I’m still saying Happy New Year! How about you?
I’m still saying it to connect the fact that we have the power to make it happy.
As a leader, let me invite you to think about the role that “happiness” or otherwise said – well-being – plays in the success of your enterprise.
I get a lot of guff about the word “happiness.” Some people just don’t see how something so subjective and so personal matters in business. I get it.
So when I teach and present I’m careful now to make sure that I clarify the kind of “Happiness” I’m talking about. The big “H” Happiness – AKA Well-being – has 5 pillars. Positive Emotion, Engagement, Rich and Rewarding Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement.
Feel better now?
I get it. And it’s important that we all get it. Happy positive cultures are more productive, creative and fun. There’s a boatload of evidence that happy companies that are “great to work for” do better financially. People go home at the end of the feeling satisfied, fulfilled and very often energized. When leaders put their focus on strengths we feel proud, happy and willing to do a little more for co-workers and to make the customer happy.
Toxic cultures breed abuse both in the workplace and at home. When people leave work feeling demeaned, demoralized or abused in any way, often they bring that negative energy home to those they love the most. Emotions are contagious, especially negative ones.
Of course, most workplaces are in the middle – some good days, some not so good days. There are some days where leaders are great at seeing strengths and others where they are only able to focus on weakness.
Either way, leaders are always complicit in either the happiness or the unhappiness of the climate.
You’re not totally responsible for anyone’s happiness but your own – but you are complicit in either supporting positivity or negativity in the climate on any given day in the workplace.
Did you know that 50 – 70 % of how your employees perceive the climate is due to you how you act as leader?
Not what you say but how you act.
Positive leadership is all about cultivating positive emotions at work – and here are 4 ways you can make a positive impact on YOUR climate and be complicit in creating more happiness at work:
Respect others – and their time – and their ideas. Slow down enough to really hear what they are saying and acknowledge their contributions.
Create safe emotional space – which means make it ridicule free. People need to know they are in emotionally safe place in order to take risks, try new things and stretch outside their comfort zones.
Express and foster hope, optimism, confidence, resilience, compassion and forgiveness – when you do that you build “Psychological Capital” that shows up in their self-confidence, engagement and wholehearted participation.
Celebrate successes – often.
Dr. Daniel Goleman – who wrote the books on emotional intelligence – estimates that 30% of a company’s financial performance is due to the climate and the culture – that’s pretty powerful.
A whole lot of it rests in your hands as leader.
Are you ready to step up to higher ground?
“Positive Energizers” have four times more impact at work then “everyday” leaders. Are you a Positive Energizer?
Go to www.PositiveEnergizer.com and take the assessment to see how close you are to being one.
Are you ready for a little Climate Change at work?
I work with leadership teams at all levels to energize, inspire and educate them in the evidence based practices of Applied Positive Psychology and the experience and wisdom that comes from almost 28 years teaching customer happiness. Do. It. Now.
561-279-0027 JoAnna@ReturnOnHappiness.com
Have an awesome week, let’s make it an awesome and happy new year!
JoAnna
