One thought I have found myself thinking frequently since learning more about the concepts of positive psychology is “I wish I had known this 10 years ago”.
At least when I was working in Human Resources in the corporate world – and in large organisations known for their HR expertise – no-one ever mentioned positive psychology to me, or spoke about any of the ideas that are basic principles of this research area. I am sure there are HR teams out there who have embraced some of the concepts and tools – and I’d love to hear more about them – but Positive Psychology does not appear to be as widely spread as it could be in the corporate world. I think it is time to change this!
To name but a few of the advantages of a positive approach:
Problem solving: Research has shown that positive emotions enable us to become more creative problem solvers, broadening our outlook and allowing us to make more connections between topics (I can recommend this paper by Barbara Fredrickson). Conversely, negative emotions tend to cause us to have a much more narrow view of the world, reducing our problem-solving capabilities. Evolutionally, we appear to be programmed to have a negativity bias which enabled our ancestors to quickly identify danger and react very specifically (fight or flight!) to any threats. However in an age where many companies are seeking to innovate and think big, the negativity bias is really not conducive to these goals. The good news is, we can supplement our ancient instincts with more modern approaches!
Inspiring leaders: I have seen many employee engagement surveys where employees cite bad leadership as a frustration, often leading to retention issues. I believe there is an opportunity for leaders to adopt a positive leadership mindset to make them more effective at leading their teams and ultimately reaching their goals. When I have observed managers who seem to have a natural inclination to employ positivity as a leadership tool, I saw employees wanting to please the leader and deliver because they were inspired and energised by them, and did not want to let them down!
To quote Kim Cameron (2008):
“In sum, positive leadership refers to an emphasis on what elevates individuals and organizations (in addition to what challenges them), what goes right in organizations (in addition to what goes wrong), what is life-giving (in addition to what is problematic or life-depleting), what is experienced as good (in addition to what is objectionable), what is extraordinary (in addition to what is merely effective), and what is inspiring (in addition to what is difficult or arduous).
Well-being: Stress at work is increasingly taking a toll on employees’ health, causing more anxiety, increased rates of absenteeism and generally a negative outlook on work. By injecting more positivity, and teaching certain techniques (such as re-framing; three blessings exercise) individuals can learn to deal with daily stresses more effectively and reduce the impact on their mental and physical health. Positive Psychology researchers also champion the idea of stress-related growth – that, given the right support, adversity can actually help us develop certain strengths and beliefs.
Encouraging diversity: The ability to overcome set-backs, put negative experiences into perspective, and continue to focus on goals – in other words: resilience – is one success factor that helps individuals build their career. From my observations, particularly women tend to fall in the trap of attributing successes to luck and circumstances, and failures to their own inability to perform. In fact there is even research that investigates this pattern which is known as the “Impostor Syndrome” (the original research article can be found here , and there is a more recent book by Dr. Valerie Young that is a great read too). As a result, they can underestimate their ability to make a difference at the top, which I personally consider as one of the contributing factors to the lack of females in senior leadership roles. I believe there is a huge opportunity to teach women to recognise their unhelpful thoughts and how to reframe these in a positive way; to build resilience and encourage women to believe in themselves. And positive psychology provides the tools to do exactly that.
Positive psychology is a really motivating and energising approach to work life, and life in general. It’s hard to see the downside to understanding what provides meaning to you and experiencing increased well-being, and improving interactions with those around you. And focusing on strengths, and how to build on these, is such an encouraging way of thinking about development that it seems odd that you would do it any other way!
For those interested in learning more about how to inject more positivity into their work-lives, or just learning more about positive psychology in general, I can recommend the links from my reading list or the videos. And of course you can reach out to me, I will be happy to share what I know!
All the best,
Sarah
