The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Category: Leadership

Leadership is an insanely important discipline. Here you’ll find the thought, tools and tricks of the trade of great leaders.

  • 7 steps to handle criticism at work well

    This is how some people handle criticism
    This is how some people handle criticism at work

    A senior leader in a meeting told me that feedback is a gift. How can you ever improve if you don’t know where you need to shore up your skills or work habits?

    That’s some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten and it has changed the way I think about negative feedback.

    Now I use that line on my teenage daughters. I’m not so sure they think feedback is a gift… just yet :)

    – Julie P.

    Many people get defensive or sad when they’re criticized at work. In many cases, the workplace has no feedback culture in place and people are not trained to give or receive criticism in a constructive manner. Giving and receiving negative feedback constructively takes a LOT of practice!

    The best way to receive negative feedback well is to follow these 7 steps:

    1: Listen.
    Actually hear what’s being said. If necessary, ask questions to make sure you understand the criticism fully.

    Here’s an example:

    I reiterate what she said so she knows that I was really listening and since my boss likes to teach and is very detail-oriented, I’ll ask her if she can give me a few tips on how to perform the task better and throw in a few suggestions as well to get her feedback.

    I end the conversation by asking where I’m doing well so I can keep up the good work which is my way of helping her to remember where I excel.

    This also shows her that out of everything that I do, she’s got few complaints and gives her the confidence to give me more responsibilities.

    2: Assume good intentions
    Unless proven otherwise, assume good intentions. Don’t automatically jump to the conclusion that the person criticising you is “out to get you.” Of course, sometimes they are. If so, see below.

    3: Do not get defensive and start making excuses.
    Instead you might say what you’ve learned and what you will do differently from now on.

    4: Don’t take it personally
    Remember that they’re criticizing your work, not you as a person. Never take negative feedback about your work as a criticism of you as a person.

    5: See criticism as help
    Remember that all constructive feedback (including negative feedback) is a sign of interest and a sign that people want to help you do better. It would be far worse for people to notice you doing bad work and not say a word.

    6: Don’t be too hard on yourself
    Remember that everyone makes mistakes and has things to learn. Yes, that includes you. There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, but making the same mistakes over and over because you refuse to listen to criticism and learn is just stupid.

    7: Say thank you
    Thank the person for their feedback.

    Never put up with attacks in the workplace

    However, note that these steps only apply to constructive, well-meant criticism. Unfair and overly negative feedback is also used as a tool by bad managers and workplace bullies to demean and control others.

    The wrong kind of criticism can be:

    • Overly negative
    • Personal attacks
    • Unfair criticism for something that is not your fault or outside if your control
    • Delivered in an unpleasant way

    Do NOT put up with this kind of attack. If you do it will persist.

    Feedback can be a gift

    All constructive feedback is valuable because it gives you a chance to improve and learn. Positive feedback is easier and more fun (and sadly undervalued in most workplaces) but negative feedback and criticism can be a fantastic thing as long as we do it right.

    In fact, many employees I’ve talked to simply wish for more feedback of any kind. They feel like they work in a vacuum where no one ever notices their efforts, good or bad, and this makes it almost impossible to know whether or not they’re doing good work.

    We desperately need feedback – both positive and negative. Tell me what I do well AND tell me what I can do better.

    Your take

    Have you ever received negative feedback in a way that helped you out? How did you receive it? What are some BAD ways to receive criticism? Do you have a coworker who handles criticism particularly well or badly? How do they do it? Write a comment below – I’d love to hear your take.

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  • Two Danish bosses surprise their employees in the morning

    Carsten and Karsten, two sales managers at Danish company Solar, wanted to do something nice for their employees.

    Early one Monday morning, they stood at the entrance and greeted every employee with a cheerful “good morning” and a breakfast they could take to their desks.

    This a great example of a “random act of workplace kindness”. Have you ever done something surprising and nice for a co-worker? Let us know in a comment.

  • Meet The PortaBoss

    portaboss

    Meet Pawel, the CEO of IT company Lunar Logic in Poland. Unlike most CEOs he doesn’t have a fancy corner office. In fact, he has NO office. Here’s how it works:

    A laptop desk, a bean bag and a recycled cardboard box – that’s all he needs to set up a flying office. He can usually be found in a few rooms in our office, shifting his spot couple of times a day. Or a week. The pattern changes. Not only because of a possible back pain – there are several reasons for him being in motion. Some of which have already changed our company.

    I think it’s a great experiment. Does it work? Here’s what Pawel says:

    I can grab my flying office in my hands and move it to the place where I’m needed or I feel like I can be helpful. I need just a bit of space in a corner or by the wall and done – a new office set up.

    Surprisingly, sitting in the corner and almost on the floor has a few unexpected advantages . First, you need very little physical space, which means you will fit to almost any room (unless it is already packed beyond any healthy limits). Second, this way you become almost invisible, which definitely helps if your goal is to understand how the team functions, and not just scratch the surface.

    Third, and arguably most importantly, you strip yourself from status symbols. Instead of a huge desk dubbed by your colleagues as the airstrip, a leather armchair and a locker just the simplest set that does the job.

    All in all, you’re way more accessible and much less intimidating. Isn’t that something every single leader should strive for?

    Read all about it here to find out what his employees honestly think about it.

  • Our conference about happiness at work was a massive hit

    Conference about happiness at work

    On May 30 we held our 5th annual conference about happiness at work in Copenhagen and this one was the best one yet :-)

    The event was completely sold out and 360 participants saw 11 different speakers share their ideas and tips about creating happy workplaces. The feedback has been stunningly positive – 80% give the day a top grade and 18% give it 4 out of 5.

    As always we filmed all the speakers and will put them online for free. You can see the first speech here – it’s an insanely inspiring talk where David Marquet explains how he made a nuclear submarine a happy workplace.

    You can see some pictures from the event below and there are a ton more pics here, courtesy of our fantastic photographer Gareth Garvey.

  • Want better work-life balance? Learn from Denmark!

    Copenhagen Balance

    3 of my fellow Danes, Camilla Kring, Vivi Bach Pedersen and Anders Raastrup Kristensen have written a report on how Danish businesses have become more productive by focusing on work-life balance.

    This is how they open the report:

    The future can be found in Denmark. In this report we show how some of the most successful companies in Denmark developed their business through an innovative, results-oriented focus on balancing employees’ work and private lives.

    • Denmark has a unique position in the world when it comes to balancing work and private life:
    • Denmark has one of the highest participation rates for women in the workforce. (75% of women are in the workforce).
    • Among all EU countries, Danish employees have the highest degree of influence over their work.
    • (85% of employees indicate that they have an influence on their work situation).
    • Danish employees have some of the world’s most flexible work conditions. (43% of employees can regulate their work hours to meet their private needs).
    • Danish employees have some of the best maternity/paternity leaves in the world (combined one year leave per child).

    The crucial insight in the report is that work-life balance is not about sacrificing business goals for the employees’ well-being. In fact, a good work-life balance makes the company more successful and profitable.

    Read the whole report here – it’s clearly very written and has many tips and ideas for workplaces all over the world who want to create a

  • David Marquet: Happiness at work on a nuclear submarine

    When David Marquet took command of the nuclear submarine USS Santa Fe, he knew he needed to change a lot of things. It was the worst performing submarine, was never ready for its missions on time and was basically the laughing stock of the US navy.

    David came in with a plan to improve the results on the submarine and thereby make its crew happier. By accident, he found that he had to do it the other way around: Make the submarine a happy workplace and results would follow.

    The new plan worked, and the USS Santa Fe became the best performing submarine.

    In this speech from the Arbejdsglaede Live! 2013 conference, David Marquet explains how he did it and how you can create a happier workplace too.

  • Watch this awesome speech by Charlie Kim, CEO of Next Jump

    I recently wrote about New York based company Next Jump and the world-leading things they’ve done to create a very happy workplace.

    Here’s a fantastic speech from their founder and CEO Charlie Kim where he talks about the principles behind Next Jump:

    It’s an hour long and I highly recommend watching the whole thing.

  • Watch this incredibly inspiring speech by Charlie Kim, CEO of Next Jump

    I recently wrote about New York based company Next Jump and the world-leading things they’ve done to create a very happy workplace.

    Here’s a fantastic speech from their founder and CEO Charlie Kim where he talks about the principles behind Next Jump:

    Watching it, I was constantly entertained, enlightened and inspired. Two of my favorite points are Kim’s assertion that corporate values are meaningless (or possibly even harmful) and his passionate advice to get comfortable with failure. It’s great, great stuff.

    It’s an hour long and I highly recommend watching the whole thing.

  • Can you cope with criticism at work?

    PraiseI am quoted extensively in this CNN article about criticism and praise in the workplace.

    The article also quotes two interesting studies:

    The study, done by the University of Michigan Business School several years ago, compared team performance to the frequency of praise and criticism given within the teams.

    The best-performing teams used about six times as many positive comments for every negative one. It found that the worst performing teams, on average, used three negative comments for every positive one.

    American psychologist, John Gottman, has found a similar ratio for positive and negative comments from spouses leading to happier marriages.

    This is a topic we work with extensively because constructive feedback (both negative and positive) is so important for creating a happy workplace. Check out some of our other articles on this below.

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  • Happiness at work at Next Jump

    nextjump

    On my speaking tour of New York and Boston last week I had a chance to visit Next Jump and talk to their CEO and founder Charlie Kim and what I saw and heard there just blew me away.

    What they’re doing to create a happy workplace is world-leading. Some of what they’re doing is great, some of it is insanely great and one thing they do is almost unheard of and completely revolutionary. Read on to find out what that is.

    Next Jump’s business is employee rewards programs. Companies who sign up with them can offer their employees discounts at over 30,000 merchants on everything from groceries, diapers and pet food to cell phones, computers, car rentals and travel bookings. 70% of the Fortune 1000 companies use Next Jump and they cover over 100mm+ users globally.

    Their HQ is on 5th avenue in New York and they also have offices in Boston, San Franscisco and London. They have around 200 employees, 75% of whom are highly skilled engineers.

    They have a great culture and great results have followed: 90% of Next Jump’s employees say they love their jobs. Not like – love! Employee turnover is essentially 0, which is almost unheard of, since so many of the employees are highly sought after engineers from MIT and other top US east coast universities. They are also profitable AND growing like crazy.

    IMG_1864
    Dance battle. That’s the CEO on the right boogying down.

    But why are they so successful and happy? There are many things the company does right. Here’s a small sample:

    • There’s a gym where employees can work out. Many companies do and in most cases those gyms lie empty. To actually get people to use the gym, each Next Jump employee belongs to a team, each workout counts towards your team’s weekly score and the winning team earns points. At first only 5% of the employees worked out regularly, in the past 3 years over 80% of the employees have worked out a minimum of twice a week.
    • Subsidised vacations means the company will cover half your family’s vacation expenses (up to $5,000). They want you to take your vacations!
    • Free food – and they really want you to eat well. the first free meal was breakfast. A healthy lunch was then added as an incentive to those who attend a lunchtime fitness class. Healthy dinners are all around building community through eating together.
    • Next Jump is massively into mentorships and coaching and every employee is constantly being encouraged and pushed to grow and develop both professionally and personally.
    • Once a year they fly all employees in for a company party. Main feature: The dance-off. And everyone must dance. There’s more here.
    • They encourage charitable giving. For instance, after hurricane Sandy, many low-salaried new yorkers couldn’t work and therefore lost out on important salaries. Next Jumpers gave 10% of their paychecks to these “Forgotten Ones” and started handing out envelopes of cash with a note explaining where this money came from. People then reported back with pictures and stories which you can see here.

    Now, all of these practices are great and definitely contribute to happiness at work. But wait, there’s more…

    slipnslide
    Don’t forget the massive slip’n’slide at the summer party.

    Here are my 4 favorite things that they do at Next Jump to keep their employees happy.

    4: Code for a cause

    While giving money to charity is great, Next Jump encourages employees to also give something even more valuable: Their skills. Employees can team up to develop much-needed IT solutions for charities who can’t otherwise afford to pay to have these systems done.

    Employees get a true feeling of satisfaction from helping a worthy cause and from directly seeing how their work helps others. Read more about code for a cause here.

    3: MV-21

    While Next Jump of course has a CEO and a board of directors, it also has something very different. Every year the entire company votes to select a team of 21 leaders called MV-21. For the next year, this group has two responsibilities:

    1. They are responsible for growing Next Jump’s core business results.
    2. The group is responsible for leading and developing the company’s culture.

    The key thing here is that this group is voted on by the whole company and not hand-picked by the management team. This means that the company is led by people others want to follow.

    mv21group002
    The MV-21 leadership team.

    If you’re wondering, the “MV” stands for Martha’s Vineyard (a vacation island off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts), where one of Next Jump’s investors owns a compound that the company has been using annually for a leadership offsite. The house sleeps 21 and, hence, the tradition of choosing 21 key employees each year was born.

    2: Recognise those who help others

    Many companies recognise and reward those who do well and top performers are showered with accolades and bonuses. While Next Jump does reward performance, they also reward those who help others do a great job.

    Check out this sign which I saw in their reception area:
    2013-03-29 15.01.27

    So “Project Awesome” is not to reward those who are awesome, but those who help others be awesome. Many companies completely ignore those people – at Next Jump they are the heroes.

    1: The No Fire Policy

    This is the insane one and the reason I heard about Next Jump in the first place.

    Charlie Kim, the CEO, had long been a proponent of the “hire slowly, fire quickly” approach but had a change of mind and made the radical decision.

    You can read a great interview with Kim about this policy over at David Marquet’s blog but the gist of it is this: Once Next Jump hires you, they will not fire you.

    Their commitment to you is total and they will go to any length to make sure that you are happy and productive. This is not soft in any way – there is a lot of tough love at Next Jump and people are constantly pushed to go beyond their limits and learn new things.

    There’s only one exception to this rule: If you cheat, lie or behave unethically they will fire you.

    You may think that’s a weird idea, but consider these two things. First of all, this works! Next Jump’s staff surveys have shown a direct impact on both employee turnover and happiness. And secondly, this is only possible because of the other processes they have in place, including some very intentional hiring and a massive focus on developing people.

    Again, read David Marquet’s excellent blog post for more details on this revolutionary policy.

    The upshot

    I left the meeting with Charlie Kim completely fired up about meeting a company with such an unwavering commitment to creating a great culture AND with the balls of steel it takes to try so many innovative or even radical ideas.

    Your take

    What do you think – does Next Jump sound like a good workplace? Is there anything they’re doing, that you’d like to see your workplace adopt? Is there something your workplace does that makes you happy? Write a comment, I’d love to know what you think.

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