Highlighting Health at INSEAD’s Student-Led Health Week

From mental agility, positive intelligence, to the healing power of nature, we highlight the key takeaways from all the webinars of the very first global INSEAD Health Week, led by a determined group of Master In Management (MIM) students.

In an effort to inspire the INSEAD community at the start of a brand-new year, an enthusiastic group of Master in Management (MIM) students (Nacho Vázquez, Weicong Zhang, Luca Imesch and Dimitri de Klebnikoff) decided to lead the school’s first ever global INSEAD Health Week. Open to faculty, students, staff, and alumni, and held in collaboration with the Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society, INSEAD Talent Development, the Healthcare Alumni network and the MIM Student Council, the initiative was built on one intention – to motivate participants to make one additional healthy decision a day.

Attended by over 500 participants, the three-day event focused on three main topics: Stress and Sustainable Performance, Physical Health and Diet, and Mental Health and Physical Regeneration, with multiple webinars and on-ground sessions happening across campuses for each of the three days. From making health checks available for more than 150 people, special menus for campus restaurants in Europe and Asia, mindfulness sessions, to supporting the visually impaired through an initiative that trains them to be professional masseuses – the event was packed with ways to engage the on-ground and online community.

Kicking off the conversations, Dr. Thomas Hellwig and Florie Gallon addressed the burnout pandemic, explaining how it exists in many shapes and forms across industries and the additional psychological impact brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Florie Gallon shared her personal experience with burnout, highlighting the early red flags with increased work activity, the inability to switch off from professional matters, and reduced sleep and interest for social and family activities. She offered solutions of paying attention to our stress responses and creating intentional time to wind down and prioritise health.

Bringing 20 years of experience in coaching Olympic athletes, Alain Goudsmet shared the power of personal energy, and how to manage oneself under pressure. Explaining “efficient imperfection,” Goudsmet started off with the importance of failing, and “when you fail, you learn much more than when you succeed.” He also stressed the importance of recovering energy through various ways after spending it to ensure a balance.

INSEAD Professor Pierre Chandon discussed aligning health, business and eating pleasure in a session with Gene Cleckley. Professor Chandon underlined the marketing tricks of the food industry, how it ties into some global health issues, and the biases on human appearance – specifically weight differences, that result from this. He also provided intriguing insights about common misconceptions like healthy food not being considered delicious with case studies, examples, and solutions to elaborate this finding.

In the next session, New York Times bestselling author of Positive Intelligence, Shirzad Chamine unpacked ways to improve mental health for better performance. He shared his difficult experiences from his growing years in school, and the effect this had on his self-esteem and self-image. Sharing ways to break away from negative emotional loops and prevent self-sabotage, Chamine explained a three-step process for all to start practicing.

Also discussing mental health and positive intelligence was Birgit Rappold in the following session, where she informed the audience of methods for mental fitness training. She spoke about the concept of “mental muscles” and how they can be exercised to bring about positivity in life. Both the recordings are only available for online viewing for registrants.

Closing the conversations for INSEAD Health Week was Fabrice Leclerc, as he reminded us of the regenerative powers of nature, citing the proven decreased cortisol levels of those living near nature versus those that live in cities. Answering a question about connecting with nature at work, Leclerc elaborated that “we are stuck into models which are not compatible,” and how today’s leadership needs to harness the power of nature and inculcate it into the designs of offices.

By spreading knowledge about health through distinguished speakers and interactive activities, INSEAD Health Week has seeded its mission of inspiring participants towards one healthier decision. From learning positive intelligence, ways to connect with nature to heal, and practical tips to strengthen mental health, the learning and actionable information has resulted in a meaningful initiative that the Hoffmann Institute is glad to have supported. We look forward to seeing what our adventurous and enthusiastic MIM team brings next to inspire the INSEAD community.