The importance of genetics — Genetics consists of your diet and exercise. All the money in the world can’t fix your health as exercise and diet can.
The pandemic pause brought us to a moment of collective reckoning about what it means to live well and to work well. As a result, employees are sending employers an urgent signal that they are no longer willing to choose one — life or work — at the cost of the other. Working from home brought life literally into our work. And as the world now goes hybrid, employees are drawing firmer boundaries about how much of their work comes into their life. Where does this leave employers? And which perspectives and programs contribute most to progress? In our newest interview series, Working Well: How Companies Are Creating Cultures That Support & Sustain Mental, Emotional, Social, Physical & Financial Wellness, we are talking to successful executives, entrepreneurs, managers, leaders, and thought leaders across all industries to share ideas about how to shift company cultures in light of this new expectation. We’re discovering strategies and steps employers and employees can take together to live well and to work well.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Ryan Stewman.
Ryan Stewman is a best selling author, CEO of Phonesites.com, Founder of Apex, full time investor, and consultant to millionaires, professional athletes, and celebrities across the globe. He’s been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Entrepreneur, The Street.com, The Good Men Project, CNBC and pretty much every other major business publication out there. Ryan rewires minds and changes lives. Give him the chance, he will change yours too.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about the topic of our time. Our readers would like to get to know you better. Tell us about a formative experience that prompted you to change your relationship with work and how work shows up in your life.
When you own a biz, work on commission or write your own checks, you don’t really have a boss or supervisor. No one looks over your shoulder making sure you’re doing your job. No one holds you accountable for doing or not doing the work.
So what I did was create a “boss” online for me. I created a system that supervises me and makes sure I get the jobs done. That system is unbelievably simple. It’s just using my google calendar. Literally, everything I do goes on my google calendar. I time block everything.
At the end of the day, I can look at my calendar and look at my work and hold myself accountable to do everything that’s on the calendar when it’s on there. The calendar tells me what to do, when to do it, and everything else. I use it for biz and personal.
Harvard Business Review predicts that wellness will become the newest metric employers will use to analyze and to assess their employees’ mental, physical and financial health. How does your organization define wellness, and how does your organization measure wellness?
In my organization, we believe that if you want to crush life, not just business, but your marriage, your parenting, your genetics (wellness), your network, and your mindset, all of it, it takes being dead on for the G Code.
If there’s ONE single correlation to those on my team who are winning across the board, it’s their 4-digit G Code score. The G Code process is the foundation of Apex and the higher the score, the higher quality of life you are living.
Based on your experience or research, how do you correlate and quantify the impact of a well workforce on your organization’s productivity and profitability?
We’ve been tracking and measuring our success on a daily basis this way for the past 4 years now. This is our way of life here, we are APEX and we represent what winning looks like at all times. The G Code is the winner’s way.
By helping your team improve their lives in all areas it has no option but to flow over into your business in positive ways. It also unlocks the law of reciprocity. You help them get what they want. They help you in perpetuity.
Even though most leaders have good intentions when it comes to employee wellness, programs that require funding are beholden to business cases like any other initiative. The World Health Organization estimates for every $1 invested into treatment for common mental health disorders, there is a return of $4 in improved health and productivity. That sounds like a great ROI. And, yet many employers struggle to fund wellness programs that seem to come “at the cost of the business.” What advice do you have to offer to other organizations and leaders who feel stuck between intention and impact?
I created the G Code because I value hard work and taking care of yourself so you can continue to work hard. I think it’s important for organizations and leaders to remember that these programs don’t have to come at the cost of the business. In fact, they can have a positive impact on productivity and morale. By investing in the health and well-being of your employees and helping them to become the best versions of themselves, you’re showing them that you value them as people. And that’s good for business.
Speaking of money matters, a recent Gallup study reveals employees of all generations rank wellbeing as one of their top three employer search criteria. How are you incorporating wellness programs into your talent recruitment and hiring processes?
We do this by creating a work environment based on the company’s Core Values and Mission. We let them know about these upfront when we interview. Core Values are the guiding principles that dictate how the company operates. If the Core Values and Mission are aligned with supporting employee wellness, then the work culture will naturally follow suit. Creating a healthy work culture starts at the top, with leadership setting the tone and leading by example. When employees feel supported in their overall wellness, they will be more productive, engaged, and loyal to the company.
We’ve all heard of the four-day work week, unlimited PTO, mental health days, and on demand mental health services. What innovative new programs and pilots are you launching to address employee wellness? And, what are you discovering? We would benefit from an example in each of these areas.
● Mental Wellness: G Code
● Emotional Wellness: G Code
● Social Wellness: G Code
● Physical Wellness: G Code
● Financial Wellness: G Code
The G Code was designed to improve all of the aspects listed above. You see, There’s an unspoken code in this world that once you understand and abide by that code you become a G yourself. The G in this instance is GREAT, you become GREAT.
The G Code consists of 4 G’s:
Gratitude — Gratitude is the key to an abundant mindset. If you truly focus on being grateful for everything (including the struggle) you will develop an unstoppable mentality.
Genetics — Genetics consists of your diet and exercise. All the money in the world can’t fix your health as exercise and diet can.
Grind — Every day your job is to do the work. The work that needs to be done in your business and in your personal life. Most of us consider the “grind” to just be for work. With the G Code, you’re promoted to grind in every area in your life so that you become the best version of yourself.
Group — Group is the people you surround yourself with. This is the most important part. With the right people, the wrong things won’t happen.
While most focus on just getting more money, I want folks to get more of everything; love, healthy relationships, mental toughness, a healthy body, and everything that comes with it.
Can you please tell us more about a couple of specific ways workplaces would benefit from investing in your ideas above to improve employee wellness?
Everything on this planet is governed by a code called the “Force of Average”. The Force of Average has one job and one job only. To distract you and your team as much as it can. On the flip side, we humans have a superpower that allows us to fight the Force of Average and win. That superpower is FOCUS. Where most people get stuck, is that they don’t know how to focus, or what to focus on. That’s where the GCode comes in and gives you and your team simple, yet powerful instructions on exactly what to focus on to improve all areas of your life. The G Code is a simple step-by-step program that helps anyone who uses it become the greatest version of themselves, by focusing on what matters most on a daily basis. By implementing it with your team and checking in with them weekly on how it’s going not only will your team become unstoppable so will your business. Once you put this life pattern into play your entire team will have the right mindset, a healthier body, they’ll hit their goals, and have amazing relationships both at work and at home.
How are you reskilling leaders in your organization to support a “Work Well” culture? Ideas take time to implement. What is one small step every individual, team or organization can take to get started on these ideas — to get well?
Our leaders are required to dial in on what matters most to them. Not just at work, but in all areas of their lives. Just by doing this small step, they are able to create actionable tasks that get them to those goals, and the G Code helps them stay accountable. Better yet, our management leaders provide support and encouragement for their goals whether they are work-related or not which provides morale and confidence to the team as a whole.
What are your “Top 5 Trends To Track In the Future of Workplace Wellness?”
1. The G Code — A simple step-by-step program that helps anyone who uses it become the greatest version of themselves, by focusing on what matters most on a daily basis.
2. The Power of Focus — When it comes to health and wellness in the workplace, focus is key. By focusing on what matters most, you and your team can achieve anything.
3. The importance of genetics — Genetics consists of your diet and exercise. All the money in the world can’t fix your health as exercise and diet can.
4. The grind — Every day your job is to do the work. The work that needs to be done in your business and in your personal life. Most of us consider the “grind” to just be for work. With the G Code, you’re promoted to grind in every area in your life so that you become the best version of yourself.
5. Group — Group is the people you surround yourself with. This is the most important part. With the right people, the wrong things won’t happen. GCode helps you find your group so that you can focus on what matters most and achieve greatness.
What is your greatest source of optimism about the future of workplace wellness?
I’m optimistic about the future of workplace wellness because I think employers are finally starting to realize that happy and healthy employees are productive employees. We’re seeing more and more companies offering things like on-site gyms, yoga classes, and healthy food options. And I think this is just the beginning. As we learn more about the connection between overall health and productivity, I think we’ll see even more companies investing in workplace wellness programs. I think this is a great trend that will benefit both employees and employers in the long run.
Our readers often like to continue the conversation with our featured interviewees. How can they best connect with you and stay current on what you’re discovering?
I am on every social media platform out there. You can go to https://onespotsocial.com/closer and follow me from there. I post different types of content twice daily, so I recommend following me on every one of them.
Thank you for sharing your insights and predictions. We appreciate the gift of your time and wish you continued success and wellness.