Leading Minds Tip No 138: The Serious Business of Happinness
This week’s tip comes to you from Dorien De Vidts of Kaizen Training.
While doing some research this weekend I was happily surprised by the attention that is given to happiness these days. By happiness, I mean all positive emotions, from contentment, relaxation, to intense joy and excitement.
On the website of CIPD I came across a comment on their working – life survey by Nic Marks, Founder of the New Economics Foundation for Well-being, stating that ‘happiness is a serious business’. He concluded that the survey evidence supports the belief that positive emotions are important in relationship to key performance indicators, such as job satisfaction, meaningfulness of work, engagement, loyalty and performance.
And the story doesn’t end there: another interesting conclusion was that “positive emotions are not just an outcome or reward for doing the right things, they also increase our potential for doing well in the future”.
Curious as I am, I searched for more and found that this conclusion was inspired by the work of Barbara Fredrickson, recognized psychologist in the field of positive psychology. Through her research she developed the ‘broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions’. She explains that positive emotions are a lot more than signals of our optimal functioning. Feeling good enables us to be more flexible in our behaviour and our thinking. A few examples are: developing more resilience and optimism, a sense of identity and goal orientation, better problem-solving skills, making better and deeper connection with others and becoming more creative.
I don’t know about you but this sure gives me a lot more reasons to feel good and to be happy than I already had.
Barbara Fredrickson also mentions that emotions are contagious. When we feel good, others are a lot more likely to feel good. For me all of this proves - yet again - that state is everything.
It shows that happiness is indeed a serious business, and not just for ourselves but for everyone around us: our colleagues, team, customers and loved ones.
But here’s the really good news: We’re now convinced that happiness is a decision, a state, and a skill that can be learned.
Call to action:
During this week I invite you to become even more aware of your state and notice the effects it has on yourself, your performance and flexibility and the state of the people around you.
If you would like to master the skills involved, or talk to us about how we’re helping clients create a working environment and culture that optimises Happiness at Work, contact us at office@kaizen-training.com
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance,
the wise grows it under his feet.
- James Oppenheim -