Forget about trying to enforce positive emotions all the time. It requires extra effort and ends up being counter productive.
Emiliana Simon-Thomas, Ph.D., is the science director of the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley and a leading expert on the neuroscience and psychology of compassion, kindness, gratitude, and other “pro-social” skills.
In June we had our latest Chief Happiness Officer Academy, which is our longest and most intensive training on creating happier workplaces.
The Academy was completely sold out with 25 participants from 15 countries (and a long waiting list) and it was a huge pleasure to share our tools and methods over three days with such an engaged group.
The participant feedback has been amazing with an average rating of 9.7 out of 10. Participants wrote:
“THANK YOU! This was really fantastic.”
“I think it was just very well organized. You were just really good at taking care of us and making sure that everyone would get a good experience. The venue was perfect – very personal and cozy and super inspiring. I would like to come back.”
“It has been really an amazing experience. Amazing students, amazing teachers, amazing future that we have outlined. I have found myself for my next career :) Thanks.”
Our next two Academies have been announced. They are:
We want to know what makes people happy at work in different countries and you can help by participating in our international survey.
The questionnaire only has 11 questions and just takes 3-4 minutes to complete. Take it right here. You may even learn something about what makes you happier at work.
Also, please share the survey with others – the more people take it, the more useful the results will be.
We’ll be releasing the findings in time for the International Week of Happiness At Work on September 24-28.
UPDATE: In just the first 24 hours, over 100 people from 23 countries took the survey. That’s fantastic!
Our awesome partners from Happy Office in The Netherlands have announced the first ever International Week of Happiness at Work on September 24-28. it’s a great opportunity to spread awareness and take action to make your workplace happier.
When given a choice between cooperating or competing, chimpanzees choose to cooperate five times more frequently.
And also that:
The chimpanzees used a variety of enforcement strategies to overcome competition, displacement and freeloading, which the researchers measured by attempted thefts of rewards.
These strategies included the chimpanzees directly protesting against others, refusing to work in the presence of a freeloader, which supports avoidance as an important component in managing competitive tendencies, and more dominant chimpanzees intervening to help others against freeloaders.
This indicates that cooperation is hardwired into humans on a biological level by evolution.
Which makes you wonder why so many workplaces heavily emphasize competition over cooperation.
I have previously written about Vega IT Sourcing, a very happy tech company in Serbia whose vision is to “Create a successful and happy business and use its success and power to create a better world.”
They do that in many ways, most recently by launching Code For A Cause, where individuals or NGOs from anywhere in the world who need a software solution (like a website or an app) can apply to have it created for free.
This obviously helps the organizations who get free solutions but it also helps the IT staff become happier at work because they get to use their skills to help organizations who do good work around the world.
So if you know an NGO who might need a new website, app or other software solution, tell them about Code For A Cause. They are accepting applications until June 30.
A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to give a speech about a brand new (for me) topic: Why are we here, alive, in this universe? What’s the meaning of life? What is a good life and how do you get it?
Based on lessons from philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, I make the claim that the purpose of life is happiness – just not your own. I also talk about how to apply that in our workplaces.
In this AMAZING speech from our International Conference on Happiness at Work, CEO Garry Ridge gives you a look “under the hood” of one of the world’s most recognized brands, WD-40 Company, where 98% of employees say they “love to work.” This high engagement has resulted in a company that has doubled in revenue in the last decade, and is on a trajectory to double again in the next.
Garry shares his “learning moments” from his journey to transform the company’s culture, beginning in 1997. Lessons and principles covered include:
The personal journey of every servant leader, and why that philosophy is critical
The emotional connection of a greater purpose that creates high engagement
How to carefully and consciously choose values that will be embedded in all aspects of leadership and employee development
The difference between a “team” and a “tribe”, and why WD-40 Company strove to create a cohesive tribe that spans 15 countries where employees work
How company performance results are directly connected to its focus on people
Watch the whole thing – it’s phenomenal!
Here’s my personal favorite quote from his speech:
Leaders are champions of hope. Life is a gift. Let’s not send it back unwrapped. We have only time, talent, treasure, and technology to deal with, and none of them are abundant. So it’s our job as leaders to help people focus on the things that really matter and to take that hope to a real result.
“I can’t believe it – a newsletter actually worth reading!” – Subscriber
Over 6,000 people subscribe to our newsletter with tons of tips about happiness at work.
Get our books
“It’s very, very good. It’s incredibly well written, full of insights, and there are exercises to improve your own happiness at work. You can’t ask for more than that!” – David Maister, author of Practice What You Preach
“What an inspiring book. Every leader should read it. This type of leadership has been integral to our success and I know it will boost your results too.“ – Garry Ridge, CEO WD-40 Company
Get Our Free Newsletter
Over 6,000 people already get our free newsletter with useful tips, videos, links and articles about happiness at work. Subscribe to our newsletter here.
The Chief Happiness Officer Academy is our most in-depth 3-day training where we share everything we know about creating happier workplaces. Get an in-depth background in happiness at work, hear about the latest research in the field and learn how to use this in your own business.
