The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

  • Recent interviews with me

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    MediaOne of the most gratifying things about my work, is to see how it is spreading across the world. I’m based in Denmark where the idea of happiness at work is so ingrained and commonplace, that there is even a word for it in the dictionary: Arbejdsglæde.

    But more and more companies around the world are waking up to the importance of creating a workplace where employees actually like coming. For instance, I just spoke at a conference in The Bahamas and went from there to Dublin where I gave a speech to the UK division of Philip Morris.

    Also, I’ve been getting a lot of press internationally – from Canada to Pakistan. Here are some of my recent international media apperances:

    Chief Executive China: Happiness at work – a Chinese translation of the first chapter of my book Happy Hour is 9 to 5.

    Elemente Magazine, Canada: Shiny happy people (go to page 66). It’s an excellent article with some great pics of beautifully designed workplaces.

    AOL Canada: How to be Happy: A Better Life at Work. An interview with me.

    The Pakistani Spectator: Interview with the Chief Happiness Officer. An email interview with me.

    Christian Science Monitor: Why More Offices Are Going to the Dogs. I give my take on dogs and other pets in the office.

    Strictly Business Magazine, South Africa: Innovation with a smile. An article by me on how happiness at work improves innovation.

    Chronicle Herald, Canada: Put People First. Interview with me.

    Sales and Marketing, Lithuania: “The Customer is Always Right” is Wrong. An article of mine.

    I’m also all over the Danish media – from business papers to women’s magazines and of course, I was recently on the BBC and mentioned in the New York Times.

  • Happy links

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    LinksHere are some great, recent, happiness-related links. There are many more at my happy link collection.

    London based innovation agency ?What If! talk about the importance of good food at work.

    We also believe that good food helps create good ideas – not only is it hard going trying to work without a good breakfast in your tummy, but there’s the fact that new and exciting foods can act as another great piece of stimulus to get your those brain cells pumping!

    They believe in it so much that they have a team called Food is Love that provides catering for their customers. You can also get their recipe for cup cakes at the linnk above – I’ve tried them, they’re delicious. And I could not agree more: Food is vital to all human activities and it’s no coincidence that all our major traditions have food at their core.

    A Dutch study shows that taking people down a peg impairs their thinking.

    Study shows that simply putting someone into a weak social position impairs his cognitive function. Conversely, “empowering” him, in the dread jargon of sociology, sharpens up his mind.

    Oldie-but-goodie from Fast Company and Terese Amabile: The 6 myths of creative thinking.

    The 6 myths are:
    1. Creativity Comes From Creative Types
    2. Money Is a Creativity Motivator
    3. Time Pressure Fuels Creativity
    4. Fear Forces Breakthroughs
    5. Competition Beats Collaboration
    6. A Streamlined Organization Is a Creative Organization

    Way cool: Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit

    After a week Zappo says to its newest employees: “If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you’ve worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus.” Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit!

    Why? Because if you’re willing to take the company up on the offer, you obviously don’t have the sense of commitment they are looking for.

    Bonus link: I defy you to watch this video of dancing NASA employees without smiling.

    You can find many more happy links here.

  • Human service

    My buddy Kareem Mayan is starting a new site called RunByHumans.com, dedicated to stories of great, kind and human customer service.

    Kareem is now looking for stories about “a customer experience where the customer-facing employee acts like a real, live human being, and isn’t restricted by dehumanizing company rules and regulations.”

    As an example he cites this fantastic story from online shoe-seller zappo.com. In it, the store not only lets a customer return shoes bought for his mother after the official return date has passed (his mother passed away), they also send him flowers!

    One of my favorite such stories is told by Catherine DeVrye in her book Hot Lemon and Honey. She once arrived at a hotel early in the evening, to give a corporate presentation the next day. As she checks in, the receptionist asks if she wants any in-room dining or a dinner reservation, but Catherine explains that she’s feeling a little ill with a sore throat and that she just wants to relax in her room.

    A few minutes after she gets to her room, there’s a knock on the door. When she opens it, there’s a hotel employee with a cup of hot lemon and honey for her sore throat. This wasn’t something she’d ordered or even something the hotel normally served – it was just a gesture of concern and kindness for a fellow human being.

    I think it’ll be a fantastic web site, and one that is sorely missing on the net today. I suggested that what Kareem’s really creating is the anti-consumerist.com, where outrageous stories of horrendous customer service abound :o)

    Of course, my interest in this project is that people who are happy at work are much more likely to give that kind of service. Also, being able to help your fellow man through your job is likely to make you happy, so it works both ways.

    So let’s give Kareem a hand: What’s the best and kindest customer service you have ever experienced or performed for someone else? Do you have a link, video or story that fits Kareem’s quest? Please write a comment here!

  • Quote

    Quote

    Essentially, all models are wrong, but some are useful.
    – George Box

    This is a fantastic thing to keep in mind. I have a very simple model for happiness at work that I’ve found to be very useful. But is it True? Absolutely not.

    The corollary to the statement above is probably, that the less wrong a model is, the more useful!

    (Via Jake).

  • Even if you win the rat race – you’re still a rat!

    I had to share this wonderful cartoon by Polyp:

    There’s also a cool animated version:

    Does anyone honestly think that making more money, consuming more stuff, driving a bigger car or bagging that fancy title will make them happier?

    It seems that many people consistently focus their time and energy on getting things that won’t make them happy – to the cost of the simple but important factors: Friends, family, meaning and fun.

    Ask yourself this: How much of your time is spent doing things that make you or other people happy? And how much racing the other rats in the maze?

    Here are some way to get out of the rat race:

    I think Lily Tomlin said it best:

    “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat.”

    (If this post looks familiar, it’s because it IS a repost – this time with full attribution to Polyp who made it and who was kind enough to give me retroactive permission to use his cartoon – Thanks!)

  • My stand-up debut

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    I took a class in stand-up comedy in New York a couple of weeks ago run by the American Comedy Institute who offer a 1-year version, a 3-week version and (the one I did) a 5-day intensive version for non-New York natives.

    The concept for the intensive version is simple: The class starts on a Tuesday and runs daily until Saturday. You get to develop a five minute set and perform your material in front of the rest of the class AND you get private one on one writing sessions with Stephen Rosenfeld (who teaches the class) to go over and refine your material. For your graduation you perform live on stage at a New York comedy club in front of a paying audience.

    I love to challenge myself to do activities that let me learn new skills and scare me silly, and few activities have accomplished this as thoroughly as this class :o)

    So without further ado, here’s my stand-up comedy debut, filmed on June 21 2008 at The Gotham Comedy Club in New York. It may not be entirely safe to watch at work.

    I’m thinking this was so scary and so much fun that I need to do it some more. There are open mike nights every Wednesday at The Comedy Zoo here in Copenhagen. I may have to create a set in Danish and try it out there.

    I highly recommend the class that The American Comedy Institute offers – you can read all about it here.

  • Come with me to New York (if you’re Danish)

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    I have an awesome event coming up: In October I’m arranging a week-long trip to New York to meet some of the best and most innovative businesses and leaders on the US east coast.

    This is a chance to encounter the newest trends in leadership, business, innovation, customer service and employer branding years before they make it into the business literature.

    While most of the people we’ll meet there speak English, the rest of the program will be in Danish, so you must speak Danish to participate.

    To keep the trip as useful and valuable as possible, we’re limiting it to only 20 participants and I can promise you one of the most interesting, inspiring and useful learning events ever. I’m really, REALLY excited about it.

    Read all about it and sign up here (In Danish).

  • Five simple ways to STFU in meetings

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    If there’s one problem that plagues most business meetings it’s that a few participants are doing most of the talking. If you’re one of those people who tend to talk a lot, here are 5 tips to help you shut up and listen when you need to.

    1: Put your hand over your mouth

    You can put one hand over the lower part of your face and your mouth. To an outside observer you will look thoughtful and observant. In reality your holding your mouth forcibly shut. It’s a simple physical reminder to yourself to not speak right now.

    2: Ask some great questions

    People find you very intelligent and persuasive when you let them talk. For instance, the most successful sales meetings are the ones where the customer does almost all the talking. A great way to get them talking, and still feel that you’re contributing, is to ask great questions.

    3: Keep track

    Have a piece of paper in front of you and make a mark on it every time you speak. Notice how many marks you get up to during a meeting.

    4: Notice how you feel when you’re quiet

    In my case, I get real antsy when there’s something I’m itching to say. My body tenses up, I tend to hold my breath and I feel generally very uncomfortable. This pressure eventually forces me to speak up.

    How about you – how do you feel when there’s something you really want to say?

    5: Ask yourself a simple question

    Before you speak, ask yourself this: “Is what I’m about to say something I need to say or something the other participants need to hear?” Those are often not the same.

    The upshot

    Remember: good meetings are not characterized by the amount of talking but by the amount of listening going on.

    If you’re a habitual talker like me, I’m sure that you will find that learning to say less and listen more will be a huge boon. People will find you more sympathetic, they will respect you more and even though you may end up saying less, what you do say will be received more appreciatively and have much more of an impact.

    Related posts

  • I’m on BBC

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    BBCI was interviewed recently for the BBC Radio 4 program In Business with Peter Day.

    They were doing an episode on happiness at work:

    A British professor at the Wharton Business School in Philadelphia has done some research appearing to indicate that US corporations with the happiest employees have a financial performance notably better than lower ranked companies.

    This is either blindingly obvious or a great mystery, and investors seeking more than merely quantitative data on which to base their decisions are getting interested in these league tables of Best Companies to Work For.

    The real question seems to be: Is happiness in the workplace (that may be so beneficial to a company) created by healthcare and staff karaoke sessions and subsidised canteens, or is it deeper than that?

    You can listen to the whole program here.

  • My book is now available in Dutch: Happy Hour is van 9 tot 5

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    Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay – my two favorite Ernos (that’s Erno Mijland and Erno Hannink) just announced that the Dutch version of my book Happy Hour is 9 to 5 is now out.

    You can buy it on paper, as a pdf e-book or you can read it free on line.

    There’s also an excellent accompanying blog in Dutch about happiness at work.

    And incidentally, I’m coming to Holland to give a presentation on November 5 this year at Thoughts on Happiness Symposium in Baarn. Read all about it and sign up here.

    Other versions of the book:

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