT THE PANELISTS: JON HARRISON Jon Harrison is a former executive at Caterpillar Inc., who, at the peak of his 25-year career, left due to a calling to serve people who are often overlooked and under-appreciated. Jon’s responsibilities as a global leader included several domestic and overseas leadership assignments including managing director roles in Australia and Japan. Jon was most often tasked with leading teams to turn around underperforming large entities within Caterpillar. In his last assignment for the company, Jon led the startup of the newest and largest manufacturing facility of the company at that time (located in Little Rock, AR). Jon’s definition of success has always been unique, both in his personal and professional life. To Jon, “success” goes well beyond improving the bottom-line success of an organization — ensuring that the lives of the people in the organization also improve (at work and at home). He refused to believe that a positive, values-based work environment and a successful bottom line were mutually exclusive. In fact, he discovered the opposite was true. Jon has proven that long-term sustainable success is driven by establishing high expectations (both behavioral and performance) for everyone, hiring and investing in a team of values-driven, informed and passionate (VIP) people who align with those expectations, holding everyone accountable to the expectations, and measuring the impact of the work culture on an ongoing basis. Jon now refers to this simple, but powerful approach as the “VIP Way,” and it has proven successful in organizations which have adopted it with his and his team’s assistance. As we know, people spend the majority of their waking life at work, yet unfortunately, studies show that roughly two-thirds of our society is “disengaged” while at work. The negative impact that has on a nation’s economy, on large cities and small towns, on every kind of business, and especially on families is incredibly significant. Jon has dedicated the rest of his life to boldly surface this issue, but more importantly, to help individuals and organizations make the VIP Way a reality in their lives at work and at home. Jon holds a BS in Business Economics from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Duke University. LAWRENCE HICKS Lawrence Hicks is a leader, published author and pastor. He has led across a variety of organizations including nonprofits, church and the United States Air Force, where he served for 25 years and retired in the rank of Colonel. He served various assignments across more than 30 countries including Turkey, South Korea, Thailand, Oman and Singapore. As a group commander in Germany, he led over 1,200 Airmen in providing logistics support across Europe and throughout the Middle East. He also has extensive contingency and combat leadership experience as a veteran of both Operation ENDURING FREEDOM in Afghanistan and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM where he served in Baghdad. Lawrence is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Webster University in St. Louis and a Master of Arts in Military Operational Art and Science from the Air Command & Staff College.  BREANNA WELLS Breanna Wells has 15 years experience in journalism, marketing and communications, including a decade-long career at the state’s largest newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. During her tenure as niche publications director, she led a creative and diverse team of editors, writers, photographers and designers. A “graduate” of the first VIP2 Leadership session, Breanna now leads the creative efforts at VIP2 while also raising and teaching her two children at home. HARRY LI Harry Li consults with a variety of businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions and churches on issues related to culture, diversity and burnout. He is the Senior Pastor of the Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, a highly diverse church established in 2002 in the heart of Little Rock. Prior to coming to Little Rock, Harry was an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Idaho where he researched radiation hardened, analog electronic design for deep space exploration for NASA, Boeing and others. Harry is a student of human behavior, and by combining his engineering mind with a pastor’s heart, is able to bring a perspective on human performance that is unmatched.