Tomorrowmind

1. Our brains evolved for a different world of work

Homo sapiens today live longer than ever before, and, in the Western world, our standard of living has improved enormously in the last three hundred years. And yet, we are not happier, and we are not living better.

Mismatch between brain and work. Our brains evolved for a hunter-gatherer lifestyle characterized by variety, social connection, and short bursts of work. The Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions created a dramatic mismatch between our cognitive capabilities and work demands. This mismatch contributed to widespread psychological struggles as humans adapted to radically new forms of labor.

Consequences of labor transformations. Each major shift in how humans work - from foraging to farming to factories - has come with significant human costs:

• Anxiety and worry increased with the need for long-term planning in agriculture
• Monotony and social isolation grew during industrialization
• Substance abuse and other coping mechanisms emerged to deal with harsh working conditions

Today's technological revolution is creating new mismatches at an even faster pace, demanding rapid adaptation of our ancient brains to an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) work environment.

2. Today's workplace demands new psychological skills

We suffer from more loneliness than any generation in recorded history. Anxiety, depression, and suicide among our youth are at or near all-time highs.

New challenges require new skills. The modern workplace is characterized by constant change, remote work, frequent job transitions, and increasing automation. This environment demands psychological capabilities our ancestors didn't need, including:

• Cognitive agility to rapidly learn new skills and adapt to change
• Emotional regulation to manage stress and uncertainty
• Social skills to build connections in fluid, often virtual teams
• Creativity and innovation to stay relevant amid automation

The PRISM model. The authors introduce PRISM as a framework for the key psychological skills needed to thrive:

• Prospection
• Resilience and cognitive agility
• Innovation and creativity
• Social connection through rapid rapport
• Mattering and meaning

Developing these skills can help individuals not only survive but flourish in the new world of work, turning challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation.

3. Resilience is the foundation for thriving in uncertainty

Resilience is the component of meaning that lets us explain to ourselves why it is important to wake up every day and do what we do.

Core components of resilience. Resilience allows individuals to bounce back from setbacks and even grow stronger through adversity. Key drivers of resilience include:

• Emotional regulation: Managing negative emotions effectively
• Optimism: Maintaining a positive outlook on future outcomes
• Cognitive agility: Flexibly considering multiple perspectives
• Self-compassion: Treating oneself with kindness during difficulties
• Self-efficacy: Believing in one's ability to succeed

Benefits of resilience. Highly resilient individuals and organizations see significant advantages:

• Individuals: Better health outcomes, higher job satisfaction, increased productivity
• Organizations: 320% higher year-over-year growth, improved team performance, greater innovation

Resilience can be developed through targeted interventions, coaching, and practice. As the foundation for thriving in uncertainty, it's a critical skill for both individuals and organizations to cultivate.

4. Meaning and mattering fuel motivation in turbulent times

We are willing to spend more on meaning than we do on the very homes we live in.

The importance of meaning. Finding meaning in work is not a luxury but a necessity in today's environment. Research shows:

• 97% of workers crave more meaning at work
• People are willing to sacrifice 23% of future earnings for highly meaningful work
• Meaningful work correlates with higher productivity, job satisfaction, and retention

Mattering as a concrete approach. The authors introduce "mattering" as a more actionable alternative to meaning:

• Mattering = one's sense of the difference one makes in the world
• It can be measured and improved more concretely than abstract "meaning"
• Mattering has two components:
  1. Achievement (arête): Internal sense of excellence
  2. Recognition (kleos): External acknowledgment of impact

Organizations can foster mattering through:

• Clear communication of how individual work contributes to larger goals
• Regular recognition of employee contributions
• Providing opportunities for employees to see the impact of their work

5. Rapid rapport enables crucial social connections

Connecting with others is essential for our personal well-being. It dramatically improves our professional outcomes. And it drives more delightful, successful customer interactions.

The power of connection. Social connections are vital for both individual well-being and organizational success:

• Strong relationships increase survival rates by 50%
• Workplace friendships boost engagement and productivity
• Effective teamwork relies on trust and psychological safety

Barriers to connection. Modern work creates challenges for building relationships:

• Time pressure
• Geographic dispersion
• Frequent team changes
• Cultural and background differences

Rapid rapport strategies. To overcome these barriers, individuals can use techniques for quickly building meaningful connections:

• Practice time affluence: Shift mindset to feel less time-starved
• Prioritize synchronous communication: Use video/phone over email when possible
• Use individuation and recategorization: Find unique commonalities to bridge differences
• Employ deep listening: Give full attention and empathy in conversations

By consciously applying these strategies, workers can forge stronger connections despite the challenges of modern work environments.

6. Prospection helps navigate an unpredictable future

The ability to anticipate change and plan for it becomes particularly urgent.

The importance of foresight. Prospection - the ability to imagine and plan for future possibilities - is increasingly critical in a rapidly changing work environment. Benefits of strong prospection skills include:

• 21% higher productivity
• 25% greater life satisfaction
• 19% higher team engagement
• 18% higher team innovation scores

Two-phase model of prospection:

1. Fast, optimistic, and exploratory: Generating possible futures
2. Slow, deliberative, and realistic: Evaluating and planning for specific outcomes

Improving prospection. Techniques to enhance prospection include:

• Practicing scenario planning: Envisioning multiple possible futures
• Using structured planning tools like GROW or WOOP
• Cultivating openness to experience and cognitive flexibility
• Balancing focus and mind-wandering to leverage the brain's default mode network

Organizations can support prospection by creating roles focused on future-oriented thinking and integrating foresight into strategic planning processes.

7. Creativity is now essential for all workers

We are all creatives now. In our own ways, from our own functional seats.

The democratization of creativity. As routine tasks become automated, creativity becomes essential for all workers, not just those in traditionally "creative" roles. Benefits of a creative workforce include:

• Increased innovation and problem-solving
• Better adaptation to rapid change
• Enhanced job satisfaction and engagement

Four types of creative thinking:

1. Integration: Combining disparate ideas into new wholes
2. Splitting: Recognizing important distinctions within seeming uniformity
3. Figure-ground reversal: Shifting focus to reveal new insights
4. Distality: Imagining radically different futures

Fostering creativity. Individuals and organizations can cultivate creativity through:

• Seeking novelty and diverse experiences
• Embracing ambiguity and tolerating uncertainty
• Building creative self-efficacy through small wins
• Creating psychologically safe environments for idea-sharing
• Celebrating risk-taking and learning from failure

By treating every employee as a potential innovator, organizations can unlock tremendous creative potential to address complex challenges.

8. Organizations must proactively support employee thriving

We need the help now more than ever. Half of US workers are burned out.

The urgent need for support. The psychological toll of modern work is severe:

• 50% of US workers report burnout
• Workplace stress contributes to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths annually
• Loneliness and social disconnection are at epidemic levels

Limitations of current approaches. Traditional HR structures often separate employee well-being (Benefits) from skill development (Learning & Development), creating gaps in holistic support.

The proactive organization. A new model for supporting employee thriving includes:

• Unifying Benefits and L&D functions into a holistic Employee Thriving Team
• Focusing on primary prevention rather than remediation
• Measuring success through indicators like PERMA, resilience, and innovation
• Investing in evidence-based interventions to build PRISM skills
• Creating a culture that prioritizes long-term employee flourishing

By taking a proactive, science-based approach to employee thriving, organizations can create more resilient, innovative, and successful workforces capable of navigating the challenges of the future.

Last updated: April 13, 2025