How to be happy at work
Seems a lot of people are interested in happiness in the workplace these days. Check out this Google search.
A few highlights:
These guys are starting self-replicating “Joy at work” support groups.
Tips for hiring the right people.
An article on interpersonal relations at work.
Health and happiness at work.
Work is fast replacing religion in providing meaning in people’s lives. Work has become how we define ourselves, it is now answering the traditional religious questions: Who am I? How do I find meaning and purpose? Work is no longer just about economics; it’s about identity.
– Benjamin Hunnicutt, historian and professor at the University of Iowa at Iowa City
This book, subtitled “Turn on the People in Any Organization”, is a really quick read, but it contains some pretty good ideas nevertheless.
The whole book is a a story of an iron plant in America, that’s in deep trouble. Profits are down, and the employees are hostile towards the new CEO that’s just been hired.
The CEO talks to an indian, and learns the spirit of the squirrel, the way of the beaver and the gift of the goose.
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The title of this book is a deliberate provocation. After endless messages about putting the customer first, Hal Rosenbluth, CEO of Rosenbluth International, says you should “put your people first and watch’em kick butt”. (Rosenbluth International is a world leader in corporate travel management, with over 5.000 people in more than 50 countries).
The same principle works so well for Southwest Airlines, as described in the book “Nuts!“. And indeed there seems to be many similarities between the approaches taken by Southwest and Rosenbluth, and the results they achieve.
Both companies enjoy huge financial success. They both lead their markets in quality of service and customer satisfaction. They both have a motivated, caring work force, willing to go very far for their customers, each other and the community. They both care deeply about people, and strive to make work a place where people learn, have fun and grow. They both hire people who have the right personality, and then train them to have the right skill.
Talking stick is an excellent way to promote better and deeper dialogue. If you need to slow down the pace of a discussion, to make room for more reflection and listening, consider trying it. It’s really simple. Basically, you find a stick (or some other object), and whoever holds the stick can speak, everybody else listens. When you’ve finished talking, you can put down the stick (for somebody else to pick up), or you can hand it to somebody, allowing that person to speak.
It sounds almost too simple to work, but it does. It usually has several effects:
People listen more to what is being said, in stead of waiting for their turn to speak.
People don’t talk too much. If you’re constantly holding the stick, you’ll notice, and pass it on.
The pace of the discussion slows.
There’s less disagreement.
There’s a detailed description of talking stick here.
Nuts!, Southwest Airlines crazy recipe for business and personal success is the story of Southwest Airlines. Lars Pind told me about this book, and I have to agree: It’s a joy to read about a company that values freedom, creativity, people and, yes, love.
If your driving principles are love and fun, can you still make a profit in todays harsh business world? Well, here’s a few stats on Southwest:
So there!
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Rational structures of control inhibit creativity. Managing as if people had souls requires that we de-mechanize management and instill it with the diversity and depth of our own humanity. The point is to respect people and allow them to make the fullest contribution they can. We need more reflection in business not more strategizing. Meditation takes thinking even further because it allows for the wisdom of the heart to interweave with the knowledge of the head.
– John Dalla Costa
This is the classic book about negotiating, from way back in 1980. I like the book, because it stresses a positive mode of negotation. A mode that is based on honesty, integrity, fairness and mutual understanding.
The basic view is, that in a negotiation, the two extreme positions are hard and soft. Hard negotiators are adversaries, soft negotiators want to be friends. And between these two poles stands the principled negotiator, who ses himself and the other side as problem solvers. A very constructive view.
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Imagine a company that practices total, uncompromising honesty in their advertising. If they have a great product they’ll say so. And if they’re trying to sell you something mediocre, they’ll tell you that too. They might actively warn you along the lines of “Don’t expect good service from these people” or “The product here is nothing to write home about”, or even “If you have any complaints talk to Benny. If he breaks down crying, ignore it, it’s just a trick he uses.”
Do you think a company like that could possibly survive?
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