The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Category: Happy At Work

How to be happy at work

  • Fast times (and good!)

    Following a recent book review here on the site, I can safely say, that my days are lived in fast time right now. The Happy At Work Project has taken of in a mad way and I zoom from meeting to meeting, workshop to workshop and lecture to lecture. In just the last couple of weeks I’ve done more than we did most of last year! WOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO! I remember saying last year around this time that I was looking forward to the time when I felt like I had too much to do on the project – well that time has come, and I’m enjoying myself no end.

    I’ve had three meetings with prospective customers over the last two days, and they’ve been extremely interesting. I’ve developed a way of avoiding the traps of the typical sales meeting setup, and transformed these meetings into a real chance for me to learn about the organization I’m visiting and for them to learn about the things we do. I’m getting real and valuable insights into many kinds of businesses – from friggin’ sales meetings! How great is that. Also the meetings are fun. And people buy stuf. Top that! :o)

  • Work for Google

    Google has list of ten good reasons why it’s good to work for them, which includes:
    2. Life is beautiful. Being a part of something that matters and working on products in which you can believe is remarkably fulfilling.
    3. Appreciation is the best motivation.
    4. Work and play are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to code and pass the puck at the same time.
    9. Boldly go where no one has gone before. There are hundreds of challenges yet to solve. Your creative ideas matter here and are worth exploring. You’ll have the opportunity to develop innovative new products that millions of people will find useful.

    Sounds really, really good. It’s nice to see that Google are not only on the cutting edge technologically, but also in the way they treat their people. Kudos!

  • Pioneers of Change

    My good friend Carsten Ohm just returned from ten days in South Africa with the Pioneers of Change. This is a group of people who are

    developing the commitment, understanding, and a network of relationships to create or transform systems that they may come to serve Life, and operate in life-affirming ways.

    Their advice on creating that change is pretty cool:
    [ Be yourself ] What are your values, your talents, your purpose?
    Find [ what really matters ] to you, bringing meaning to your work.
    [ Start now ] Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
    [ Engage with others ] Don’t go it alone.
    [ Never stop asking questions ] Develop your ability to probe and wonder.

    That’s good advice – I may have to steal it for our work on the “Happy at Work” project.

  • Quote

    Anybody who thinks work should be miserable simply because it is work or that there should be a cordon sannitaire between ‘work’ and ‘life’ needs to find a time machine, key in the year 1543, and go and join Calvin’s crew. They’ll feel more at home there. In the meantime, the rest of us will get on with enjoying our work, and our workplaces.

    – Richard Reeves in Happy Mondays

  • Book review: The one minute apology

    Saying sorry when you are is one of the most fundamental and important personal skills there is. A well-timed, well-phrased apology can get you out of a lot of trouble – and conversely, withholding and apology when one is due can poison almost any relationship.

    In The One Minute Apology: A Powerful Way to Make Things Better Ken Blanchard and Margaret McBride tell a story of positive change promoted by just such an appropriate apology. And of course along the way they outline the principles of good vs. bad apologies.

    And it’s powerful advice. Apologizing means you take responsibility for your actions. It displays confidence, responsibility and maturity. It also lets you move on from a sticky situation that might otherwise trap you and others for a long time.

    So here’s my challenge to you: What apology have you been postponing? Think of one, and go apologize now :o)

  • Book review: Guts!

    Kevin and Jackie Freiberg are the consultants and authors that gave us a wonderful insight into the weird and wonderful (and highly succesful) ways of Southwest Airlines in their book Nuts!. This book has really shaped my perception of what can be done to create a workplace that is both fun and makes money. You may scoff at their alternative business practices and their willingess to promote fun and caring at work, but right now Southwest Airlines is the only major airline in the US that makes any money.

    In Guts!, companies that blow the doors of business as usual, the authors look at more companies that have become succesful by defying traditional business practices. Among the mos well-known are Southwest Airlines and SAS Insititute. The authors argue, that the main ingredient needed to use different strategies is courage, hence the title of the book.
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  • Book review: Love is the killer app

    A killer app is an idea so good, that it simply has to spread. Something so necessary and basic, that you have to adopt it. And according to this book by Tim Sanders, Love is just that.

    I admire people who dare to use the word love in a business setting, and to stick it in the title of the book is down-right gutsy. What’s more, I agree completely. Love is a powerful force in all aspects of life, including business. Here’s what Tim sanders believes you should do to become a lovecat, ie. someone who uses love for business success:
    1: Learn and share your knowledge
    2: Grow and share your network
    3: Show compassion

    See a trend here? This is about giving. About sharing. About focusing on others instead of only on yourself. Tim Sanders shared some of these tips in an excellent article in Fast Company.
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  • Book review: Tyranny of the moment

    Subtitled “Fast and slow time in the information age”, this book by norwegian Thomas Hylland Eriksen details the struggle between two kinds of experiences. Fast time is when you’re doing 10 things at the same time. You’re talking on the phone while reading email, listening to the radio and half-following another conversation in the room. Slow time is when you focus on one thing only. You take time to cook a nice meal, to play with your child or to do nothing.

    Eriksen argues that the information age is geared almost exclusively towards fast time and that consequently we have to make slow time for ourselves. Eriksen also argues that in any contest between fast time and slow time, fast time will win, because it is immediately gratifying and (not least) addictive.
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  • Back from Goa

    We’re now back from Goa after two wonderful weeks that seemed to contain a little of everything and a lot of pool-side relaxation. Here are some pictures, and here are some highlights from the trip:
    * Feeding, riding and washing elephants. Not to mention being washed by an elephant.
    * A bookshop so cheap, that I bought 40 books to take home and give away.
    * The incredible service at the hotel.
    * The food. Aaaahh, the food :o)
    * Finding that once again, the happy at work project inspires people. We may even get the happy at work project India going, and if that’s not an interesting idea I don’t know what is.
    * Stirring up trouble at the Open Space on Open Space conference :o)
    * The sunsets.
    * Meeting so many wonderful people – both locals and at the conference.
    * The insane traffic. Cars, trucks, scooters and motorcycles. And bicycles and pedestrians. And cows, dogs, goats and more cows.
    * Fooling around with the new camera. Excellent!

  • In Goa

    Well, Patricia and I are taking a break from lazing at the pool enjoying the Goan sun to sit in the business centre and write a few emails, and I thought I might give a short update for those of you not here and for those of you coming later for the Open Space on Open Space conference.

    Executive summary: This place rocks!
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