I often get asked what is Positive Psychology actually about? My go to response; rather than trying to ‘fix the bad’, Positive Psychology focuses on the good, building on that to make the most of our personal resources.
This is what I help people do and it is an excellent strategy for creating a more positive mindset, a mindset that focuses on ability and skills rather than the areas where we feel we fall short.
Of course Positive Psychology was developed to benefit us not only at the individual level but the organisational and societal level too. So how does this approach of ‘building on the good’ play out in the workplace?
To answer that, let’s look at some of the key pillars of Positive Psychology in turn.
Strengths
Identifying employees’ strengths is a great starting place for building positive teams.
Employees are expected to meet the specifications of their job description but what about additional skills and talents they could be bringing to the table? If we ignore these we miss out on individual abilities and interests that have the potential to add much to the business as well being a source of satisfaction and motivation to the employee.
Because, when we play to our strengths, work is easier and less stressful. Whilst tasks outside our comfort zone will generate stress, even once they are practiced, and will slip to the bottom of our to do lists when we are busy.
Tapping into an individual’s natural abilities builds confidence and, if there is potential to specialise with some tasks, allows employees to play to their strengths.
Carrying out a strengths inventory of the whole team builds recognition and appreciation for each other’s abilities.
Values
Learning my values was a game changer for me. It changed how I thought about my work because it helped me understand my drivers, and I could tap into those for motivation. There are further knock on benefits too because when I recognise I am doing work that is in alignment with my values it increases the satisfaction I take from it.
Imagine amplifying these benefits by discovering these motivators for all of your team members and from there recognising how these fit within the values of the organisation as a whole.
Values can motivate us to tackle difficult tasks. Perhaps you dislike confrontation but know that team work is a key value for you. This knowledge can push us to start a difficult conversation that will help clear the air.
As with our strengths, knowing our values helps us recognise potential sources of stress because work that doesn’t align is harder for us, and we can use this awareness to better manage the situation.
Resilience
Finding out about your teams strengths and values is essentially a ‘stock take’ of your human resources. These activities in turn build resilience because self-knowledge and the opportunity this offers for self-reflection helps generate confidence in our ability to achieve goals.
Resilient people are optimistic and future focused, they review outcomes and acknowledge their achievements. They put this knowledge into their planning for how they move forward. They recover quicker from setbacks because they reflect on the causes and what can be learnt from this and accept that some things are out of their control.
These are all behaviours that can be learnt and developed. Team meetings are opportunities for a regular practice of acknowledging successes and reflecting on setbacks, understanding the actions and skills involved to create an informed, ‘can do’ attitude.
Positive Emotions
Positive emotions include feelings like joy, gratitude, awe, inspiration and playfulness. They may not seem an obvious focus for the workplace but positive emotions are a sure antidote for stress. And the benefits of a happy workplace are significant. Positivity increases creativity, builds psychological safety, shifts mindsets and creates a workplace to be proud of, one that employees want to be a part of.
As with resilience, creating a regular practice of acknowledging what we have achieved at the end of the week can quietly bed in a positive culture. Recognising not just the work focused tasks but also some of the ‘softer skills’ team members have demonstrated such as the practical or emotional support of a colleague or an insightful conversation.
Positive emotions have been shown to broaden perspectives and they make us more creative and receptive to new ideas. They build a flexible mindset so it is easier to learn new skills and practice new behaviours. All of which improve psychological strength, promote good mental habits, make us more resilient, help us to forge social connections and keep us mentally and physically healthy (Garland, Fredrickson et al 2010.). So are definitely worth promoting in the workplace!
Motivation and Mindset
When we bring this understanding of strengths, values and positive emotions together we build resilience and promote a shift in mindset. Motivation increases, both for the individual and a wider motivation to act to support the team and its overall efforts.
It offers the language to promote honest conversations around performance and self-awareness and confidence to ask for the support.
A workplace where employees feel understood and confident to speak up is a workplace built on psychological safety, where they feel a part of the organisation and its culture.
Resources
Learn about your unique differences can help you bring out the best in your team.
Find out more about your team’s communication styles and strengths with Satori People Development Emotional Intelligence | Satori People Development | England
Outdoor team building has been shown to benefit creative solutions by widening our perspectives so try taking time away from the office in nature with facilitators like Elevate With Ellie www.elevatewithellie.co.uk/Team Coaching
References
Garland, E. L., Fredrickson, B., Kring, A. M., Johnson, D. P., Meyer, P. S., & Penn, D. L. (2010). Upward spirals of positive emotions counter downward spirals of negativity: Insights from the broaden-and-build theory and affective neuroscience on the treatment of emotion dysfunctions and deficits in psychopathology. Clinical psychology review, 30(7), 849-864.