From “Be Happy” to “Be Whole” at Work
If you’ve had a week of curveballs, welcome to the club. It must be this eclipse thing! You know I work with bright leaders who care deeply—and even they confess: “I know I’m supposed to stay positive, but some days it’s… a lot.”
Here’s the reframing: the goal isn’t to be happy all the time. The goal is to be whole—and to lead whole human beings. Positive psychology (thank you, Dr. Martin Seligman) gives us a bigger horizon line than momentary mood: flourishing. That includes purpose, pleasure, meaning, relationships, healthy achievement—and yes, the textured emotions that come with real life.
Think of it as emotional ecology. Ecosystems thrive when there’s diversity—sun and shade, rainfall and dry spells, tall trees and tiny microbes. Teams thrive the same way. When leaders make room for the full range of human emotion, people don’t crumble. They calibrate. They learn. They grow stronger.
Why this matters for performance (and your customers can feel it):
- Clarity under stress. Naming emotions accurately tamps down reactivity and improves judgment. Better decisions, fewer do-overs. Create a broader emotional vocabulary.
- Trust you can stand on. People don’t trust leaders who demand permanent cheerfulness. They trust leaders who are honest, steady, and kind.
- Energy that sustains. Pushing for “smile-and-go” burns people out. Coaching for meaning and progress fuels discretionary going the “extra mile” effort.
Try this five-minute practice with your team this week:
- Power Pause. Two minutes of breath with a hand on your heart and if possible, your eyes closed. (Your nervous system will thank you.)
- Name the emotional weather. “What’s one word for how you’re feeling?” No fixing, no commentary.
- Connect to purpose. “Given that weather, what matters most for our customers today?”
- One wise step. Micro-commitments beat heroic promises. What’s the next tiny action?
- Catch effort as it’s happening. Publicly acknowledge progress, not perfection. It teaches your culture what “winning” looks like.
This is not “soft.” This is operational excellence for humans. When you normalize real honest emotion and pair it with clear purpose, performance soars. You reduce the hidden tax of pretending. You shorten recovery time after setbacks.
And you create the kind of workplace that sends people home more patient, more present, and more proud – spillover their family notices tonight and your customers notice the very next day.
If your organization is ready to move from “be happy” slogans to systems that help people flourish, join me for Wisdom Circles as part of “The Practice of Positive Leadership”
👉 Join me in the Practice of Positive Leadership Course – I’ve just knocked $200 OFF your investment in the course – and the experience of learning more about leadership, happiness, “energy gains”, positivity practices and so much MORE!
When you sign up from this link you get a complimentary 45-minute interview with me. It’s a great time to articulate your goals and dreams for you and your team!
Let’s take happiness seriously. Because when we do, success follows.
With you for the long game of human flourishing,
JoAnna
P.S. Hard week? You’re not failing—you’re forming. Let’s use it.
