Making Positive Psychology Work

Rachael Powell is the Chief Customer, People and Marketing Officer at Xero, a cloud-based accounting platform for small and medium businesses around the world. She's an experienced business executive with a demonstrated success across strategy, marketing, and human resources. Rachael has a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Melbourne and is passionate about enabling people to do the best work of their lives. In this week's episode, we explore how Xero, a cloud-based accounting platform for small and medium businesses around the world, are using positive psychology to help their people thrive as they do the best work of their lives. Connect with Rachael Powell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/powellrachael/ You'll Learn: [02:29] - Rachael explains how she began applying what she learned in the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology to her leadership of the people and culture function at Xero. [04:22] - Rachael shares why Xero chose Professor Martin Seligman's PERMAH framework to guide their wellbeing strategy. [05:32] - Rachael outlines how Xero operationalized the PERMAH framework across five different continents in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous environment. [10:14] - Rachael shares her tips for what's worked best when it comes to embedding a wellbeing strategy across the workplace. [13:05] - Rachael talks about the struggles of embedding a wellbeing strategy across a workplace and how Xero is working to overcome these. [17:43] - Rachael shares her biggest a-ha when it comes to taking the science of positive psychology and applying it practically in a workplace. [19:50] - Rachael shares her thoughts on the role CEOs and leadership teams play in the success or failure of wellbeing strategies in workplaces. [21:53] - Rachael offers some cautions and caveats for people trying to improve wellbeing in workplaces. [23:09] - Rachael completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky Give & Take by Adam Grant Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Rachael!

Robert Quinn is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, one of the co-founders of the field of positive organizational scholarship, and a co-founder of the Ross Centre for Positive Organisations. Bob's research and writing focuses on purpose, leadership, culture and change,and he is in the top 1% of professors cited in organizational behaviour textbooks. The recipient of multiple teaching awards, Bob was recently named one of the top speakers in the world on the topics of organisational culture and related issues. And last year, his talk on personal purpose went viral and has been viewed by over 16 million people. Bob has published 18 books, and his most recent book, The Economics of Higher Purpose, has just been released. In this week's podcast we explore the economics of higher purpose in our workplaces and how we can find and consistently honor our purpose. Connect with Robert Quinn: http://robertequinn.com/ You'll Learn: [03:22] - Bob explains why the economics of higher purpose is a conversation every workplace should be exploring at the moment. [07:33] - Bob outlines why a higher purpose shifts our mindsets and commitment from being employees or agents to owners in our workplaces. [11:51] - Bob shares how workplaces can envision being a higher purpose organization and overcome the thought walls that might get in their way. [16:03] - Bob explains why organizations need to discover – rather than invest – their higher purpose. [22:13] - Bob shares his tips for embracing the messy and magical process of bringing a higher purpose to life across a workplace. [27:30] - Bob shares the story of how KPMG gave their people the freedom to self-organize and take responsibility for the things that matter most to them in relation to the higher purpose. [33:05] - Bob completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook The Economics of Higher Purpose by Robert Quinn All You Have to Do is Ask by Wayne Baker Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Bob!

David Bryce Yaden is a Research Fellow and PhD student at the University of Pennsylvania, where he works in the Positive Psychology Centre. David's research focus is on the psychology and neuroscience of spiritual, self-transcendent and other positively transformative experiences. Specifically, he's interested in understanding how these experiences can result in longterm changes to wellbeing. And how they alter fundamental faculties of consciousness, such as the sense of time, space, and self. He's the editor of the book, Being Called. And he's currently writing a book called, The Varieties of Spiritual Experiences: A Twenty-First Century Update. His work is being covered by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, New York Magazine, and NPR. In this week's podcast, we explore how positively transformative experiences can leave us feeling called to our futures and the impact they can have on our wellbeing and performance. Connect with David Yaden: https://www.varietiescorpus.com/ You'll Learn: [03:53] - David explains why we're called by our futures – not just pulled by the past - and what impact this has for our wellbeing. [06:28] - David outlines the difference between trying to find meaning and purpose in our work, to being called to the work we do. [09:07] - David shares what his research is finding makes a positively transformative moment possible for each of us. [11:06] - David explores if positively transformative experiences can be created or need to be allowed to spontaneously occur. [13:13] - David outlines what his research is finding in terms of the impact the positively transformative moments might have for us or others. [16:58] - David explores potential interventions workplaces can use to create positively transformative experiences for people and their limitations. [20:33] - David outlines ways workplaces can help people to feel more called to their work. [22:30] - David completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Being Called by David Yaden The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James & Martin E. Marty Doug Hubbard on the Rationally Speaking Podcast Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you David!

Loretta Breuning is the founder of the Inner Mammal Institute, which helps people manage the ups and downs of their mammal brain. As professor emerita of management at California State University East Bay, Loretta's research explores how people can discover the power of their mammalian operating system. The author of several books, including Habits of a Happy Brain, Loretta had shared her research, and talks all over the world. In this week's podcast, we explore our brain's happy chemicals and how we can create more happy chemicals as we work. Connect with Loretta Breuning: https://innermammalinstitute.org/ You'll Learn: [02:11] - Loretta explains how dopamine work and why it is important for us at work. [05:10] - Loretta offers some practical ways to spark more dopamine at work. [06:33] - Loretta outline how endorphins help our brains to perform. [09:00] - Loretta explores if endorphins might help ease social or emotional pain at work. [10:15] - Loretta explains the upside and the downside of oxytocin at work. [13:01] - Loretta explores how oxytocin can help us to build belonging and psychological safety in workplaces. [16:44] - Loretta explains how serotonin shapes our relationships at work. [21:35] - Loretta outlines how we can create happy brain habits to stimulate these chemicals. [23:43] - Loretta completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Loretta!

Michael Steger is the founder and director of the Centre for Meaning and Purpose, and a professor of psychology at Colorado State University. Endlessly curious about learning how to create a life worth living, Michael has spent the better part of two decades studying the vital role that meaning and purpose play in our work, health, relationships, growth, and happiness. His research has been featured in academic and general publications around the world, and he's also written several books on this topic, including Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace. In this week's episode, we explore how meaning can be found in any job, and how workplaces can help people find the right balance to minimize both boredom and burnout. Connect with Michael Steger: http://www.michaelfsteger.com/ You'll Learn: [02:29] - Michael explains why a growing number of workplaces have become interested in helping their people find more meaning in their work. [05:40] - Michael shares what the research is finding when it comes to creating more meaning in our work. [08:04] - Michael explains why meaning is an ongoing process when it comes to our work and some of the simple ways we can find more meaning in what we do each day. [14:19] - Michael offers some tips for leaders and workplaces to help people make their work more meaningful. [20:46] - Michael explains what the research is finding about having too much meaning at work, and how we can keep this in balance. [25:02] - Michael completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Make Your Job a Calling by Brian J. Dik & Ryan D. Duffy Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Michael!

Ethan Kross, a distinguished psychology professor at the University of Michigan, delves into the ways our inner dialogue shapes our well-being. He reveals how falling into a negativity vortex can hinder our work life and offers practical self-distancing techniques to combat it. Discover the transformative power of language in self-reflection and learn simple hacks to boost resilience. Kross also discusses the science behind self-control, providing insights into emotional management and the importance of fostering healthy workplace relationships.

Jeremy Clifton is a doctoral candidate in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Martin Seligman, who is often regarded as the founder of positive psychology. After an initial career in urban economic development strategy, Jer has spent five years creating a foundational, empirically-derived typology of primal world beliefs, and his research examines many of these variables and their impact on well-being, personality traits and character strengths, professional success, depression, and voting behaviour. In this podcast, we explore how our primal beliefs about the world impact our levels of wellbeing, trust, and success at work. Connect with Jeremy Clifton: https://myprimals.com/ You'll Learn: [03:07] - Jer explains what his research is finding out about our primal world beliefs. [05:36] - Jer helps us to understand how primals differ from our other beliefs like growth mindsets. [06:58] - Jer outlines the 26 primal beliefs his research has uncovered. [09:56] - Jer helps us to understand what a 'good' primal might mean practically for us when it comes to our work and wellbeing. [12:37] - Jer explains what his research has found to date about the stability or our primal beliefs. [14:45] - Jer explores if our primal beliefs are shaped by nature or nurture. [17:53] - Jer shares his thoughts on whether workplaces should be trying to cultivate higher levels of specific primal beliefs like 'good' in order to improve wellbeing and success. [20:52] - Jer explores the potential impact of primals on psychological safety in workplaces. [24:49] - Jeremy completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Jer!

Sigal Barsade is a professor of management at the Wharton School of Business and focusses her research on emotional intelligence, organizational culture, unconscious bias, teamwork, leadership, and organizational change. Having consulted for organizations of all sizes across a myriad of industries, including Cisco, Coca Cola, Deloitte, Google, the NBA, and the United Nations, Sigal's research has been featured in leading academic research journals and in media outlets around the world. In today's episode, we explore why loneliness in workplaces is on the rise, how it impacts our wellbeing and performance, and how we can tackle it together. We also learn more about the contagion of loneliness and other emotions in the workplace and how we can manage this better. Connect with Sigal Barsade: https://mgmt.wharton.upenn.edu/profile/barsade/ You'll Learn: [02:25] - Sigal explains the impact of loneliness in workplaces on our wellbeing and performance. [08:57] - Sigal helps us understand why loneliness is on the rise in many workplaces. [11:02] - Sigal explains what leaders and organizations can do to address the loneliness epidemic many workplaces are experiencing. [14:20] - Sigal outlines how we can help lonely people help themselves in workplaces. [16:23] - Sigal explores if talking about loneliness in workplaces improves people's wellbeing or creates further isolation. [18:04] - Sigal explains why loneliness can be contagious and how emotions can spread in workplaces and communities. [19:21] - Sigal shares why leaders are more emotionally contagious in workplaces. [21:39] - Sigal offers some tips for leaders to help manage their moods and how they infect their teams more mindfully at work. [23:32] - Sigal offers some insights for leaders to positive infect the mood in their team. [26:03] - Sigal completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook Sigal's talk 'All You Need is Love at Work' Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Sigal!

Dr. Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University. As a pioneer in the field of science help, her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal wellbeing and strengthen communities. Kelly is the author of several books, including the international bestseller, The Willpower Instinct, The Upside Of Stress, and her upcoming book, The Joy Of Movement. Her TED Talk, How To Make Stress Your Friend, is one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time with over 20 million views. In today's podcast, we explore how we can tap into our different stress responses to shape our wellbeing and performance at work. Connect with Kelly McGonigal: http://kellymcgonigal.com/ You'll Learn: [03:12] - Kelly shares some of the latest research insights on the upside of stress when it comes to our wellbeing and performance at work.] [06:45] - Kelly explains biologically how our fight-or-flight stress response helps us to engage better with life. [07:53] - Kelly shares how a challenge stress response can help us step up in challenging situations. [10:16] - Kelly explains how a social stress response can help us reach for courage and connection during challenging experiences. [14:37] - Kelly outlines how our resilience stress response works to help us learn and grow in the face of difficult or traumatic experiences. [18:46] - Kelly explains how we can trigger the stress responses that will serve us best as we navigate work and life. [21:49] - Kelly recommends some exercises to help build our levels of stress confidence so we can respond in the ways that serve us and others best. [27:24] - Kelly shares her tips on how we can help to shape the conversations about reducing stress in workplaces. [33:38] - Kelly completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook https://storycorps.org/podcast/ Books by Kelly McGonigal Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Kelly!

Dr Peggy Kern who is an associate professor at the Centre for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne's Graduate School of Education. Her research is collaborative in nature and draws on a variety of methodologies to examine questions around who thrives in life and why. She is the world's leading researcher on measuring wellbeing using the PERMAH pillars, and has published 2 books and over 80 peer-reviewed articles and chapters. In today's episode, we explore how systems informed positive psychology is can help workplaces to think more holistically about their wellbeing strategies and the tools that researchers and practitioners can use to help them take a systems approach. Connect with Peggy Kern: http://www.peggykern.org/ You'll Learn: [02:37] - Peggy explains why we need a systems-informed approach when it comes to improving wellbeing in our workplaces. [04:01] - Peggy defines how a systems-informed positive psychology approach makes visible what is invisible. [05:19] - Peggy shares some of the underlying assumptions of positive psychology research and practices that limit our ability to positively impact a system. [07:51] - Peggy offers some tips for helping leaders embrace "simplexity' when it comes to understanding how to impact wellbeing in their workplace. [09:59] - Peggy explores how we can better understand what is happening across a workplace to create a systems-informed approach for improving wellbeing. [11:28] - Peggy explains how Appreciative Inquiry approaches can be used to help map a system's response for workplaces wanting to improve wellbeing. [15:31] - Peggy shares how mapping energy networks in workplaces can help identify the best people and teams to target for wellbeing interventions in the system. [17:54] - Peggy explains why a systems-informed mindset needs us to let go of the illusion of control and instead learn to dance between order and chaos. [21:26] - Peggy shares why creating feedback loops is an important part of any systems informed strategy to improve wellbeing. [23:41] - Peggy explains how thinking though a systems lens can help us to build our growth mindsets, psychological safety, and self-compassion. [23:41] - Peggy explains why systems are always changing and what this means for our workplace wellbeing strategies. [27:39] - Peggy completes the Lightning Round. Your Resources: MPPW Podcast on Facebook https://thesystemsthinker.com/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review of the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Peggy!