Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do
-Pharrell Williams Because I’m Happy
We talked about happiness yesterday… all day. Our annual staff retreat focused on Happiness in the Workplace. It was my favorite staff retreat ever. We have a small staff of 28 over 3 shifts. These passionate people are committed to the mission. Even though we’ve had people come and go over my ten year tenure, I’d say the majority of the staff is positive and pleasant. There are a few that are negative. And unfortunately, it only takes one to make an environment toxic. So, the agency decided to delve into ways to make the agency a more positive place. After all, we are here forty hours a week. Why not try to make it a better place to thrive in?
Here are my takeaways from yesterday’s happiness fest….
*People want a mix of complexity and predictability.
*Take your job serious but don’t take yourself too serious.
*It takes 5 positive interactions to overcome one negative interaction
*When giving feedback, say one true thing that honors the person, yourself and the situation.
*Strive for positive *feedforward* –> describe what happened, describe alternatives, suggest alternatives, keep personality out, focus on task, be sincere about offering help, focus on solutions, respect other person’s perspective
*Find your FLOW at work. Being in the essences of yourself energizes.
“Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love and something to hope for.” – Joseph Addison