School's In - what have I learnt after one week?

School's In - what have I learnt after one week?

My Masters in Applied Positive Psychology began on Monday 5th October and already I have challenged my assumptions and learned lots from the studies of others.

Here are my key takeaways from week 1 so far:

1) Positive Psychology isn't new. 

People often describe about PP as a new focus in the field, but in actual fact this isn't the case and it's absence from the mid 20th century onwards is simply an effect of the economic characteristics of that post-war era.

Prior to WWII Psychology had three central pillars:  

- cure mental illness; 

- make the lives of all people more productive and fulfilling; and 

- identify and nurture high talent 

(Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi 2000)

However, after the war and the traumas that were sustained, psychologists and psychotherapists realised that there was more money to be made in researching and treating mental illness.  This lead to the focus on helping people without psychosis to lead more fulfilling lives, and nurturing genius to be almost entirely forgotten.

Maybe it is the relative economic wealth and the lack of significant global wars that lead to these areas being picked up again around 2000.

2) We can control more of our own happiness than we may realise.Sonja Lyubomirsky in her book The How Of Happiness (2007) outlines how her research concluded that 50% of our happiness, or subjective well-being, is determined by genetics; 10% is determined by situation (marital status, wealth etc) which leaves 40% that can be influenced by our own attitude, activities and attention.

This means that contrary to popular belief, we actually have enormous potential to influence our own happiness if we take the decision to be proactive and not blame or look for external intervention.  The power is in our own hands!

3) Eudaemonic well being vs Hedonic well being

Hedonic Well-Being = the pursuit of pleasure

Eudaemonic Well-Being = the pursuit of happiness

http://www.positivepsychology.org.uk/pp-theory/eudaimonia/34-the-concept-of-eudaimonic-well-being.html

Aristotle originated the idea of eudemonia as an alternatiove to the pursuit of pleasure to give life meaning.  He believed that a living a virtuous and meaningful life was more satisfying.  This is reinforced today with "Purpose" being seen as a key driver of engagement in most workplaces, and that most millenials cite Social Responsibility being a key factor that they look for in employers.

Baboon or Bonobo - what's your leadership style and how does it effect your team?

Passion has the potential to be a powerful strength. When harnessed positively it is demonstrated in enthusiasm, productivity, influence and collaboration.  But, if passion is triggered negatively, the effects can be far more damaging. Negative emotion at that level of intensity will have a physiological effect on the host and an emotional consequence for anyone standing in their way.

As a "passionate" person myself I am prone to extremes of emotion and, despite my best efforts, I don't always manage to protect the by-standers.  As a child at home or a junior consultant the only consequences I faced were reduced pocket money or a lower feedback score, but now I find myself in a different position and therefore need to be even more mindful of the fallout of my unharnessed passion.

I was interested to watch a film by Dr Robert Sapolsky that explored the effect of hierarchy on stress levels in baboon troupes. Over 30 years, his research demonstrated that the higher up the structure the male baboons ranked, the lower their stress hormones.  But the females and junior males in the troupe who bore the brunt of their aggression experienced much higher stress levels, high blood pressure and reduced immune efficiency.  He also recounts the experience of one troupe who lost all of their alpha males and as a result the group as a whole became much less aggressive and experienced much lower stress levels.

In another species, Bonobos use their passion only for good. Physical contact is used to resolve conflict, calm aggression and increase inclusion.

Dr Robert got me thinking about humans and how we exhibit stress in the work place and the impact that expression has on others around us.  I don't think it can be true that Leaders in an organisation experience lower stress levels than recent graduates. However, I find it easy to believe that the impact of one's mood on others has a much greater impact downwards than upwards (in terms of years' experience, not hierarchy!)

How can we protect against this?  How can organisational culture prevent stress negatively impacting more junior members of staff?

We are each responsible for our own behaviour towards others, but we cannot control how others will react to our behaviour.  The baboons saw a chain reaction of negativity within the troupe, from one baboon to the next throughout the hierarchy.  As Leaders at ANDigital, where we intentionally want to create a culture of low stress and high collaboration, we need to learn to anticipate how others will react to out behaviour and work hard to put the good of the team before ourselves. It isn't easy. We won't always get it right. But having the humility to accept our mistakes and learn from them is a good starting place.

After all, we're only anthropoids. 

Happiness is...

Happiness is … Going back to school

That’s a phrase I never thought I’d say in a million years.

When I graduated in 2001, the proud first degree-holder in my family, I was a sun-deprived, sleep-deprived bundle of nervous exhaustion.  But I’d done it.  It was over. And I would never return to the wild days of 80p pints, fancy-dress excess, kebab deliveries and student balls.  I had had an absolute blast and made some life-long friends, but it was time to grow-up and get a job in the real world.

So that’s what I did.  But what I finally learned is that leaving University wasn’t the end of the journey; graduation wasn’t the destination.  It was actually just the passport on a much longer, much less predictable adventure.  My career path from big company to small company to big company to small company has not been as planned, although parts of it have converged with the path I’d envisaged.  But at times in life, and in work, a path opens up and you wonder how you didn’t see it coming all along.

And thus it began one Autumn day when I was merrily researching Happiness At Work and I stumbled across a mention of a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology.  The focus of this Masters was on the application of the research – how to put positivity into practice in the real world.  Intriguing.  And probably very useful for a Chief Happiness Officer…

Several Google searches, some months, a cancelled baby-shower and a Symposium later I found myself filling in an application form for Bucks New University and shortly after that being interviewed and offered a place by the Course Leader Dr Matthew Smith.

And just like that, without seeing it coming, I am returning to being a student. 

I’m approaching the Masters with an equal mix of excitement and trepidation.  I have no idea how I am going to juggle two young children, working part-time and a Masters.  But on the upside I am so excited about getting back into scientific research - this time focused on how to influence happiness throughout our lives, but especially at work.  Being able to provide concrete substance to an area that remains an afterthought for so many companies will be hugely satisfying.

I will endeavour to capture the ups and downs of my journey through this blog, and will definitely share what I learn along the way. 

Wish me luck!

Footnotes:

1.     Positive psychology is the study of happiness. Psychology traditionally focused on dysfunction: people with mental illness or other psychological problems and how to treat them. Positive psychology, in contrast, is a relatively new field that examines how ordinary people can become happier and more fulfilled.

Well-being at Work - Fad or Foundation

Well-being at Work - Fad or Foundation?

I read a fun article this morning by Polly Vernon about embracing clichés of 2015.  Almond milk, Uber, Instagram, sobriety, summer cocktails and Pilates are all passing fads that Polly has openly embraced. But in her defence she is a style journalist so trends and kind of her bread and butter.

      Polly Vernon – Style Journalist

But what about me?  I love to read just about anything to do with my role, I listen to Engage for Success podcasts, I attend Happiness seminars, I have made a number of connections at Culture Meet-ups.  I’m interested in pre-approving ideas and celebrating failures; I want to explore the implementation of transparent salaries;  I celebrated International Happiness Day with the team at ANDigital; and I’m most recently exploring in the necessary synergy between Culture and Brand.

Debbie Martin – Happiness Geek        

So, you can imagine just how excited I get about mental and physical well-being at work!  When I came across the nef research into the Five Ways to Wellbeing, I knew I had found my next intervention. 

“The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a set of evidence-based actions which promote people’s wellbeing. They are: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice,Keep Learning and Give. These activities are simple things individuals can do in their everyday lives.”

Focus on Mental Health in the UK seems to be building traction at the moment, and rightly so.  The spectrum of mental health issues are poorly understood by the general population which leads to stigma and a lack of support, often worsening the issues.  But what if we could build early prevention into our everyday life.  What if employers admit that employees across industries and hierarchies are under pressure to deliver more with less, both at home and in the office?  What if they acknowledge that they have a responsibility to look after their people.  And heavens above – what if they actually did something about it!!

Thankfully, the Five Ways to Well Being give us a really simple framework to implement small changes that might just have a huge effect on our ability to cope with the stresses of modern life.  So I am planning to launch a Well-being week at ANDigital to help our team members be more mindful of these five actions. 

ANDigital won’t be the first organisation to run a Well-being Week, and we certainly won’t be the last.  It is just one of the Hot Topics that I’m constantly researching.  But does this mean it is a fad and in 2016 I’ll be laughing about how ridiculous and naïve I was to pursue well-being at work as an aspiration?  Hell No!  I can’t imagine a time when mental and physical well-being won’t be relevant to our enjoyment of and performance at work.

So Polly, you may not be Planking or drinking Brit Spritz in 2016, but I am damn sure I will keep Well-being on the agenda.

My Happy Comrades

I have had the pleasure recently of meeting with some fellow students of happiness and reading some works of the Masters.  There is so much content out there I wanted to create a synopsis of the pieces that really resonated with me.

Firstly I was given a copy of the Happiness Manifesto by Henry Stewart.  Henry runs an IT Training Company called Happy and has built his organisation on some really empowering principles that bring out the best in his people.

One of the key principles that runs through his 10 point Manifesto is Trust.  Pre-approving decisions to empower your teams; being open and transparent especially in the tough times; celebrating failure to create a no-blame culture. All ways to build trust across the organisation.

The second group of principles focus on recruitment and role alignment.  “Recruit for attitude, train for skill” is one of my favourites.  Often the most technically skilled people are the most reluctant to be flexible.  Many of the highest performing individuals I have come across were operating outside of the role they were initially brought in to do.  Their attitude was their potential and with the right support they were excelling for the organisations they passionately believed in. 

Aligned to this point is an awareness of the Strengths within your team.  There are a handful of Strengths Frameworks from Gallup (https://www.gallupstrengthscenter.com) to Alex Linley (http://www.thestrengthsfoundation.org/the-strengths-companion-l-is-for-alex-linley). The idea behind their use is that rather than creating Job Descriptions and then putting people into roles which often include tasks they are not suited to and don’t enjoy, why not hire good people and then let them craft the role to suit their strengths.  Ultimately this is more enjoyable for the individual who can work in a sense of flow more often, and rewarding for the organisation which has team of highly productive individuals.  

Having so enjoyed and been inspired by the Happiness Manifesto, in mid-June I attended a conference that Happy were running on Happy Workplaces.  There were some fantastic speakers from the public and private sectors and some great discussions among attendees during the breaks, all keen to drive up happiness at their work places as a way to improve performance, productivity and frankly the enjoyment of the 9-5.

Some takeaways for me from the event were:

• Articulate “The Deal” – what are the commitments and expectations between the company – employees – customers.  Create mutually beneficial agreements that everyone signs up to and understands the consequences of missing the mark.

• List of “F” words – what are the words or phrases that mis-convey who we are and what we stand for.

• “There is no spoon” (although the Matrix reference was lost on me) for me this was a camel/water analogy.  Having worked for two organisations that could be accused of over-sharing and offering too many opportunities to “get involved”, I know all too well that if people still complain they don’t know what’s happening or feel detached from the organisation, there may be nothing more you can do – we will not spoon feed you.  If you want it, come and get it! Get Stuck In.

• Performance Review people on what they have delivered and how they have delivered it (back to the attitude point).  You could deliver the most fantastic piece of work but if you have upset half the team while doing it you won’t get a top performance rating.

• No Triangulation – if people moan to you about someone else’s performance, give them 72 hours to have the tough conversation or you will.

• “If you got rid of the rules, no-one would turn up naked”

• As a leader “be interested not interesting”

I must give credit to Shannon Banks (Director at Be Leadership); Dominic Monkhouse (Growth Advisor); Simon Fowler (Partnership Registrar at John Lewis); and Helena Moore (Bomford Housing) for these gems of wisdom.  They resonated with me and a number will be put in place at ANDigital over the coming months.

Influencing Happiness At Work

My goal for this post is to provide some suggestions for how we can all address the three drivers of employee happiness that I identified in my last post.  I am going to address them in reverse because sometimes that is how my brain works!

First of all Meeting employees' expectations.  For me this comes down to a commitment from employers to be entirely honest about "what it's like to work here".  Warts and all.  This starts right from the very beginning of the journey a prospective employee has with you.  So your marketing materials, job descriptions, interviewers, all channels of recruitment message need to be realistic in terms of what the candidate will experience if they become an employee.  Overselling the excitement, location, variety, stimulation or flexibility of the work you need the candidate to do is a sure fire way to have a disappointed employee.  And if the reality can't be rectified, you are most likely to end up with a disgruntled, dissatisfied and unproductive employee too, who by the way, no longer trusts you.

In my interviews I like to test candidates' understanding of what the reality of a job with ANDigital will be like by asking them to identify the pros and cons and then filling in their gaps.  If they are still as enthusiastic after hearing the reality then you know you've found a good match and someone who will be as happy in the organisation as you are.

As well as honest marketing, employers can also give candidates the opportunity to meet current employees.  Either in a formal or informal setting.  This helps the candidate ask questions about the day-to-day, assess if they feel they'd fit within the team and also encourages them to develop an emotional connection with your company. 

Once the candidate becomes an employee the honesty needs to continue.  If the next project or the next quarter are going to be tough, tell them.  But also set out what the benefits are going to be for the individual in terms of experience or development and what life will be like when you get through the tough times together.

Progress

I think it's best to think about progress in two broad senses.

One is the individual's personal development.  How can they see a future for themselves within your company; be it progression or skills learnt.  Generation X has very low patience and very high ambition.  If they can't get what they want from a career with you, they will leave very quickly to join a competitor or just start their own company.  So for every vacancy you need to fill, think about what skills the individual will develop while delivering what you need, and what career those skills could lead to - either with your company or somewhere else; it is better to have a really focused and driven employee for three years before they move on while thanking you for the opportunities and growth you gave them than have someone leave within 12 months bitter and angry that you "didn't support their potential"!

The second sense of progress is how the employee fits into the bigger picture.  This is a huge driver of engagement - feeling that you are contributing to a wider purpose.  Even if that purpose is profit! Individuals like to know that they are valued for the part they are playing towards the company's success.  So paint the picture for them of how their responsibilities or objectives fit in with the wider goals of the organisation.  And don't forget to recognise them when the team as a whole succeeds!

The first driver of happiness at work that I identified was the People.

Interestingly, although this is probably the most common driver recognised by employees themselves, it is hard to articulate what it is about the people that is so important.  Sometimes it just feels like that illusive x-factor when you click with your team at work and enjoy spending time together.  But thinking about how employers can encourage that is challenging.  It isn't about recruiting clones and having teams of same-thinking personalities and experience.  In fact research shows that diversity in teams makes for more success.  However, identifying individuals who share the company's values and are genuinely driven by the same purpose definitely supports the sense of "one team" and "we're all in this together".

I believe respect is a big contributing factor, and this is something that should be role modelled from the top down.  Treating others as you would want to be treated.  Providing feedback constructively and not criticising colleagues openly.  Avoiding siloed thinking.  Reinforcing key messages about values and purpose.

There is also a real benefit in bringing your whole self to work.  Make time to ask people about their weekends and their children or hobbies.  And talk about yours too.  Be compassionate.  When you make a connection with people that stretches beyond objectives and targets you are much more likely to have a team that feel personally invested in the success of the organisation rather than just collecting a paycheque.

I hope this post provides some valuable suggestions around how we can all influence happiness at work, but especially the importance of management in correctly setting and meeting expectations, proving growth opportunities for their teams to progress and role modelling the behaviours that encourage connections between their people.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, so I'd welcome your thoughts, suggestions and experience.