'Tis the season!

Resolutions are simply promises we make, whether to ourselves or others. New Year's resolutions tend to be those we make that somehow connect to being better people - or perhaps, behaving in a manner more in the way we want to behave. 

For me, that brings to mind purpose and values. It is never a bad idea to reflect on our WHY - why do you want to make that particular resolution? Why haven't you made that change yet? Why do you want to behave differently? Sometimes better understanding our WHY helps us to get to the right how. 

At work, too often, when someone asks "Why?" they get told some variation of "Well that's how we've always done it." (I have literally been told this. And some of my clients have, too.) 

Don't get me wrong: Familiarity is a nice thing to experience, when we're stressed, or when it's a family custom at the holidays. 

But.

When we break away from what's familiar, then we can start to:

• Innovate
• Simplify
• ...

4 Keys to Manage Workplace Conflict: Curiosity, Kindness, Engagement, and Shared Purpose.

Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation.

~ Aristotle, about 2,500 years ago.

But let’s be honest here: a lot of work does not feel like a vocation.

Is there a way to find more meaning in your work?

To feel that you use your talents every day and that doing so makes a difference in the world?

Yes! It’s called job-crafting. This comprehensive article from the Harvard Business Review archive goes over what it is, and two examples of how it has worked in two different industries; plus it was written by the researchers who pioneered the concept.

The concept of job-crafting is so simple, it’s brilliant. Job-crafting was created by researchers Jane Dutton, Amy Wrzesniewski, and Justin Berg. In this video you can hear Dr. Wrzesniewski describe a janitor in a hospital who had “crafted her job,” in terms of how she thought of her work, into something much more important, ambitious, and kind-hearted than what we typically...

Purpose is one of my favorite topics in the field of positive psychology as it applies to working and the workplace. I’ve always felt that whatever my occupation is, it should put some good into the world in addition to pay in my pocket. So it made intuitive sense when I learned that purpose is a key ingredient in happiness, generally, and specifically workplace happiness. 

Psychologists generally define happiness as the mix of positive feelings with a sense of purpose or meaning. Happiness at work, therefore, is not simply that someone tends to feel more positive than negative* emotions at work. Happiness at work is the mix of feeling positively at work while also finding a meaning in your work that has nothing to do with a paycheck or profits. 

What that meaning is can vary widely. Nonprofit or government jobs are often considered meaningful: profit is taken out of the equation (usually - revenue is actually really important for most), so we assume that these jobs...

You know this: When work meetings aren’t productive, you run the risk of wasting time and contributing to employee disengagement and unhappiness. The truth is, meetings can be productive; they can even contribute to enhancing employee engagement.

This is the third post in a series of four about how to run better meetings at work. The topics we’re covering are:

• Acting like a host;

• Purpose (this post!);

• Considering timing; and,

• Preparing for the potential of conflict.

Most modern workers have to be in meetings at least some of the time; this series is in part inspired by this podcast that posits ways to turn meetings from sources of dread and drain into sources of productivity and energy.

When I started to study happiness back in 2015, I was struck by the definition used by researchers: Happiness is not just the subjective feeling of joy and/or well-being, it’s that mixed with a sense of purpose, meaning, or that you’re participating in something...

I’m psyched to bring my Resolve Conflict Now training to BBG’s audience of HR professionals on September 18, 2019, in the comfort of their own offices - not BBG’s offices; this is a webinar anyone can join. It’s also free! Register here.

Part of the 101-level, one-hour webinar will focus on how to build a collaborative workforce. I sum it all up with four keys:

• Curiosity

• Kindness

• Engagement

• Shared purpose

Let’s take them, briefly, one by one.

Curiosity

Your mindset is always a choice: When you can, choose curiosity. Someone at work is in your face, or didn’t do something they’re supposed to, or did do something they are not supposed to do. Instead of focusing on blame or disappointment, choose to get curious - Why did they behave that way? What might be happening that’s motivating them to do that thing that’s completely awful, in your opinion? Why exactly do you think it is completely awful?

Have a conversation with...

Ever hear someone complain that they can’t get anything done because “I’m in meetings all day!”

Hanging out with friends is one thing – no one really wants a plan or an agenda if you just want to spend time with people you like. But work is different. Everyone has the same goal (or complementary goals) – to do a good job, to make money, to provide a service, to sell to customers. Work meetings should move everyone closer to the goal, not farther from it.

So how do you make your meetings useful?

• Know your purpose.

  Notice I did not say “topic.” Anyone can have a topic. That’s just the thing we’re talking about. In contrast, “purpose” implies a goal. There is a reason that people need to have an in-person conversation about, well, whatever the topic may be. What is everyone trying to accomplish together? How will this meeting make it happen? That’s your goal.

• Only invite necessary people.

  I’m sure...