CNA938 Rewind - What to know about the new Pope Leo XIV
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USA Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday (May 8) and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV. Aged 69 and originally from Chicago, Prevost has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru and became a cardinal only in 2023. Hairianto Diman and Susan Ng find out more about the first American pope with Professor Jonathan Tan, Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor of Catholic Studies, Case Western Reserve University
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A few months ago, a new colleague came into a meeting prepared with fresh, thoughtful ideas for improving user acquisition. Then, as the ideas were presented, others in the team – myself included – responded only by shooting them down with lines like, "Oh, I don't think management will like that". At lunch afterwards, the colleague confided that it felt "gross" to watch us filter everything only through the lens of the higher-ups' approval. I instantly realised that they were right. We'd been conditioned by rejection to only pitch what might slip through, not what we believed would work. Many write this off as low morale. That is why burnout rates are higher than ever, they'll say. But there's a difference between "low morale" and learned helplessness, which is a more insidious phenomenon where we internalise our limits so much that we forget we ever had any agency at all. WHAT 'HELPLESSNESS' LOOKS LIKE The term "learned helplessness" was first coined by American psychologists Martin Seligman and Steven F Maier in the 1960s to describe the lack of motivation or sense of powerlessness we experience when we believe we have no control over our environment or situation due to repeated exposure to uncontrollable events. This isn't just about how we feel. It fundamentally rewires how we perceive and understand our roles in the workplace. Recent survey data shows that unhappiness with a superior or colleague, lack of career advancement, and lack of autonomy are among the top reasons why Gen Z workers in Singapore are quitting their jobs. These are not just surface-level complaints – they reflect a deeper problem of feeling boxed in, undervalued or silenced. I had a colleague who was creative and sharp, always buzzing with thoughtful ideas and genuine care for the work to be done. 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That clarity is the first line of protection for both parties. Are we respecting the terms laid out in our employment contracts, such as working hours, role definitions, and rest periods? Or are we glorifying burnout and unpaid overtime as "loyalty" or "commitment"? Leaders should know when they are demanding too much of their teams, and workers should recognise when they are being handed responsibilities that don't belong to them. 2. Offer pathways, not just blocks Both bosses and workers need to create a culture where pushback isn't punished. We say we want input and feedback, but how do we respond to them? Are we simply saying "no" to save ourselves the effort of trying? Do we strive to make our criticism constructive, rather than restrictive or destructive? This isn't about softening the truth – it's about communicating it in a way that encourages discussion and collaboration instead of shutting it down altogether. Don't just say: "This doesn't make sense." Explain why. 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