My talk at TEDxCopenhagen went really, really well. I can’t count the number of people who came up after and told me they loved it.
But don’t take my word for how good it was – the talks from the conference are live on the internet already, so you can see for yourself. Click here to watch it.
In my speech, I talk about:
- The happiest bus driver I’ve ever met.
- The strange Danish word arbejdsglæde, and why the rest of the world needs to learn it.
- What makes us happy in life and at work.
- Why Denmark isn’t really the happiest country.
- What you can do to be happy at work.
What do you think?
Here are some reactions to my speech from the #tedxcph stream on twitter:
I highly recommend Alexander Kjerulfs talk about happiness at work.
Eye opener: Alexander Kjerulf on arbejdsglæde.
Great talk by Alexander Kjerulf on happiness at work.
IKEA ought to make an office chair called arbejdsglæde in honor of Alexander
And there were tons of great talks today – here are my three favorites:
Watching your talk gave me the biggest smile. I couldn’t help myself but to be happy and feel happy. Thanks for brightening my day. Now it’s my turn to go brighten somebody else’s day!
Alex, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your work! As a person who has made a career in vocational counseling with people with disabilities–in a government-based setting, no less, I’ve seen countless instances of very unhappy, very unhealthy and very unfulfilled people at work. And not all of them were my colleagues in this government agency! For years, when I worked as a counselor, I would remind my clients that THEY were interviewing the employer as much as the employer was interviewing THEM. My motto has always been “Life is too short to do a job you hate!” In more recent years, as the agency’s internship coordinator, I’ve advised nearly a hundred students on the importance of finding a good “fit” vocationally–and then taking the opportunity to learn and grow throughout one’s career.
As I contemplate returning to a formal management position, I’ll be looking for ways to make Arbejsdglaede part of my daily focus and to encourage its development among those with whom I work.
Keep spreading the message–it’s critical!
Hi Alex,
Amazing talk… love your work… am a big big fan!!!
Regards
Rahul
Awesome speech Alex! I love that the Danish have a word for happiness at work – that is just great!
I have shared your post in my Rainmaker ‘Fab Five’ blog picks of the week (found here: http://www.maximizepossibility.com/employee_retention/2010/12/the-rain.html) so that my readers can hear about arbejdsgl
Great talk. Made my day! :)
I loved this talk and linked to it on my blog, http://www.liveandlovework.com, in an entry about happiness. Thanks for the inspiration! I am practicing arbejdsgl