If you want to get ahead in business, lose - rather than use - your head according to latest findings from the UKs first online employment network, workthing.com1. With nearly three-quarters of CEOs (73%) admitting that they daydream at least once a day compared to only 56% of managers, research brings a welcome boost to those looking to find a way to get ahead in business.
Heads in clouds:
Based on the comments of over 3,000 Internet users, results suggest that middle management and the self-employed are perhaps the most focused when it comes to daily work load - with 43% and 40% respectively claiming that they never put their head in the clouds and think of non-work matters. When they do allow themselves to dream, the self-employed are most likely to invest most time in doing it, with more than a fifth (21%) claiming that they put aside 2 hours a day for the purpose!
But leading the pack are the CEOs. Of the 73% that admitted daydreaming, over a third of them (34%) claimed to spend at least 30 minutes - and in some cases the whole two hours - with their heads in the clouds, making it seem that the less you do, the more likely you are to get six-figure salaries and stock options.
It seems that CEOs may not be the only ones drifting off daily, as following closely behind are directors and senior managers of whom 72% are also daydream believers. From this nearly 30% drift off at least twice a day and 14% claim that they spend up to two hours of their working day daydreaming.
Grazing not lazing:
So, is this CEOs putting their feet up whilst the rest of the company toil? No, before condemning dreamers, take heed of psychologist, Dr Raj Persaud, who warns that putting a freeze on your dream-bank may not be so good for your creative balance!
ìWe shouldnít be surprised that company leaders have been spotted at the top of the daydreaming stakesî, explains Persaud. ìAlthough CEOs are right up there in the daydreaming stakes with students and trainees, further investigation suggests that thereís more than one way to dream and itís understanding this that unlocks the clue to who exactly will succeedî.
Making the distinction between two types of dreaming - ëgrazingí and ëlazingí, Persaud explains: ìGrazing is a type of mind-feeding, typified by a habit be it pencil chewing, doodling on a workbook or tapping nails on a desk. This is when your mind is at itís most fertile as it is in a relaxed state freeing itself for more creative thinking. On the other hand, lazing is the more negatively perceived side of dreaming often marked by staring blankly into space with glazed eyes. This type of dreaming is most common when workers are unmotivated and unstimulated in the workplaceî.
Says Persaud. ìFrom studying chief executive officers at work, we see plenty of proof of ëgrazingí and companies that make provision for this kind of productive activity, maybe the ones to succeedî.
www.workthing.com
Reverie, the dream ticket to corporate success - 09/2001
75% of CEOís admit daydreaming during working week