Be 30% more productive by being more positive. This reminder came from former NHL hockey star and current leadership expert Ryan Walter who recently addressed a CEO group I run. He referenced research that shows that employees who are happy (versus being negative, stressed, or even neutral) are 31% more productive, their sales are 37% higher, and they have three times more creativity. Any of that sound good to you?
If you are not focused on boosting happiness and positivity at work, you are missing out on enormous benefits. My suggestion is that you start with yourself first. Here are a few suggestions:
Have a plan to manage your news consumption. The current news cycle is brutal. It is loud. The opinions expressed are nasty and full of outrage. We need to stay up to date on things, but one cannot stay positive on a steady diet from any news outlet. Glean the facts and move on.
Go to sleep with gratitude and wake up with gratitude. A habit that Kim and I are working on is to tell each other three things that happened in the day for which we are grateful. We do this over dinner or before we go to sleep. When you get up think about all the things you are looking forward to. Do this in your own head, or even better write them down.
Spread your positivity. Ryan suggested starting each morning by sending a positive e-mail or text a positive note to someone. I tried it and it has given me a great boost.
Pick up a new social activity. We chose pickleball. (Yes, I have made fun of the sport and have said for years that it is a sport for old people, but it is actually a ton of fun.) It has given something new for me and Kim to do together plus it is something we can do with friends besides happy hour.
These are just a few examples. Plan to be more positive this week. Share your positivity with others. It makes more sense than ever.
Recent Comments