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Cultivate a positive outlook to increase productivity and job satisfaction for yourself and your team.
By ALEXIS BIERMAN, GoodThinkInc.
The Houston Apartment Association likes to have fun. From zombie blowing tournaments to gala receptions honoring young industry professionals, HAA throws a good party. And now there is more reason to enjoy the fun – the new field of positive psychology proves that an emphasis on enjoying work is not just good for morale, but good for the bottom line, too.
We’ve all been there: It’s the end of the week, and your to-do list is still far from complete. You’ve got calls to return, the stack of forms to file is piled high on your desk … and your coworkers are asking you to join them for happy hour. What does your mind tell you to do?
It’s likely if you grew up in America, you’re going to feel guilty if you take a break and join your coworkers. We’ve been taught that the secret to happiness is to work hard, put in extra effort, and then we will be happy – then we will have time to go out for happy hour. We think that a hard worker with her nose to the grindstone is what every boss wants for an employee, right?
Studies have shown that when we turn this formula around and rewrite the secret to success, we have 37 percent greater sales, are 31 percent more productive, 40 percent more likely to receive a promotion and three times more creative. It turns out that happy people are more likely to live longer and even have 23 percent fewer fatigue symptoms!
THE POWER OF A POSITIVE OUTLOOK
The field of positive psychology is showing that employers should be looking for something other than this stereotypical “hard worker.” Employers who are schooled in this research are now looking for employees with a positive outlook. Turns out that the “secret to success” we were taught is backward. When we put the happiness off until the end of our goals, it makes us less productive.
Studies have shown that when we turn this formula around and rewrite the secret to success, we have 37 percent greater sales, are 31 percent more productive, 40 percent more likely to receive a promotion and three times more creative. It turns out that happy people are more likely to live longer and even have 23 percent fewer fatigue symptoms!
So it’s time to rewrite that message that plays in our head when we’re confronted with our daily choices. Realize that happiness brings success and that success orbits around happiness. Happy workers are smarter, more motivated and therefore more successful.
HABITS OF HAPPY PEOPLE
So, how do we get happiness? How do we overcome the stress and fatigue of our over-scheduled lives? You may have been told that you’ve come from a “sad family,” or you may think that you can’t be happy because you have had a rough time with life – but again, science proves that we are more than our genes and our past experiences. We are able to change our levels of happiness with our own mindsets and habits.
I work for GoodThinkInc., a positive psychology consulting firm. Founder Shawn Achor is the best-selling author of The Happiness Advantage. Shawn speaks to companies throughout the world explaining that this “happiness stuff” is not your grandma’s hand- holding and rose-colored glasses but actual research that presents qualitative methods to improve outcomes in any industry.
The following habits are recommended throughout the field of positive psychology.
I encourage you to pick one habit and share it with your team, and encourage each other to complete the habit for at least 21 days.
Gratitude
Everyday list three things you’re grateful for. Think of three new items each day so that you actively reprogramming your brain to search your world for positive elements.
HOW TO DO IT: These don’t have to be fancy. Why not get some sticky notes for your team and create a gratitude wall?
The Fun 15
Exercise for at least 10 to 15 minutes a day. Yes, the research still supports this one. Our bodies were meant to move, and when we exercise we experience brain benefits and reduce our levels of stress.
HOW TO DO IT: Support your team in exercising. Allow 30 minutes of workout time as part of their paid hours or lead a group walk around the property at lunch.
Conscious Acts of Kindness
Spend two minutes writing an email (or a card) thanking someone for something he or she has done for you. This activity helps you remember a kindness in your life and creates a kindness in the recipient’s life as well.
HOW TO DO IT: Allow your staff five minutes in the morning to write this email or start every meeting with someone sharing something he or she is thankful for in relation to the teamwork.
We can increase our level of happiness in a number of ways throughout each day. If performed habitually, over time these activities can permanently increase our happiness baseline.
Alexis Bierman is the social media advisor for GoodThinkInc., Want to know more? Visit Good- ThinkInc.com and sign up for the newsletter to get two additional happiness habit tips.
