We have created a poster with inspiring quotes about leadership – you can download the pdf for free right here.
Author: Alexander
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Enter for a chance to win the 2017 “Out of Office” World Championship
Help us find the best out of office auto replies in the world!
Do you have a really good, funny or creative auto reply for your e-mail when you’re off on Summer vacation? Or what is the best “Out of office” reply you have received this summer?
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Everyone deserves a happy career. Here’s how to get it.
Time and again, we see a bell-curve response to surveys on workplace happiness – 20% engaged and happy, 20% disengaged, 60% in the ‘so-so’ zone.
Why don’t people pay a little more attention (and a whole lot more respect!) to their own happiness – and what happens when they do?
In this hilarious talk from the 2017 International Conference on Happiness at Work in Copenhagen Irish career expert Rowan Manahan will show you how to use happiness at work as a career advantage. Because the science is clear: While success is no guarantee of happiness, people who love their jobs are more productive, innovative and motivated and ultimately more successful in their careers and in life.
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Help me name my next book
I need a great title for my next book on Leading with Happiness.
The book explains why and how leaders should lead in a way that improves happiness for themselves, employees, customers and the world. Read more about it here.
So far I’ve just been calling the book Leading with Happiness (and that kinda works) but maybe there’s a better, more eye catching and more fun title out there?
As you know, business books tend to to have a title and a subtitle. Here are some titles I really like:
- Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for your People like Family
- The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized workplace and surviving one that isn’t
- The Customer Comes Second: Put your People First and Watch’em Kick Butt
- The Lazy Way to Success: How to do Nothing and Accomplish Everything
The title itself is short and inspiring and the subtitle explains what the book is about.
So please give me your best ideas for a book title in a comment below.
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Why Ping-Pong Tables Wont Make Your Employees Happy – And What Will
In this animated interview Olivier Larvoir and I talk about:
- Which company recently installed a slide in the office to make it a ‘happier’ place to work (#facepalm)
- Why your employees don’t want free coffee, ping pong tables and away days – and what they DO want
- How to attract the best talent without writing a job ad or hiring a recruitment agency
- What happiest places work all do that you can implement today (think: Google, Zappos, Southwest Airlines)
- The one word most leaders are scared to say but is the key to better productivity (hint: it isn’t ‘motivation’)
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Ben Zander on Leading with Happiness
I interviewed the legendary conductor Ben Zander for my next book on Leading with Happiness and here is one of my favorite quotes of his:
Doing well in the stock market, or satisfying the shareholders is a natural byproduct of an effective business. And what makes an effective business is the same thing that makes an effective orchestra: People who want to be there, who give everything they have, who are having a wonderful time doing it, whose eyes are shining, who are giving out energy to people around them.
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Show investors that you care about more than just profits
I found this researching my next book, Leading with Happiness.
At the 2008 Southwest Airlines Shareholders’ Meeting, CEO Gary Kelly ended his presentation with this wonderful story.
February the 27th we had flight number 1218 preparing for departure from Dallas to Las Vegas via Austin and as the customers were taking their seats our Dallas flight attendant Robin Hopkins was approached by a customer who I’ll refer to as Janice.
Janice was asking for help with her cellphone and she didn’t know how to turn it off. Robin assisted Janice but asked if she was okay because Robin can tell that she had been crying. Janice answered that she was on her way to Las Vegas to identify her only son at the medical examiner’s office.
Upon hearing this Robin informed the two other flight attendants Melissa Smith and Lisa Christian as to what was going on and our flight attendants comforted Janice.
Melissa and Lisa handled the entire flight from Austin to Las Vegas while Robin sat with Janice and she learned about her son and she was there to provide comfort. They talked for the rest of the flight.
When they landed in Las Vegas Candace Robinson and Brandy Fuller who are Las Vegas in-flight supervisors met Janice at the gate and they took over. Brandy handled all of her immediate needs while Candace went on to get her own car to drive Janice. Candace was also able to secure a hotel room next to the funeral home.There was no one there for Janice except for Southwest Airlines people and this is just one powerful example of our people in action and it happens hundreds of times every single day and most of which we never hear about. But they don’t do it for the recognition, they don’t do it for the money. They do it because they care and at Southwest Airlines we are blessed to find and to hire and to keep people who care.
I don’t know if you can teach people how to care but you can’t encourage it you can support it and when you know about it you can certainly recognize it.
This is amazing story and I love the fact that the CEO told it at the shareholders’ meeting. This clearly shows investors where Southwest’s priorities are and that they can expect the company to continue to treat its employees and customers well.
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I’m writing my next book called “Leading With Happiness” and I would LOVE your feedback
As always, I do all my writing in a café.I am now 6 chapters and 25,000 words into writing my next book titled “Leading with Happiness” and I would love to get feedback on what I’ve written.
Here are the 6 chapters I’ve finished so far:
1 – Introduction
2 – Why happiness
3 – The science of happiness
5 – What is happy leadership not
6 – Why don’t all leaders do it
7 – Get happy yourselfYou’ll notice I’ve skipped chapter 4 (What is happy leadership) for now.
I would be really, really grateful if you would pick a chapter (or more than one), read it and tell me what you think in a comment on this post. No matter which chapter you pick, it may make sense to read the introduction – it’s pretty short and it explains what the whole book is about.
In your feedback, please do not focus on:
- Typos, spelling and punctuation
- Design and layout
- Cross references and footnotes
- Figures and illustrations – they come later
But please do give me your thoughts on the content, including:
- Anything that you like or which rings a bell for you
- Anything that isn’t perfectly clear to you
- Any factual mistakes or misunderstandings
- Any additional stories or example you know of that I could add
Please share your feedback in a comment on this post!
If you’re curious, the remaining chapters are:
- 8 – Make your employees happy
- 9 – Make your customers happy
- 10 – Make the world happy
- 11 – What happy leaders don’t do
- 12 – Leading with happiness in tough times
- 13 – The challenges of leading with happiness
- 14 – Get Started
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I’m writing my next book on “Leading with Happiness”
I have just started writing my fifth book, tentatively titled “Leading With Happiness.” I am of course writing it in my favorite café here in Copenhagen.The process is exciting and scary in equal measure :) Wish me luck!
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Fill your office with cats
A little while back we shared a video about dogs who are happy at work. But what if you filled the office with cats? Would that promote happiness? Watch and judge for yourself.
