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Happiness at Work – Does It Matter?

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

I don’t like the term ‘happy’ when it comes to work.  It’s too New Age Cumbaya.  Though, if pressed, I would fall back on my sample of one and recall the times I’ve been most creative, effective and productive at work and it’s always been when I’m most confident in myself, when I’m most comfortable fitting into my surroundings and when I’m generally happy.  Yes, it matters.

I just finished reading Johan Lehrner’s latest called How We Decide and he off-handedly plucks out a study by Mark Jung-Beeman showing that people with a positive mood (read: happy) are able to solve 20% more puzzles than unhappy people.  And conversely, people with higher anxiety solved fewer problems and were slower doing so.

photo by tricky

photo by tricky

A majority of us now work in knowledge industries.  Everything we do is about solving problems, creatively improving products and processes and finding new ways to out-flank our competition.  Everything requires creativity.  And insofar as speed to execution and problem-solving matter to your business then it behooves you to pay attention to what your employees are feeling.

It’s not making sure they have M&Ms, on-site dry cleaning or yoga classes.  But making sure that,

  1. their needs and career goals are being met
  2. they are a part of the company’s mission
  3. their work matters
  4. they feel as though they’re getting a fair shake.  That is, their values are well-aligned with the company’s
  5. they know how well they are performing

Just as Happy Cows make better cheese so do happy employees make better products.

[To read Jung-Beeman's full study download the PDF for the 'Positive Mood and Anxiety Modulate Anterior Cingulate Activity and Cognitive Preparation for Insight.' It's the first title.]

Posted in Creativity, Engagement, Mindset | 4 Comments »

Can Burnout Be Prevented?

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
photo by auntie p

photo by auntie p

I just read a phenomenal post on burnout – well researched, explained and experienced.  And while I’m a big believer in work-life balance I was left with a question for which I don’t have an answer.

Can burnout be prevented through the right set of challenges and rewards?

In my sample of one, the times in which I’ve experienced burnout are when I don’t see the value of my work.

In other words, the work I was doing wasn’t challenging enough, the reason I was doing it didn’t align with my motivations and the rewards were captured by someone else.

Is it possible to solve burnout not by giving your team a few extra days off and returning to the same situation that created it in the first place but by getting to know what drives everyone on your team and assigning work accordingly?

If you knew why each individual on the team wanted to work, how they preferred to be rewarded and what their long-term goals were, do you think they’d burn out?

I don’t mean to suggest people can be worked indefinitely.  Creative people (of which we are all a part in some manner) need to recharge at some point.  But if we create work environments that provide the road map by which people can reach their goals and get the rewards they seek along the way then I think we’d see far less talk about burnout and being over-stressed.

Please jot your thoughts in the comments below.  Thanks.

Posted in Coaching, Creativity, Mindset, Motivation, Values | 1 Comment »

Make Exit Interviews Useful – Eliminate ‘Em

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009

With so many companies now laying off employees I’ve started thinking about the exit interview.  I think nearly everyone would agree it’s completely useless.  But frankly, I’m a little stumped on how make it useful.

Dangerous Exit

On paper, the concept is a good one.  People are leaving (by choice or otherwise) and you want to know why so that you can improve your company.

But employees paint a glorious picture of rainbows and butterflies because neither are flammable enough to ignite a bridge.  Similarly, employers are all too happy to hear that.  They don’t want to admit that anything is wrong.

Two thoughts on how to change this.

1. Completely eliminate this useless waste of time

Instead build what you want to get out of the exit interview into your everyday processes.  The key is to listen dispassionately.  Nothing is personal, nothing is held against anyone.

  • Collect anonymous feedback either systematically or set up a suggestion box
  • Take individual employees out to lunch and ask what they would change if they were in your position
  • Make feedback flow both ways…always

2. Give employees some incentive to give good feedback

Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of good ideas here.  But I do have one that I’d like to experiment with.

Companies pay consultants big dollars to analyze their processes, culture and operations.  Shift that budget away from the suits who parachute in for a couple months and transfer it to those who endured and operated within the system.

Offer the employee a small pot of gold in exchange for an additional day or two of work.  The output of that day or two is a document (or whatever form works best for the employee) that addresses what they’d do if they were in charge, why they couldn’t implement their ideas, etc.  Identify the open-ended questions that are germane to your company and pepper in the additional questions that are unique to their function, manager and team.

It’s not perfect, but $1,000 plus the chance to prove how smart you are may be just enough to tip the scales and provide the incentive for employees to offer up what’s broken.

Thoughts?  Does the process work for you?  How would you improve it?

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Photo credit: Max_Thinks_Sees

Posted in Business, Learning, Mindset | No Comments »

Getting Lucky

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

Just finished reading two blog posts and one seemingly answered the other.  Normally I wouldn’t blog about it, but it tied into my getting lucky this morning.  Some good cosmic juju is at play here so I have to acknowledge it.

The first post was Seth Godin’s latest on our willingness to be lucky.  The second is from Dr. Skippy on appreciation and creation.

Four Leaf Clover

Four Leaf Clover

Godin points out that plotting a course that minimizes risk is easy, but wonders whether we can plan to maximize luck.  Dr. Skippy indirectly answers Godin’s question with a brilliant post on the value of appreciation and how it opens doors to create, build and grow.  Definitely worth the read as it relates to leading teams and leading your life.

Approaching new situations with an open mind and a willingness to first see the possibilities is key to creating our own luck*.  Shove aside skepticism and focus outward.  It’s not about proving yourself.  When you meet someone new and they can only talk about themselves do you want to connect them to anyone?  Would you want to work with them to help them find solutions to the problems with which they grapple?

While totally lacking in science I’d be willing to bet that people who first see possibilities and are open to new experiences, people and ideas make far more luck for themselves.

Case in point…

I got lucky this morning.  A couple times a month a random collection of folks get together to talk about what’s happening in the world of startups and tech.  Today was my second time attending.  While mingling afterward I literally bumped into someone who, as it turns out, is working on developing solutions to the same problem I’m trying to solve.  We both seemed open minded to the other’s approach and, after a few minutes, thought that the other may have a lot to offer.  We then agreed to get back together and see if and how we can help each other.

It may work out or it may not.  But it never would have had a chance if we both hadn’t put ourselves in a ‘new’ environment, receptively listened to the other and saw the possibilities of what could be.

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*Continue to be skeptical of emails claiming you’ve won a foreign country’s lottery.

Photo by Merlijn Hoek

Posted in Inspiration, Mindset | No Comments »

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