Intellectual Wellness for the Digital Age
Here in the Government of British Columbia, we’re celebrating Learn at Work Week! Our theme is health and wellness.
Workplace wellness can help make teams happier, healthier and more effective. As we embrace digital change in government, here are my thoughts on intellectual wellness for the digital age.
Intellectual Wellness: Keeping on Top of Your Game
Wellness is important in the digital age: the volume of information we manage can be overwhelming, but the opportunities for governments are huge. Intellectual wellness is about maintaining, improving and applying knowledge, creativity and skills.
As the Chief Digital Officer for the Government of BC I’m particularly committed to intellectual wellness. It can help us be thoughtful and inclusive as we deliver ambitious digital change for citizens. In today’s information era, governments must move fast, but not faster than the speed of thought.
In government, we have the privilege of working on challenging public policy issues. We also have the imperative of delivering great value by making the best possible use of tax dollars. Intellectual wellness can help us mobilize scarce resources, deliver on our mandate, and make us better public servants.
Staying Sharp in a World of Noise
Our world has changed. The digital age has brought new tools to share information and deliver services. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and the internet of things are affecting our world in exciting and unexpected ways.
Sometimes it’s difficult to understand these new tools. Peter Drucker, the godfather of management consulting, was spot on when he wrote that “the greatest danger in times of turbulence is not turbulence itself, but to act with yesterday’s logic.”
I’m excited for us to maintain and build our digital intellect across government. Doing so can help us deliver better services that may also be faster and cheaper. When digital government works well, it has the power to change the world. It can make our societies more inclusive, deliver better services, empower citizens to participate in government decision-making, and multiply the impact of our work and our tax dollars.
Tips and tricks
With the world changing around us so quickly, it’s important to learn continuously. Here are a few tricks that I use to keep myself in shape intellectually and ready to work on digital change:
- Work in the open — Openness can foster transparency, accountability and citizen participation. That’s why I do my best to share what I’m up to publicly, and I encourage you to also. Social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are good options. Friendly reminder: our social media guidelines are here to help!
- Talk to citizens — There is nothing quite like explaining your work in plain language to maintain a strong focus on delivering great services.
- Media — I consume a lot of media! I’m athletic (watch out Victoria Half Marathon) so I often listen to audiobooks and podcasts while I run. Some of my favourite podcasts on digital are CBC Spark, a16z podcast, HBR Ideacast, China Tech Talk, Recode Decode, and the Exponential View. I also maintain a reading list with favourite books and articles on digital. Check it out, and please add your favourites!
- Collaborate and iterate — I work hard to embrace collaboration, especially on a cross-sector basis. It can also be helpful to consider whether agile ways of working can help you deliver value more effectively.
- Deep thought — I try to block off time in my week to reflect and grow. This is important for thinking through strategy, considering longer term priorities, and keeping work simple and calm. It’s important to disconnect once in a while. It’s also important to nurture yourself and your community; I have benefit from being both a mentor and a mentee. I also try to spend some time every week reading things that aren’t related to my job — I read the Economist every weekend!
There are lots more strategies to support intellectual wellness. Upskilling and continuous learning are important, and often fun.
Feed your passion!
Digital offers new opportunities for impact, including a wealth of channels to deliver services to citizens. Intellectual wellness can help us deliver on that promise. I’m thrilled to be working with smart, committed people, inside and outside of government, to improve lives in our province.
