Don't Worry, Be Happy

October 7, 2024

Dear Leaders,

Is everybody happy?? The elusive h-word that so many pursue, and another area for which there is no shortage of experts real and imagined on LinkedIn ready to tell you how to achieve it.? Leaders know they cannot impose happiness on their people any more than they can achieve it for themselves in trying to do so.? Those who seek enjoyment rather than happiness and make life enjoyable through effective action achieve what cannot be simply given.

The California state legislature is legendary in their never-ending quest to have government involved in every facet of our lives, and personal moods are no exception.? In the 1980s, they formed a Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem and Personal and Social Responsibility, believing they could find ways to legislate the citizenry, notably children, to feel good about themselves.? As you would expect, it accomplished nothing in four years and was a laughingstock in the media and in other states.?

Never ones to rest on their laurels of past failures, they did it again with the Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes, determined once again to find ways to make unhappy people happy through government action.? The committee recently released their final report with intellectual breakthroughs such as “Happiness having a multitude of benefits,” and “Unhappiness is growing.”? To justify government involvement, they cited the nation of Bhutan creating a “Gross National Happiness” index and using it to measure government action in increasing happiness.?

The magic solution they found was that “Social connection is key.”? This from a state that kept people, notably students, in lockdown and isolation during the virus long after others had moved on.? In further noting that “Higher income might help, but poverty certainly hurts,” they seemed to forget how their own actions raise the cost of living so much that California has, but does not boast about, the highest poverty rate in the nation.?

In the end, their recommendations were:

-Continue the conversation.

-Think creatively and collaboratively.

-Create more trust.

I’ll let you supply your own punchlines to this bad joke, but the very idea that government can make people happy is absurd, and their obtuse inability to see they are often more the problem than the solution makes it even worse.? Leaders in the public and private sectors alike who think that studies or programs dedicated to making employees happy are only fooling themselves.? During my many years of federal government service, surveys often found that the workforce was not happy, so management would bring in “experts” who would coach us on being happier in our work and personal lives, but the only time people were happy was when the programs were over.

What they missed in either ignorance, intent, or both, was the other portions of the survey noting that the unhappy employees also listed a high degree of mistrust in their leaders for not knowing what they do and not caring about the people.? While it is not happiness, ignorance is bliss.?

Leaders can’t make people happy, but they can create the conditions that do so.? In treating everyone individually and collectively with respect, training them well, showing genuine concern while meeting their professional and personal needs, not being overly demanding, and rewarding them for good performance, leaders set the tone for a contented organization.? You will never please everyone, but you don’t have to try, simply carry on in a positive manner, and note when someone is distinctly unhappy or is spreading a dark mood within the unit, for not acting on this quickly can undo your best efforts.

A hard truth about happiness is that it is fleeting, for it lasts but a moment in the grand scheme of life, but joy and serenity are more lasting and are achieved not through any program or singular effort, rather they come from the accumulated wisdom and experience that results in understanding that only each person can find for himself or herself.? It does not mean that leaders cannot achieve a happier workforce through their sustained efforts, but these endeavors require reality in temperament.? ???????

My granddaughter loves our daily telephone calls on which I sing “If you’re happy and you know it.” (She is the only person on the planet who likes my singing – I need to get her hearing checked.)? When you’re three years old, happiness is easy to find in little things, but if you spend your life chasing it, you’re more like a dog chasing its tail, so don’t waste your time in leadership trying to bring happiness to your unit, and instead let it come naturally through your adept skill with your people.?

Sincerely,

Tim