The Wall Street Journal ran an article titled Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work on January 27th. Reading the title alone, one might assume that the author, Sue Shellenbarger, sought to trivialize the Positive Psychology movement afoot in corporate America. But while Shellenbarger commented that “critics see Positive Psychology as a way for companies to improve morale while they continue to burden employees with the threat of layoffs and an ever increasing workload,” she then offered numerous reasons why the movement should be taken seriously.

Employee morale statistics have plummeted to record breaking lows in the wake of the economic downturn and massive layoffs. Practicing the tenants of Positive Psychology will not only support the enhancement of employee morale, but also support the resilience of the organization. Research has revealed that employees who are experiencing positive emotions are more creative, flexible and innovative. They are better able to see the big picture and are better corporate citizens.

The practice supports employees in focusing on what they can control versus things outside their control. Practitioners are encouraged to look for the silver-lining in events they might at one time have labeled as negative. Companies involved in the movement are creating change by focusing on what they want to create versus focusing on a problem.

The article provides testimony from employers who claim to have recognized greater resilience in their organizations due to the support of coaches and trainers who use Positive Psychology as the foundation for their work. The skills taught through the movement make employees and organizations better able to handle the natural ups and downs of corporate life.

Labels: employee coaching, employee happiness, positive psychology, Wall Street Journal

I remember hearing a colleague talk about the last performance appraisal she received when working for a large bank. She had made a contribution that year and she felt on top of her game.

The colleague recollected how the appraisal began. Just as she had suspected, her leader acknowledged her accomplishments, praised her talents and recognized her contribution as substantial. She glowed as she recalled what a great feeling it was to be recognized.

As she told the rest of the story, the glow diminished. Like every preceding year, the appraisal discussion eventually turned to her weakness - form completion. She was a gifted facilitator, who struggled with the paperwork that justified her work. Unfortunately, her impactful contribution was overshadowed by her inability to complete follow-up reports to her leader's satisfaction.

She recounted how she held her breath through the entire "fixing me" session. The memory was fresh; she swallowed, buried her frustration, signed the form and walked away demoralized.

Later she crossed paths with her leader in the parking lot on her way to the car. Her leader asked her how she felt about her appraisal, obviously expecting a gush of gratitude. What she witnessed instead was a complete meltdown.

As my colleague recounted the incident it again brought emotions to the surface. "Why couldn't she get it? It's not who I am. I was not going to meet her expectations in this area no matter how many years in a row we discussed it."

Leaders focus a lot of energy on fixing their employee's short-comings. The problem is that fixing weaknesses does not lead to excellence, even though Gallup statistics reveal that 51% of working Americans believe that it does. The truth is that capitalizing on strengths leads to excellence.

A significant opportunity exists for leaders to expand the amount of time employees spend playing to their strengths. The science of Positive Psychology has revealed strengths use as a pathway to human flourishing. We are so much more effective and efficient when we are functioning in an area of strength. The right mix of strengths use and challenge puts us into flow. Yet, Gallup tells us that employees feel they spend 12% of their time playing to their strengths. This correlates to pure untapped potential.

Every leader has the opportunity to spend less time on employee weaknesses and more time developing employee's strengths. By maximizing employee potential, an organization maximizes its potential.

Labels: leadership, positive psychology, strengths

Do you remember the California Milk Advisory Board commercials from 2002? They highlighted the slogan: "Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California." The ads featured talking and signing cows discussing the pleasures of life in warm and sunny California. The underlying message was that happy cows give better milk.

Ironically, the California Milk Advisory Board was sued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggesting that the depiction of the cow's living conditions was deceptive. The lawsuit sparked a false advertising debate among the dairy community that included the question of how a cow's happiness is measured. Some great questions flow from legal debates.

Despite the unhappy drama that surrounded the happy cow commercials, they were popular for a reason. My guess is that people intuitively resonate with the concept of happiness resulting in quality work. And the commercials were fun. Who wouldn't smile at a singing cow?

What we have come to learn from the science of Positive Psychology is that happy people have a greater opportunity to produce quality results than those who are unhappy. Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has conducted ground breaking research that supports this theory. Barbara's work suggests that when we experience positive emotions we are more intelligent, more creative, have a more global perspective, and are less racially biased. In addition, while we experience positive emotions we build sustainable physical, psychological, emotional and social resources. While positive emotions may not last, the resources we build as a result of them are long lasting. These enhancements improve our well-being over time.

On the contrary, negative emotions narrow our perspective and limit our options. When we're stuck in a negative emotional space self-advocacy prevails. Work environments filled with negativity result in silos, empire building, withholding of ideas and information and doing things the way they've always been done. Luckily, positive emotions can reduce negative ones.

I worked in Human Resources inside a large organization for many years. We routinely surveyed our employees as they left the organization regarding their work experience. One rating that was routinely low and would not seem to budge despite our efforts to influence it was, "My supervisor cares about and works to resolve problems." It was only after we took action to create a more positive culture, that we saw a 20 percentage point positive movement in that rating. Actually, there was positive movement in all of the leadership ratings. I contend that being positive and being around positive people opens up new ways of thinking and supports us in finding new solutions to old problems. As Albert Einstein said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Will quality work flow from happy employees? Research from the field of Positive Psychology would suggest so. Could there be a better learning lab than the financial results of Fortune Magazine's 100 Best Places to Work? These companies intentionally develop a positive culture and they routinely outperform their competitors. We know that positive emotions cause success for individuals. The Best Places to Work are proof that collective positive emotions create success as well.

While the jury is still out on how to measure the happiness of a cow, the science of Positive Psychology offers us many ways to measure the happiness and well-being of human beings - the secret to your organization's success.

Labels: happiness, positive psychology, workplace culture