Author: Amanda L. P.

Jean-Paul Sartre já dizia que não importa o que a vida fez de você, mas sim o que VOCÊ faz do que a vida fez de você. A vida não é fácil e está sempre cercada de desafios, mas acredito que na maioria das vezes temos o poder de escolha. Assim como se constrói a pérola, podemos fazer nascer sempre novos pensamentos, novas formas de viver, e nos reinventarmos constantemente. É um trabalho árduo, como o da ostra, mas sempre vale a pena no final. Assim, sou uma mulher que quer tentar entender tudo que está ao seu redor, nas minhas humildes reflexões sobre a vida, e principalmente sobre o que temos de mais sofisticado no ser humano. A mente humana é apaixonante e transformadora, incessante e luminosa. E é com o estudo dela que exerço minha paixão.
Amanda L.P.
Estudante do Erasmus Mundus WOP-P Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology

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Timon De Graaff on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

HRBP Go To Market & Leadership Development Specialist bij Unilever

By Amanda Lopes Pacca

Timon is so kind that just looking at him makes you smile. It is not out of purpose that he is working with diversity & inclusion. Humble enough to admit the challenges of human nature and the possibility of a biased position, he drives you into a conversation that makes you feel that you want to stay and learn more.

We talked through different topics, including employer branding, innovation, creativity, and Diversity & Inclusion.

When talking about employer branding, Timon expressed that it is all about how you stay true to yourself, what is your value and what do you stand for. Social commitment, for example, is an important topic, giving equal opportunities to everyone in a fair way. He talked about the expectations of the stakeholders and the alignment of your ideas with the people around you. The change will happen by getting everyone on the same page. Timon said that we are not there yet, and people may feel scared or uncomfortable with the unknown, but consciousness is the first step.

In his opinion, the important thing to think concerning employer branding is: What is the higher goal of doing it? And to give people the opportunity to share their ideas, also aligning those ideas with the stakeholders. It is needed to start slowly and then go further. 

Talking about psychological safety, Timon stated that it is possible to drive diversity but the company has to have an inclusive culture for both sides to stay together. With inclusion, people will feel safe to speak up, bringing more innovation, business growth and performance. Diversity always exists in the environment, however, will just take the place it deserves if the company opens space for inclusion.

Timon also spoke about policies to drive diversity & inclusion stating that it is necessary to foster equity, giving everyone the same opportunity. Timon reflected by saying that people are not the same, in this sense, “we all start from different points in life”, we have different experiences. This fact needs to be considered from an inside perspective of the company, looking at the process and questioning the equal opportunities depending on the background and history of people that work there. Timon emphasizes how this is an important topic to start right and then work on top of it.

He also touched on important topics surrounding human nature and psychology, how we are individuals that feel belonging to people that are similar to us, and how we have to be careful about our biased actions in what we are doing since this is the path to be an inclusive company. According to him, that is why it is so hard to drive diversity. For this concern, an important question to ask is: How can we address bias? He also talked about us finding our truth and values, being able to have a voice knowing what matters to us.

When we talked about making mistakes, Timon brought an essential reflection about the peoples’ intentions and the importance of questioning those. Where are these intentions coming from?

When I asked him about guidance for recent graduates that want to join this path of diversity & inclusion, he talked about learning how to be resilient, knowing your personal values and what matters to you, also being open to realising your bias and exploring your feelings of discomfort.

We perceive that it is not easy to be resilient, to get to know your inner voice, and sometimes to have the courage to share your ideas. The important thing is to start to practice, and this will just happen through action. We cannot change the way we put ourselves into the world if we do not change the way we act towards it. Therefore, listen, observe and act- consciously and actively to build the life and future you wish for yourself.

Timon is so thoughtful and manages to touch us uniquely, bringing a comfortable environment for us to express our opinion. I hope that if you want and when you see the interview you can also be touched and reflect on how you are including and accepting the diversity of the world and your own being.

Interview Link on the PsychologyAtWork.Blog YouTube channel: 

About the Author

Amanda is a final year student of the WOP-P Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology. Brazilian by birth, her journey into psychology began before she graduated, at the age of 17, when she came into contact with Psychoanalysis. From then on, her passion for understanding the human mind expanded, and she graduated in Psychological Sciences at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. In her last year to become an occupational psychologist, her topics of interest cross all human nature, including leadership, psychological empowerment, emotional health, and mental problems. Her hope of contributing to the blog is that this vast universe of psychology could be accessible to as many people as possible through writing. Psychology has a long past but a short history. In this sense, psychology professionals owe it to the world of psychology and its precious knowledge to expand that so more people can think better about themselves, the world, and their desires.

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Amanda Potter on Internships, Networking and Founding a Leading Consultancy

Amanda Potter, CEO at Zircon Management Consulting Ltd

By Amanda Lopes Pacca

Getting to know Amanda Potter for the first time was like staying with a familiar. Her kindness, openness, and attitude bring a feeling of “home”. 

Amanda Potter is the CEO at Zircon Management Consulting and has vast experience in diverse areas of occupational psychology. Despite all her professional achievements, she stays human and humble with life, and she showed in the interview I made essential lessons and reflections for the “beginners”. 

The complete interview with Amanda is already on our YouTube channel, and you can find a link at the end of this post. Here I will touch on important topics and reflections that she gives to us. 

To start, we all know that the first steps of our professional careers are not easy. We need to apply for jobs, go through interviews, deal with our CV and cover letters. All challenges are the process of showing our best side to have a place, a space that we can show ourselves and be valuable to the company. 

This process takes a lot of energy- it is what we call the recruitment and selection process in human resources. But something changed through time. Before the company used to choose the individuals, they stayed more passive, waiting for responses and hoping to find a good job. Today, everything is different, or at least expected to be. Of course, for the ones who dive into this change. The company chooses the individuals, but they also choose the company. They are no longer passive individuals, but pro-active ones who can build their futures ahead of them and think, rethink and think again in what they really want for their lives- in this first path. 

The individuals have the possibility and facilities due to technologies to search the company, the culture, and they can really decide based on their preferences what they really desire. 

A difficult question that I want to ask you: What do you really desire?

As Amanda said, the important thing is not to find the correct answers but come up with questions. 

However, do you think all recent graduates, students, or professionals that really want a role go deeply through it? I am not so sure about it. Our generation is mostly short-sighted, anxious, and seeks success and quick results. We have a hard time dealing with failures and waiting.

Amanda Potter showed how it is necessary to have time and be dedicated to doing simple things, such as filling out a form or being proactive enough to know how you can contribute to a company, rather than expecting them to contribute to you. She showed how a relationship is based on a mutual connection, receiving and giving. 

Connection, reconnection, a learning life process. Are you ready for that? To learn, make mistakes, and face your own failures?

It is important to repeat that the essential thing is not just expecting but offering. Thinking about what you have to offer and the best way of doing it. 

Amanda also indicated how companies look for courageous and proactive people who show that they can contribute to them. She highlighted all these essential aspects and attitudes expected by an intern. It was possible to see through the knowledge she shared that in the end, what the company wants is not an expert- is a human being open to challenges, available to know how to work in teams, someone who knows how to communicate effectively, receptive to commit mistakes but more open-minded to learning how to deal with them in a responsible manner. An individual who is open to taking time, researching the company, understanding their desire, and filling a form until the end. 

Filling a form here could have a symbolic meaning. It involves being compromised with what you really want, being compromised with yourself.

This is a personal challenge in times like ours. We need to develop patience, waiting, and active listening. However, we can’t fool ourselves. We have to step up and see the world with prudent eyes: it takes time to build a career, it takes time to grow, it takes time to learn, it takes time to search for the right job, it takes time to think about your desire and really choose your life. 

It takes time. It involves frustration, committing mistakes, and facing your fears. And it is impossible to conquer the life you want without living it and going through the process. 

In the end, Amanda also said to interns to pick themselves up, learn from their mistakes and keep trying! Moreover, she reported on the importance of taking time to get to know people and build mutual relationships! Finally, she advised that if you send a LinkedIn invitation, include a message on why you want to connect to this person! In a sincere, open, and captivating way, Amanda reflected the reality of life. 

And now I am saying to you, dear reader, really keeps trying, without deceiving yourself. Try with your heart, and wait for life to show you the results of your actions.

Amanda finished sharing her lessons, throwing back to the moment when she was an intern: “Don’t feel like you need to come with the answers. As long as you are prepared to learn, to ask questions, and be open to feedback, then you will be fine”. 

Interview link on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEoWHeld8ug

About the Author

Amanda is a final year student of the WOP-P Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology. Brazilian by birth, her journey into psychology began before she graduated, at the age of 17, when she came into contact with Psychoanalysis. From then on, her passion for understanding the human mind expanded, and she graduated in Psychological Sciences at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. In her last year to become an occupational psychologist, her topics of interest cross all human nature, including leadership, psychological empowerment, emotional health, and mental problems. Her hope of contributing to the blog is that this vast universe of psychology could be accessible to as many people as possible through writing. Psychology has a long past but a short history. In this sense, psychology professionals owe it to the world of psychology and its precious knowledge to expand that so more people can think better about themselves, the world, and their desires.

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Rob Robson on Organisational Change and Employee Engagement

By Amanda Lopes Pacca

Reflections, insights, questions, and mainly the reality of the practical world in the approach of complex issues is what emerged from the interview with Rob Robson about change, employee engagement, and feedback, ending with a question about leadership: after all, what makes a good leader in the 21st century?

Rob Robson’s work areas include employee feedback and engagement, with deep experience in change and significant business experience. He has the most experience in leadership, engagement, and motivation.

Shall we reflect together, or rather, with Rob, on essential aspects of the career of an occupational psychologist? Read the blog all the way through to see the interview’s highlights, which are also available on our YouTube channel.

To start with the theme of organizational change, so recurrent in a complex and ambiguous world in constant alteration, we can ask: Would changing situations in the organization be an illusion? Should we talk about what to do in non-change cases instead? How to materialize, sustain and carry out effective changes?

We know that there are no magic solutions, rules, or tips for complex questions, not least because it all depends on the context and which individuals one should consider. Rob clarified that focusing on change alone can be misguided, as the focus should be on what you really want, on what is the target, behaviour, process, and not necessarily described in terms of change. In his opinion, people know that things change all the time, but why should you do it, how involved you are in the process, and the importance of letting people figure out and understand the importance of the change in their lives.

Rob was involved with extensive transformation processes in companies during his career. In his experience, he saw people with deep concerns about it, as they are involved in situations, which makes them see issues and things – and understand that working with people in Rob’s view really helps. The focus has to be where you want to go and how people get there, rather than focusing on the mechanics—building the interaction with people! “Get practical, with the models in the back of your mind”- as he said.

About the theme of engagement mixing with change, Rob pointed to the challenge object of engagement. He said that it requires interpretation, the data you have, and what you will do in practical terms. Interpretation in this sense is to ask the implications of the theories, surveys, questionnaires, and what it is tried to achieve in the real world and for people’s strategies. He said that it is an advantage if you have an engaged force to achieve change. However, on the flip side, changing badly is relatively easy to disengage and disempower people. Engagement is a process, in his view, getting people interested, removing fear, creating conditions, and going beyond traditional engagement!

Getting to people, allowing them to express themselves, and contributing to the design, all aspects of self-determination theory are crucial in Rob’s view. He also showed with these reflections that getting in touch with people as human beings, listening to them in the most profound ways. Still, dealing with people also has challenges and big ones. 

Talking about employee feedback, Rob showed others and exciting perspectives. He pointed out that no matter what kind of feedback, no one finds that an easy task, there is the giving part and the accepting part– both being challenged. He talked about reversal theory (dealing with what is motivating us right now) and the importance of feedback: doing with fear of the person not liking you or what you have to say, and whether or not this helps the other person. Self-questioning is essential. For him, if it’s not going to help, why say it? If it’s to make the person feel free to ‘get rid of it,’ that’s not really what giving feedback is about. 

Feedback in his view is not about “getting rid of it” in an individual logic of who gives the feedback, but about how much it helps who is receiving it. 

He also emphasized the difference between master and sympathy. Master is the want for improvement, and sympathy is the want to feel cared for and friendly. In his words, knowing that you will receive feedback could make you think: “what can I learn from this?” Considering more the master perspective, that no feedback could do any harm– or is to improve, or if you don’t think that way, it is also necessary to filter it. 

But Rob also showed that sometimes it is easy to say and difficult to do. 

We know that, right? When we talk about emotions, we know that we can control them (sometimes yes/no), but we cannot make them not occur. They come and happen, even though we don’t want to feel it. 

To write one more reflection that Rob introduced about feedback is the overplayed importance of it. And I ask you: Do you think that also happens? Or do human beings give the proper attention to the topic? 

With a tip for that, Rob showed that sometimes information is more valuable than feedback, and it is possible to get them everywhere. In the “unspoken,” many things are said and likely to be understood. Rob pointed out that sometimes feedback can only be a saying that is already in progress in the information available even before it is reported. 

To not give you more spoilers, as I can imagine, you will want to see the whole interview. Rob finalized with essential reflections about the leader’s role. In his own words “Being a leader is working in a discomfort area and accepting it”. 

But I will end on this point, with a not saying of the rest. So I leave you with the curiosity, reader, to see in full this interview with many crucial issues, sayings, and non-sayings of professional practice. 

Interview link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz7ZYiBXsy8&t=70s

About the Author

Amanda is a final year student of the WOP-P Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology. Brazilian by birth, her journey into psychology began before she graduated, at the age of 17, when she came into contact with Psychoanalysis. From then on, her passion for understanding the human mind expanded, and she graduated in Psychological Sciences at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. In her last year to become an occupational psychologist, her topics of interest cross all human nature, including leadership, psychological empowerment, emotional health, and mental problems. Her hope of contributing to the blog is that this vast universe of psychology could be accessible to as many people as possible through writing. Psychology has a long past but a short history. In this sense, psychology professionals owe it to the world of psychology and its precious knowledge to expand that so more people can think better about themselves, the world, and their desires.

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Interview with Anton Fishman on Mentoring with the Emerging Occ Psychs Initiative

By Amanda Lopes Pacca

The interview with the HR & Talent Tech Start-up Advisor, AI Educator, & Organisational Consultant Anton Fishman went beyond the expected limits – it was an enriching dialogue for future mentors and mentees who want to participate in the mentoring program developed by PsychologyAtWork.blog team. 

With honesty and good humor, Anton Fishman brought an experienced and wise look at the process of being a mentor, especially with his experience with two mentees in the first year of the programme. Several points were emphasized, the positive and negative aspects, proposals for improvement, interpersonal relationships, personal and professional gains, and even advice for those interested in participating in the program, either as mentors or mentees. 

So … read the post until the end to find out if the programme fits you and why applying to it could benefit your career. 

Anton’s blending approach of moments acting as a coach and others as a mentor was a favorable mix. Through his coaching experience of over 30 years, Anton showed that although he is comfortable and prepared to perform this role, it is always very satisfying and enjoyable to be with new and diverse people. When I questioned him about what he could take away from the programme, he reported that he could say it was remembering the pleasure that is to exercise the activity of mentoring.

We know that we can learn in various ways in life, and we often consider that learning means gaining something new, which has never been acquired before, be it knowledge, experience, etc. We can say that Anton showed us in this case that learning goes beyond the new because in daily life and in the activities that one already has practice, it is possible to continue with the pleasure and the learning process. In the old, new looks and perceptions about the same situations can always arise. It is like reading classicals, in different moments of our lives we can always read them again and have new perceptions. 

In Anton’s case, the remembrance of the pleasure of the practice and the choice for a life was present in this process. It is the practice allied to a continuous process that can provide varied emotions even through the same activities. The beauty of life is really in this, in finding reasons and purpose in our choices. Feeling, as Anton said, that he has something of value to say, especially with the younger generation, was relevant together with the fact of feeling useful. I believe this is something every human being desires, being useful on what they do or to others. 

The world’s beauty is not in statements of right and wrong but in the conscious exchange between individuals and generations and the development opportunities that can arise from this process. 

Anton also reflected on the importance of knowing when to give advice that is propitious for certain situations, and when not, something that can only be learned through the practice of the profession and with the famous dose of daily effort. The awareness needed to know the right moment to act is something he brought to the reflection for the future mentors of the programme. 

Professionals will develop these insights, awareness, and the sensitivity of acting in the field over time. And our mentoring programme can help you with the development of some competencies.

Finally, Anton also left us with a challenge, the knowing process of integrating theory with the real world. Famous in the academic world, the scientist-practitioner model debate is present. The theory is essential, but knowing how to integrate it into practice becomes central to the sustainable development of society and the resolution of its problems and limitations. As Anton said, making the transition from knowledge and insight to knowledge application into working practices. 

He leaves these challenges for readers to reflect, think, and try to find ways to apply this complex action in their professional and real lives. I don’t know how you readers felt reading about the interview so far, but for me it was like a little taste of the mentoring sessions, and great reflections that can come out of it.

About the advice for mentors and mentees, Anton, in his own words, leaves the following message:

“If you want to be a mentor, commit to that, do it, because it is professionally rewarding, it’s about empowering and helping to establish the next generations of applied psychology.”

We created better conditions to think and develop ourselves also in contact with people and through having different experiences. Suppose you are interested in applying to be a mentor and mentee. In that case, I wish you a fantastic journey and a path that can provide you with learning, a solid and aggregating network of relationships. 

Note: The team PsychologyAtWork.blog would like to thank Anton Fishman for his interview and participating as a mentor in the first year of the Occ mentoring programme. The interview is available on the youtube channel of the Psychology at Work team. The links are below if you would like to join the programme as a mentor, a mentee, or watch the interview. 

Link to apply to be a mentor: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EOPMentorYear2

Link to apply to be a mentee: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EOPMenteeYear2

Link of the youtube interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi4UeXfp6ZA

About the Author

Amanda is a final year student of the WOP-P Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology. Brazilian by birth, her journey into psychology began before she graduated, at the age of 17, when she came into contact with Psychoanalysis. From then on, her passion for understanding the human mind expanded, and she graduated in Psychological Sciences at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. In her last year to become an occupational psychologist, her topics of interest cross all human nature, including leadership, psychological empowerment, emotional health, and mental problems. Her hope of contributing to the blog is that this vast universe of psychology could be accessible to as many people as possible through writing. Psychology has a long past but a short history. In this sense, psychology professionals owe it to the world of psychology and its precious knowledge to expand that so more people can think better about themselves, the world, and their desires.

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Wrap up of the First Emerging Occ Psych Programme and Future Directions

By Amanda Lopes Pacca

Closing of the first cohort and what’s next?

Our session started with love, enthusiasm, and openness. Our team witnessed this: the frankness and honesty with which the participants gave us feedback and participated in our closing celebration.

Some of the positive feedback talks include the experience of meaningful connection with different individuals, networking, and fruitful discussion with professionals interested in your working life and how they can help you improve it.

All of the programme was developed with transparency and constant care to promote the best experience for young and older career professionals. I can state with certainty the mission of this team: to provide opportunities for human beings to develop professionally and humanly and to find new paths.

In this sense, the PsychologyAtWork.blog team celebrated. At the same time that we are closing a cycle – working with much “sweat” and dedication – we are opening the doors to a new time.

It’s time to grow and expand this incredible work, which already in the first edition influenced many professionals in many ways – in the middle of the pandemic.

We are living in confusing times – but our team is trying to bring hope again. With time, the path taken into the professional world demands the subject and gives him the most diverse experiences. But there is hope, and it begins with a dream. That’s why our “Emerging Occ Psychs” mentoring program is launching its second cohort – with the possibility to enjoy and learn from professionals in the field of occupational psychology work, bringing you hope and helping you with your dreams. 

Besides that, we will bring more structure, more dissemination through social networks, building interactions, and interviewing specialists about varied themes that you can also contribute. Furthermore, we will make improvements concerning our “Emerging Occ Psychs” mentoring program. Adjustments will be made based on the participants’ feedback to provide you an experience that pushes you into the professional world and enables you to improve yourself in diverse areas.

The expansion of consciousness happens through knowledge. It is the dissemination of this knowledge that motivates us to go further. We have considered all the feedback from the first year, and we will improve it thoroughly for the second year of this journey.

Are you ready? We hope that we can count on you. Look inside yourself and speak out. Our mission is to make you feel belong to the profession. Come share or teach in events, mentoring programs and help the world understand the richness of psychology for humanity.

We will soon put our news into practice! Contact us and seek in knowledge the possible choices to be made every day in your daily life.

About the Author

Amanda Lopes Pacca

Amanda is a final year student of the WOP-P Master in Work, Organizational and Personnel Psychology. Brazilian by birth, her journey into psychology began before she graduated, at the age of 17, when she came into contact with Psychoanalysis. From then on, her passion for understanding the human mind expanded, and she graduated in Psychological Sciences at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. In her last year to become an occupational psychologist, her topics of interest cross all human nature, including leadership, psychological empowerment, emotional health, and mental problems. Her hope of contributing to the blog is that this vast universe of psychology could be accessible to as many people as possible through writing. Psychology has a long past but a short history. In this sense, psychology professionals owe it to the world of psychology and its precious knowledge to expand that so more people can think better about themselves, the world, and their desires.