Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection-Now and in an Uncertain Future

by Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, Martin E. P. Seligman

Overview

A Greater Good magazine and Behavioral Scientist pick of 2023!

Thrive in your career with this radical, future-proofed approach to work in a world where automation, globalization, and downsizing are an urgent and threatening reality—from experts in workplace mental health, Gabriella Kellerman, CPO of BetterUp, and world-renowned psychologist Martin Seligman.

In recent years, workplace toxicity, industry volatility, and technology-driven turnover have threatened the psychological well-being of employees. When we can’t flourish at work, both personal success and corporate productivity suffer. As we sit on the cusp of some of the most turbulent economic changes in history, many of us wonder how we can not only survive but flourish in our careers.

Now, Tomorrowmind provides essential plans and actionable advice for facing the uncertain future of work. With in-depth and clear-eyed evidence, it offers key skills on everything from resilience and innovation to social connection and foresight. Cultivate a workplace that fosters connection and meaning for yourself or your employees with this timely and crucial guide that is destined to inspire generations of workers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781982159764
Publisher:	Simon Element / Simon Acumen
Publication date:	01/17/2023
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	28,036
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Gabriella Rosen Kellerman, MD, has served as chief product officer and chief innovation officer at BetterUp, founding CEO of LifeLink, and an advisor to healthcare, coaching, and behavior change technology companies. Trained in psychiatry and fMRI research, she holds an MD with honors from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a BA summa cum laude from Harvard University. Her work has been published and featured in The Atlantic Online, Harvard Business Review, Inc., Forbes, and many more. Tomorrowmind is her first book.

Martin Seligman, PhD, is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, director of the Positive Psychology Center, and former president of the American Psychological Association. He received his BA in philosophy from Princeton University, and his PhD in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and holds ten honorary doctorates. He was named the most influential psychologist in the world by Academic Influence. Along with writing for numerous scholarly publications and appearing in The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and many others, he is also the author and coauthor of over thirty books, including Flourish, Authentic Happiness, and Tomorrowmind.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Our Brains at Work 19

2 The Twin Trials: Automation and the White-water World of Work 35

3 Our Historical Advantage: The Science of Thriving 47

4 The Building Blocks of Resilience 61

5 The Meaning Rush: Mattering in the Modern Economy 83

6 Rapid Rapport: Connection Under Pressure 103

7 Rapid Rapport II: Connection through Time Affluence, Synchronicity, and Individuation 123

8 Prospection: Our 21st-century Superpower 139

9 When We Are All Creatives 163

10 Future-Proofing the Workforce: The Proactive Organization 205

Conclusion 221

Appendix: Whole Person Model Assessment 227

Acknowledgments 233

Notes 235

Index 267

Editorial Reviews

10/17/2022

The tech-driven workplace “threatens our well-being in its own unexpected new ways,” according to this convincing if gloomy look ahead. “Alarmed by people’s inability to rise to” the “mounting challenges” of modernity, Seligman (Flourish), former president of the American Psychological Association, and Kellerman, founder of the research organization BetterUp Labs, characterize historic shifts in labor, including the agricultural and industrial revolutions, as coming “at a wrenching human cost.” They cite data suggesting that 800 million global workers will lose their jobs to automation by 2030, and “as many as 80% of us will see our wages reduced” in the same time frame for the same reason. To reverse the harm done by automation, they write, organizations must take behaviorial sciences into account when making business decisions and place more value on human well-being. Contending that “there is no precedent for either the pace or the type of change we face at work today,” the authors call on companies to create an “Employee Thriving Team” that is “responsible for the well-being, personal growth, and professional growth of each individual employee.” Readers who fear the worst about where the workplace is headed will find little comfort here. Agent: Chris Parris-Lamb, Gernert Co. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

We are always told to live in the present. But the future holds our dreams, and may be the key to our happiness. In Tomorrowmind, Gabriella Kellerman and Martin Seligman masterfully navigate the newest science to show us how we can design our futures to thrive as individuals in work, relationships, and life.

Arthur C. Brooks

Evolution didn’t equip us to meet the rapidly changing demands of the modern workplace—so what steps can we take to be happier and more resilient in our work lives? Tomorrowmind draws on cutting-edge research and real-life examples to provide deep insights as well as practical suggestions for flourishing at work. It’s an indispensable resource to anyone navigating today’s uncertain world.

Gretchen Rubin

This book is a must-read guide to surviving and even thriving at work when there’s potential for chaos around every corner. The skills in this book let you future-proof without leaving any part of you behind.

Scott Barry Kaufman

In this profoundly important and timely book, Kellerman and Seligman provide a blueprint for how all of us can rise to the challenge of the brave new world of work. Tomorrowmind is a scientifically grounded and eminently accessible book that will entertain you, inspire you, and teach you how to feel connected and happy at work and beyond.

Sonja Lyubomirsky

★ 01/13/2023

This work puts a spotlight on a mindset that enables individuals in the workforce to anticipate, plan for, and respond to changes effectively. It's written by two workplace mental health experts; Kellerman is a psychiatrist and has held key positions at BetterUp Coaching, and Seligman is a world-renowned psychologist who is recognized for his seminal work about "learned helplessness." Their forward-thinking approach is associated with well-being, optimism, and resilience, and they assert that tomorrow-minded skills can be developed in the workplace, sometimes in less than a minute. The book includes effective advice and action plans. The authors assert that tomorrow-minded employees are better able to handle stress, setbacks, and career reinvention. This book's bottom line is that work environments must evolve to enable employees to flourish, be creative, and feel connected to others. This valuable book can be used as a self-help career guide. VERDICT Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries and business collections.—Caroline Geck

Library Journal

2022-10-18
Advice for maintaining workers’ well-being.

In her debut book, Kellerman, a medical doctor who pivoted from MRI brain research to public health policy and health care technology, joins with prolific Seligman, a founder of the field of positive behavioral psychology, to offer salient perspectives on the future of work. Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, educational theory, and medical research, they offer guidance on honing skills and perspectives to help individuals succeed in an ever changing work environment. As labor has transformed from hunting-gathering to agriculture to industrialization, success has depended on an important set of skills: resilience (R), finding meaning (M), establishing social supports (S), and honing prospection (P) (the ability to think about the future) and innovation (I)—abilities to which they give the admittedly “out of order” acronym PRISM. Each chapter elaborates on these skills and suggests ways for developing them. Finding meaning is crucial for job satisfaction and can result from factors such as a sense of personal or professional growth; finding a balance between work and personal life; and feeling inspired by one’s contributions. But even more important than meaning, the authors assert, is mattering: “one’s sense of the difference one makes in the world.” Social connections, as well, are integral to work satisfaction, affecting us psychologically and physiologically. The authors suggest ways to overcome a perception of “time famine” that can get in the way of fostering rapport, and they advocate soliciting participation, encouraging the sharing of perspectives, and empathetic listening as strategies to bridge isolation. The book is filled with exercises for building skills, acronyms for easy recall (OCEAN, for example, describes five personality traits—such as openness and curiosity—associated with creativity), and relatable anecdotes. The authors offer suggestions for businesses about how to make corporate cultures more supportive of workers. Even in an unpredictable, roiling future, the authors are optimistic that every worker can flourish.

Practical, encouraging self-help for the workplace.

Kirkus Reviews