by Inge Beckers | December, 2021 | Inge Beckers, Work
Have you ever worked with a negative person, a chronic complainer who always points out why things are not going to work, often called a naysayer? And have you felt how this affects your mood and drains the energy in you and your team? You have probably come across the opposite type of person. Someone who brings positivity into a room, who has the ability to cheer you up when you are down, who makes you feel better about yourself. These are what we call positive energizers, they have the capacity to spread positivity. And by positivity, we don’t mean the happy flappy superficial thing, but the genuine open-minded approach based on the science of positive psychology. The natural attraction of positive energy When we look at nature, we see a natural tendency towards light or positive energy. The most well-known source of energy is the sun. The sun gives life to all species, including human beings. Every living system has a tendency toward the light (life-giving) and away from darkness (danger). This is called the ‘heliotropic effect’ Think about it, if you have a choice would you rather spend time with a positive or a negative person? Energy can have different forms. Some energies, when used, will diminish in strength. For example, when you do a sports activity, you will become physically exhausted. The same goes for mental or emotional energy. When we use it, we get tired and sometimes even worn out. But when we use our relational energy and interact with positive people this energy grows. We don’t get exhausted from being with people we...
by Inge Beckers | August, 2021 | Inge Beckers, leadership
Every organisation, small or big, wants to be successful. Whether they will succeed in this aspiration does not only depend on their products or technology. It mainly all revolves around their people. Research in the area of organizational psychology demonstrates that implementing positive psychology concepts at the workplace increases the performance of employees and as such the organizational productivity. It furthermore shows that positive employee behaviour is not a result of a successful organization, but that it is actually the other way around: positive employees deliver better results which generate more effective organizations. The research evidence to support this is growing continually. Shared responsibility Being a positive leader is not about making your employees happy. You are not responsible for your employee’s happiness, but you are responsible for creating a work environment that enables your employees to feel well and appreciated and as such contribute to achieving the best possible organizational performance. In a positive environment, people feel valued and they know how their work impacts the purpose of the company. They receive clear expectations and regular feedback. They feel safe to express their thoughts and ideas and they trust their leader. If all of this is provided, the ultimate responsibility for happiness at work lies with the employee. Positive relationships The foundation of every relationship is trust, in private life as well as at work. Without out it, employees will put less effort and attention into their work, they will be less likely to share information and care less about the success of the organisation. Employees who trust their colleagues and leadership are more likely to...
by Inge Beckers | April, 2021 | Inge Beckers, Work
In this 6th blog on positive leadership, I will discuss the importance of enhancing positive meaning at work. As human beings, it is in our nature to experience a search for a meaningful life. We actively seek purpose, also at work. When employees experience this sense of purpose in their work environment, they are likely to be happier, more engaged, and more creative. And when they feel alignment between their roles and the company’s goals, staff turnover goes down and productivity rises. When the meaning of what we do at work is clear, everyone, from the CEO to the customers, will feel the positive effects. What is meaningful work? Having a meaningful job is about the ability to use one’s skills and strengths to the maximum potential and the feeling that the daily tasks are valuable and contribute to a larger project. This feeling of meaning concerns individual flourishing and commitment as well as long-term sustainable innovation, and performance in organizations. Some people bring a sense of meaning and mission with them into the workplace, sometimes it is the organisation that excels at creating a meaningful workplace. 3 different work orientations People work for many reasons. Amy Wrzesniewski, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Yale University’s School of Management has been studying a classification system that can help to recognize one’s orientation toward a job and find ways to attain greater job satisfaction. She describes three different work orientations. People see their work as a job, a career or a calling. When they look at it as just their job, then work is being regarded as a source...
by Inge Beckers | February, 2021 | Inge Beckers, leadership
In this 5th blog on positive leadership, I will explain why positive communication is a key asset to the workplace. What do we mean by positive communication? It is using a language that is based on respect, that builds trust and collaboration and it is as such the cornerstone of creating a psychologically safe workplace in which employees feel connected and engaged. Positive language Positive communication is based on positive emotions and uses affirmative, constructive, and supportive language instead of negative and critical language. Research on why some management teams perform better than other* shows that the ratio of positive statements to negative statements is the single most important factor in predicting organizational performance. Managers who use positive language are twice as successful. They are better at building rapport with others and they have more impact on the way they are perceived as a manager. Positive communication can also help in building a strong company culture by creating clarity about the mission, the values, and the goals of the organisation so that employees know why they are working and what they are working towards. When people feel their work matters, they will be more inclined to working harder and with a much more positive outlook. As a result, the use of positive language is not only more effective but also powerful and inspiring for all employees at every level. Perhaps you have heard the story of the janitor at NASA. When President John F. Kennedy was visiting NASA headquarters for the first time in 1961, he noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He interrupted his tour, introduced himself and...
by Inge Beckers | January, 2021 | Inge Beckers, leadership
So far, I have discussed two strategies to become a positive leader: creating a positive mindset and cultivate a positive climate. The third strategy is to build positive relationships. An organization depends on his individuals to interact and form connections to get the job done. The quality of these connections are the building blocks for bringing out the best in people and organisations and have a huge impact on the business results. As humans, we are innately social beings, we need other people, we need connection. Considering that we spend one-third of our lives at work, it makes sense that we should want to promote positive social interactions at work, and not just in our personal lives. Research from Gallup shows that people who have a good friend at work are more likely to be happy and engaged. Working in a positive work environment results in more creativity and productivity, better customer engagement and increased profit. High quality connections Two well-respected researchers in the field of management and organisations, Dutton and Heaphy have done research on a particular form of positive work relationships, called ‘high-quality connections’. These connections refer to a brief moment of contact – in contrast to a long-standing relationship -and can be considered as relational micro-moments. They can be of high quality (positive), low quality (negative) or neutral. When these connections are of high quality, they create positive emotions and therefore contribute to the individual as well as team flourishing, which in turn will lead to higher organisation’s effectiveness. If employees experience high-quality connections, they feel more engaged, energized, respected and trusted by each other....
by Inge Beckers | December, 2020 | Inge Beckers, Work
In my previous blog, I described the first step towards a positive leadership approach, the positive mindset. We need to learn to see possibilities instead of only what is present and focus on strengths instead of weaknesses. In this third blog, I will explore the strategy of building a positive climate in the work environment. This is not about just implementing a culture of positive thinking, in which negative events are being ignored. It is about using evidence-based practices to cultivate a professional environment that promotes psychological safety, growth and goal attainment. In a positive climate, employees feel more positive than negative emotions which will enable them to move from functioning to flourishing. And well-being – not just performance- is a key element of success. The leader’s influence Gallup is an American analytics and advisory company known for its public opion polls conducted worldwide. Their research shows that up to 70% of the climate in a team is determined by the leader. This means he has a huge impact on an individual’s decision to stay or go and on the employee engagement. And that engagement is directly linked to higher productivity, profitability and quality, as well as lower turnover, less absenteeism and fewer safety incidents. What leaders do, is more important than what they say. They set the tone. We know that emotions are contagious, so when leaders are aware of their impact and display a positive attitude it will reflect on their team, and also impact interactions with others at work. The research is showing clearly that when a company raises employee engagement levels consistently across every business...
