Let The Bad Time Roll--How Positive Psychology Can Help Business

by Ray B Williams

Business leaders seem to be reluctant to talk about the value of positive psychology in the workplace during the economic recession.

On the one hand, it's understandable to not be discussing happiness and positive things when people are losing their jobs. On the other hand, this is exactly the time for positive psychology to be used, to dispel the myth about "fluffy happy thoughts."

In my Financial Post blog, entitled, "At Work, Feeling Good Does Matter," and my National Post articles, "Put On a Happy Face, Pile on the Profits," and "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To Work We Go," and "Positive Leadership Pays Off," I argued that leaders need to take advantage of the findings in positive leadership to more effectively manage their organizations for better results. And while it may appear to be easier during good economic times, it is more critical now, in difficult economic times.

Positive psychology, a recent new movement in the field of psychology, may provide intelligent strategies to boost business. The field of positive psychology was developed by psychologist Martin Seligman along with his research associates at the University of Pennsylvania. Research study after research study has shown that having a healthy sense of control over one's life, work and environment is important for well being, and the absence of this results in anxiety, depression and lowered performance.

Business leaders manage their enterprise by setting goals and achieving them. Recent findings from positive psychology research identify factors such as character strengths, optimism, and resilience playing signficant roles in how well goals are managed.

Our values are at the heart of what is important in life and work. A commitment to core values takes place in three forms: first, leaders need to be clear about what values they hold; second, they must effectively communicate those values to key stakeholders, and third, leaders need to ensure their actions are in alignment with their values. In an article by Charles Kerns for the Pepperdine University Business Report, he concludes that leaders can apply a number of practices taken from the field of positive psychology to maximize the attainment of value goals, including:

*committing to a set of core values to enhance meaning and purpose of work.

*ensuring goals are aligned with core values.

*ensuring actions are in alignment with core values.

*displaying persistent optimism.

*when facing obstacles and business reversals, displaying resilience.

In applying the positive psychology principle of resilience, both managers and employees need to develop coping strategies to maintain or regain their sense of control over life. This means either they change their environment and start resolving issues causing stress or they change themselves and adjust to new circumstances and stop worrying.

In an article in Business Week, "How Positive Psychology Can Boost Your Business," Jill Hamburg Coplan argues that positive psychology can help leaders manage the bad times much better when they focus on employee strengths, praise, linking rewards with performance results, helping employees become better self managers, and maintaining a cheerful, positive and optimistic attitude regardless of what's happening.

About Ray B Williams
Ray B Williams is Co-Founder of Success IQ University a company based in Phoenix, Arizona providing the most innovative products and services to help professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners be more successful in life and work.
Ray is also President of Ray B Williams Associates, a company based in Vancouver B.C., providing executive coaching services.
Ray has been an executive, management consultant and coach for over thirty years, working with leaders throughout the world. He is also a Certified Hypnotherapist and Master NLP Coach. Ray has written a number of books on leadership and writes a regular column for the National Post, Canada's leading newspaper.
Ray is in demand as a speaker, coach, consultant and author throughout North America.
www.successiqu.comwww.raybwilliamsassociates.com;
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