The Morning: CEOs embrace psychedelic dr-gs
- E.O.s are tripping (The New York Times)
(Edited)
Psychedelic dr-gs have come a long way. They once belonged to the counterculture. Now they are finding a home in the C-suite.
Executives see psychedelic dr-gs as a way to boost creativity. That’s enticing to people looking for out-of-the-box ideas.
Guides who lead psychedelic retreats also say that the dr-gs evoke deep waves of emotion. Business leaders become more candid about wellness at work. Firms spend tens of thousands on therapy apps, meditation classes and stress management workshops. Some offer employees quarterly and annual mental health days.
Business leaders tell their colleagues that psychedelics are the reason they’ve become more calm and empathetic in the office. One CEO said the experiences prompted him to mentor more young colleagues. Another said he had seen friends in the business world use psychedelics to manage their egos and to find a deeper professional purpose. There’s a cultural cachet in some communities that suggests that if you’re into psychedelics, you’re cool and open-minded.
Leaders get “stuck” in conventional approaches to decision making, said Rachelle Sampson, a business professor who is running a study at the University of Maryland. Perhaps, she wonders, psilocybin can break them of it.