Best of 2015, first published on June 22, 2015
Last week I was on the phone with a colleague helping her with an organization development consult. Near the end of the conversation, I told her how much I appreciated her positivity. Her enthusiasm nearly bubbled through the phone and was contagious. We continued talking and agreed that it is so much easier to work with others when they are optimistic and cheerful. The wisdom we shared is that you can actually CHOOSE to be happy. That conversation reminded me of this blog post from June. Enjoy and smile! –Anita Rios
According to Harvard researcher and author Shawn Achor, most of us have the formula for success backwards. We think if we work hard, we will be successful and that our success will lead to happiness. Think about it. Have you ever thought happiness would follow after getting that next great job or promotion? Maybe it did briefly, but was it really lasting?
Recent discoveries in neuroscience, positive psychology, and management studies actually prove the opposite to be true. Our happiness fuels success. When we are happy, we are more productive and successful. In fact, being happy increases the levels of dopamine in our brains. And dopamine makes our brains 30% more efficient. So what does this have to do with driving performance, both our own and the performance of our teams? Quite a bit actually.
Achor explains in his 2011 Ted Talk, that only 25% of job success is predicted by IQ. The remaining 75% of job success is predicted by three key factors:
- Optimism levels
- Social Support
- Ability to see stress as a challenge, rather than a threat
So knowing that optimism levels (aka happiness) fuels success, what can you do to increase the optimism levels of your team? Achor suggests that everyone needs to start with themselves first, saying that positivity and happiness can be contagious. He outlines several practices that can help you rewire your brain’s ability to see things positively.
- 3 Gratitudes – every day for 21 days, write down 3 new things you are grateful for
- Journaling – every day write down one positive experience you’ve had in the last 24 hours (this helps your brain re-live the experience)
- Exercise – choose something you like to do each day (exercise boosts mood and performance)
- Meditation – spend just 5 minutes a day meditating, praying, or just listening to yourself breathe in and out (this helps your brain to focus)
- Conscious Acts of Kindness – write and send one positive email to a colleague each day (doing something good for someone else increases your own positivity)
This week I’m committing myself to the 3 Gratitudes and a Conscious Act of Kindness each day to increase my happiness and boost my performance. I’ll let you know if my team notices the difference and it begins to spread. I challenge you to join me! Go ahead, choose one or two strategies to increase your happiness and see what happens.
Anita Rios
Higher EDge 