Making Positive Psychology Work

Jacqueline Stavros is an Associate Professor at the Lawrence Technological University and has been honored with the LTU Inaugural Presidential Research Award. She's known for her creation of SOAR, a profoundly positive approach to strategic thinking, planning, and leadership, based on the concept of Appreciative Inquiry. Today we're talking to Jacqui about how the SOAR framework and how this can be used to help organizations and teams take a strengths-based, systems approach to strategic planning. and the kind of results they might expect. Jacqui helps us to understand how SOAR differs from SWOT approaches, how to help the cynics embrace a more strengths-orientated approach and how you conduct a quick SOAR in just a few hours with a team. Connect with Jacqueline Stavros: Website: http://soar-strategy.com/ [free_product_purchase id="22823"] You'll Learn: [02:14] - Jackie talks about 'meeting people where they're at]. [02:50] - Jackie explains generative questions. [03:43] - Jackie gives an introduction to SOAR (strengths, opportunities, aspirations & results) and how it works. [05:55] - Jackie gives example of which situations SOAR is most appropriate for. [08:59] - Jackie explains the '5 'I' Approach'. [12:05] - Jackie discusses the impact of SOAR on the workplace. [17:15] - Jackie talks about potential cautions and caveats of using SOAR. [24:18] - Lighting round with Jacqueline Stavros. Your Resources: Conversations Worth Having by Jackie Stavros, Cheri Torres & David L. Cooperrider Flourish by Martin E. P. Seligman Your Strengths Blueprint by Michelle L. Mcquaid & Ms Erin Lawn 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 for 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 Jackie!

Reb Rebele is the Research Director for Wharton People Analytics, and teaches in the Masters in Applied Positive Psychology Programme at the University of Pennsylvania. Reb's research, writing and consulting projects bring behavioral science and research into the world of work, to drive better employee experiences and organizational outcomes. Today we're talking to Reb about why being a 'giver' at work can backfire and cause you to hurt the very people you want to help and burn yourself out in the process. Discover what drives giving behaviors at work, the practical steps you can take to be a self-protective giver and what leaders can do to create their dream team of reciprocity approaches. Connect with Reb Rebele: Website: www.rebrebele.com [free_product_purchase id="22570"] You'll Learn: [01:44] - Reb explains how helpfulness creates value in the workplace. [03:21] - Reb talks about how giving too much can be draining and counter-productive. [08:05] - Reb discusses the generosity spectrum that he calls 'reciprocity style' - that includes takers, matchers & givers. [11:37] - Reb explores how personality styles, beliefs and mindsets might drive these behaviors. [14:15] - Reb shares the habits of highly effective giving, including how you can perform small five minute favors. [19:31] - Reb talks about how leaders can build dream teams of reciprocity styles. [23:48] - Lightning round with Reb Rebele Your Resources: Give & Take - Adam Grant Extreme You by Sarah O' Hagen The Three Marriages by David Whyte 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 for 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 Reb!

Amy Wrzesniewski is a Professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management. For almost two decades, her research has focused on how people make meaning of their work in challenging work contexts or conditions Her findings have been published in a wide range of top academic journals, and highlighted in several best-selling books and popular press outlets, including Forbes, Time, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, U.S. News and World Report, The Economist, as well as bestselling books such as Drive by Daniel Pink, The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman, and The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler. Do you wish you had more meaning in your work? Amy explains how you can craft your job, whatever your role and status, to find more meaning in what you do each day at work. She also shares practical tips for leaders to create an environment that encourages job crafting among employees to help them feel more proactive, engaged and productive at work. Connect with Amy Wrzensieski: Website: www.jobcrafting.org [free_product_purchase id="22286"] You'll Learn: [02:10] - Amy defines job crafting. [04:02] - Amy explains the value of meaning in our work, including how it affects our job choices, longevity of a particular role, and peoples perception of their careers. [07:32] - Amy gives examples of how leaders can support job crafting for employees. [09:46] - Amy suggests ways people can create more meaning in their own work. [12:58] - Amy discusses the latest findings and developments in job crafting. Your Resources: Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor Authentic Happiness by Martin Seligman The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler How to be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact by Jane E.Dutton, Gretchen Spreitzer & Shawn Achor 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 for 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 Amy!

Christopher Kukk is a Professor of Political Science and Social Science at Western Connecticut State University, the Founding Director for the Centre for Compassion, Creativity and Innovation, the author of the Compassionate Achiever, and the co-host of the Compassionate Achiever Podcast. Chris' research and publications combine neuroscience with the social sciences and focus on education issues, the political economy of natural resources, and the creation and sustainability of civil society. Chris was also a counterintelligence agent for the United States Army, and is regularly featured in the media for his analysis on a wide range of topics and issues. Today Chris explains the neurological differences between empathy and compassion and why compassion may be the key to success in workplaces. He also shares his simple four step approach to creating more compassion and ways this can be practically be applied in workplaces. Connect with Chris Kukk: Website: http://chriskukk.com/ You'll Learn: [02:16] - Chris explains the difference between empathy and compassion [05:51] - Chris discusses the complications of empathy and why it can lead to burn out. [07:09] - Chris talks about how compassion leads to success personally and professionally. [11:10] - Chris gives an example to show how kindness is a precursor to compassion and how this can help us to be more effective givers. [12:42] - Chris lists the 4 steps for cultivating compassion (LUCA) - 'listen to learn', 'understanding to know', 'connect to capabilities' and 'act to solve'. [19:19] - Chris explains how to teach these skills in workplaces. [25:10] - Lightning round with Chris Kukk Your Resources: The Compassionate Achiever - Chris Kukk Give & Take - Adam Grant Behave - Sapolsky Dark Matter - Blake Crouch 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 for 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 Chris!

Jennifer Moss is a researcher, Co-founder of Plasticity Labs, and a member of the Workplace Happiness Group at the United Nations Global Happiness Council. She is considered to be a Workplace Culture Expert and Thought Leader on the topic of happiness and emotional intelligence, and is author of the bestselling book Unlocking Happiness at Work. In this conversation, Jen guides us through the seven traits that enable happy and high performing employees and offers simple happiness hacks any workplace can use to help improve people's wellbeing. She also cautions us about the happiness inhibitors that can bring us unstuck and why being happy at work doesn't mean avoiding stress or sadness. Connect with Jennifer Moss: Website: https://plasticitylabs.com/ You'll Learn: [02:38] - Jen discusses the traits needed for people to be happy and effective at work. [07:27] - Jen talks about how paying attention to the little things can have a big impact on productivity. [10:27] - Jen explains how you can utilize technology to better engage with staff, and learn what's happening in the workplace. [12:12] - Jen talks about the three R's of building habits and why habits don't get created in 21 days. [14:45] - Jen gives examples of how to create habits that help improve wellbeing. [19.21] - Jen explains how to make changes at work a more positive experience. [21:44] - The lightning round with Jennifer Moss Your Resources: Unlocking Happiness at Work James Clear (Author) The Future of Happiness - Amy Blankson Freakonomics - Steven D. Levitt 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 for 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 Jen!

Gabrielle Kelly is the SAHMRI Wellbeing and Resilience Centre's inaugural director. Gabe is a filmmaker, digital media executive, social entrepreneur and strategist, who has worked on human behaviour and systems change in a range of settings, including the groundbreaking Adelaide Thinkers in Residence Programme, where she commissioned and led the residency of professor Martin Seligman in South Australia in an effort to build mental wellbeing and resilience and reduce mental illness at a societal level. In this conversation, Gabe takes us inside the amazing work being done across the state of South Australia to help an entire population flourish. She explains the PERMA PLUS dashboard and measure they have created to build a common language for resilience and wellbeing and walks us through the LIMBE approach they have created for embedding systems change. Connect with Gabrielle Kelly: Website: http://www.wellbeingandresilience.com/ You'll Learn: [01:55] - Gabe shares how she convinced an entire State to invest in improving the wellbeing and resilience of its population. [05:10] - Gabe walks us through how she's learned to deal with the cynics of positive psychology and wellbeing approaches. [08:18] - Gabe explains the PERMA PLUS model the State has adopted to education and measure wellbeing and resilience. [13:58] - Gabe shares the LIMBE approach they have created to help implement systems change. [20:44] - Gabe provides a real life example of using positive psychology and resilience training to deliver wellbeing, resilience and bottom line results to help closing car manufacturers. [28:11] - The Lightning Round with Gabrielle Kelly Your Resources: Return on Character - Fred Kiel All the Light we Cannot See - Anthony Doerr 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 for 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 Gabe!

Fred Bryant is Professor of Social Psychology at Loyola University in Chicago, where he teaches on Social Psychology, Personality Statistics, and Research Methods. Fred has won numerous teaching awards. He has produced more than 200 professional publications in Psychology, has presented over 150 papers at professional conferences around the world, and given numerous invited addresses and workshops at many prominent universities. Fred is best known for his work on savoring, on which he has conducted cross-cultural investigations in a variety of Eastern and Western cultures. In this discussion, you will hear Fred talk about the practice of savoring and the impact it has on your wellbeing. Fred summarizes the research on savoring, the process by which savoring works, practical ways we can introduce more savoring into workplaces and cautions for where savoring may go wrong. He also explains why women are generally better at savoring than men! Connect with Fred Bryant: Website: bryant.socialpsychology.org You'll Learn: [02:00] - Fred's research shows that we don't always make the most out of the positive experiences. He explains why this is the case. [03:34] - Fred shares what his studies show about the impact of savoring on our wellbeing. [06:29] - Fred describes the benefits of savoring in the workplace. [09:32] - Fred explains that if happiness and joy are outcomes, then savoring is the process through which they are achieved, and exactly how this process works. [10:42] - Fred shares what it might look like if we apply this model of savoring to our everyday lives. [12:23] - Savoring doesn't need to just be about the present. Fred explains how time impacts our ability to savor through reminiscence. [15:33] - Fred talks about the difference between savoring in the moment and mindfulness. [18:09] - Fred shares what his research has shown about gender differences in savoring. [20:46] - Celebrating success is a double-edged sword. Fred cautions avoiding excessive celebration. [22:09] - The Lightning Round with Fred Bryant. Your Resources: Savoring: A New Model of Positive Experience - Fred B. Bryant and Joseph Veroff Making Positive Psychology Work: Shane Lopez on Can You Bring Out The Best in Others? Starlight and Storm: The Conquest of the Great North Faces of the Alps - Gaston Rebuffat and Jon Krakauer 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 for 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 Fred.

Jessica Amortegui is the Senior Director of Learning and Development at Logitech. Logitech were the winners of the 2016 Positive Business Project Competition, presented by the Center for Positive Organizations at The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Logitech designs personal peripherals, and they connect customers to their digital experiences. They are recognized for their work in creating community, where it's employees are invigorated by the work that they do each day. Jessica has spent many years studying, writing about, and applying the practices of positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship. In this conversation, you will hear Jessica share how Logitech is helping its employees use their strengths intelligently at work. She talks about the changes the company has seen from individuals completing the VIA Survey, using job crafting and participating in the free online strengths challenge and explains how Logitech is taking the next step of helping people discover the fears that get in the way of them using their strengths effectively at work. Connect with Jessica Amortegui: Website - JessicaAmortegui.com You'll Learn: [02:30] - Jessica tells us what Logitech is doing to helping people put their strengths to work each day. [06:02] - Recently, hundreds of Logitech employees joined us for the free online strengths challenge. Jessica talks about the change that has been seen from individuals picking one strength to work on. [07:46] - Jessica talks about how Logitech is taking things one step further with strengths by looking at the fears that get in the way of using our strengths intelligently. [10:44] - Jessica provides some examples of things that are holding people back from being able to embrace their strengths at work. [15:05] - Jessica shares information on creating a safe environment for people to have more authentic conversatioins about their strengths. [17:40] - Getting leaders prepared to support people after the workshops is vital. Jessica explains how she is doing this. [19:18] - The Lightning Round with Jessica Amortegui Your Resources: StrengthsChallenge.com The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact - Chip Heath and Dan Heath 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 for 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 Jessica!

Robert McGrath is Professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is also a Senior Scientist at the VIA Institute on Character, program evaluator for Thriving Learning Community, a character development program implemented in fifty middle schools around the United States, and Director of Integrated Care for the Underserved of Northeast New Jersey. In this conversation, you will hear Robert talk about the exciting work he is doing with various assessments at the VIA Institute. He shares the latest tools and insights to assess and understand character strengths and explains how these can help you to bring out the best in yourself and others at work. Connect with Robert McGrath: Website: http://fdu-psych.com/mcgrath You'll Learn: [01:53] -Bob explains how you can use your character strengths at work. [04:53] - Bob shares how understand the rankings of their character strengths in the VIA survey and what this means practically for developing our strengths. [9:01] - Bob talks about the recent research on the overuse and underuse of our strengths and how this impacts our ability to flourish at work. [10:44] - Bob shares how character strengths are being used to assist in clinical diagnosis. [13:20] - Bob talks about the new Global Assessment of Character Strengths and how this can help people to identify the strengths they find essential to their identity. [18:00] - Bob shares the new Signature Strengths Survey and talks about how this can be used to gather 360 degree feedback. [19:40] - Bob has been working on re-examining the character strengths virtue groupings and why new studies suggest there are three, rather than six virtues. [24:16] - The Lightning Round with Robert McGrath Your Resources: Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work - Michelle McQuaid and Erin Law The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity - Esther Perel ViaCharacter.com Free Global Strengths Challenge 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 for 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!

Linda Robson is a scholar practitioner, blending work in executive education with consulting and coaching around the elevation of organizations and the individuals who work within them. Linda received her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She studied with David Cooperrider and Ron Frey. She is an advisor at the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value. Linda also helped write The Flourishing Enterprise: The New Spirit of Business. In this conversation, you will hear Linda share her fascinating research on the language used by high performing teams and why the words we speak impact the results we are able to achieve particularly in organizational change programs. Linda also shares while simply being more positive is not enough, why we need to acknowledge the sense of loss that any change in our workplaces can bring and the practical things leaders can do to use language to improve people's wellbeing at work. Connect with Linda Robson: Email - Linda.Robson@Case.edu You'll Learn: [02:20] - Linda explains why Professor David Cooperrider believes her research will be so influential in helping organizations navigate change. [04:23] - Linda defines and describes mirror flourishing. [06:55] - Linda shares why language plays such a large role in our interactions with each other and our willingness to embrace and act upon change. [07:48] - Linda talks about what positive and negative language sounds like, in the workplace. [09:07] - Linda explains that the use of positive language is a missed opportunity. [12:18] - Linda shares what we can do to help leaders be more strategic in their language. [14:40] - Linda talks about the idea of some forms of negative language being helpful with change in workplaces. [20:20] - Linda explains what a flourishing enterprise looks like. [22:56] - The Lightning Round with Linda Robson. Your Resources: Care to Dare: Unleashing Astonishing Potential Through Secure Base Leadership - George Kohlrieser Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way - Rick Carson The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs - Robert E. Quinn 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 for 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!