Flex the muscle
Elizabeth (Liz) Gulliver
Leadership Development for Today. Expert-Led Programs That Drive Measurable Impact in Weeks, Not Months.
I read something the other day that made me do a double-take. Did you know companies are now appointing "Chief Happiness Officers"? I’ve got a lot of thoughts about it, and so did Linkedin.?
From there it seemed like “happiness” was in my feed all week. First the Chief Happiness Officer, then news that the US dropped out of the list of the top 20 happiest countries. Not particularly surprising given the ongoing reports of burnout, stress, and isolation. Finally new data confirming that GenZ remains the ‘unhappiest’ generation (not sure I fully buy that).?
All of it has me wondering why we’re so obsessed with happiness at work. And whether it might be somewhat misplaced. I believe engaged employees are happier, more productive employees. But I also don’t think it’s solely on the employer to drive happiness. It’s a bit like asking your manager to be a leader, teacher, mentor and therapist all at once. Work is a big chunk of our life, there’s an endless list of ways we can and should improve it, but maybe we’re putting too much pressure on happiness at work?
The other thing that caught my attention this week? The skills CEOs want. From 2016 to 2023, researchers asked CEOs ‘What do you believe are the most critical skills required of the workforce today?’ In 2016 the top skills were tech. STEM specifically. Today:?
Seem basic? Even baseline? Maybe. But CEOs are ranking them as a top priority for a reason. They’re in short supply. You may assume everyone knows how to manage their time + prioritize. You’d be wrong.
These aren’t skills your team can learn through a one-off, online training. They’re not easy to assess with a short quiz. They’re muscles. And you need to give people different exercises to build, flex and use that muscle. Sometimes that might look like collaborative workshops, other times deep learning offsites, role plays, or lessons in applicable frameworks. The key is to repeat + vary what you’re doing.?
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What really stands out about this list is how human it is. No matter how tech advances, the demand for these skills isn’t going away. They’re also the skills that give you the best shot of building happiness at work. If I were starting out as Chief Happiness Officer, I’d want to see where these skills stood at the company. How are teams interacting? Is leadership talking at or with our people? Getting a sense of that might give me something to build on.
Do any of you have a Chief Happiness Officer at your org? What about the skills - are these skills you’re seeing demand for? How are you focusing on building these muscles within your team or company??
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HR Leader | Culture, Talent & Employee Engagement Champion | Change Management | DEIB | Known as the “Beating Heart” of a Fun, Productive Culture
11 个月Here’s what I’ve been thinking about, which is along the same lines. Rather than happiness, I’ve been exploring connectedness at work. Specifically, how connected am I to the mission? And, how connected do I feel to other people at work? There is research to show that people who have “best friends” at work are much more likely to stay. Over the last two decades, what I think has happened is that our attitude toward work has changed. In many ways, it’s become the primary way we connect with like-minded people as, for example, church attendance has dropped. So now we look at our employers through a different lens. We now ask ourselves whether this company aligns with our values. Does it treat us with respect? Do I like the people I work with? Can I do good here? I’m not saying folks didn’t ask these things before, but I think we place more weight on these questions than we did 20 years ago.
VP of People Operations and Culture at Qnary
11 个月On point as usual Elizabeth (Liz) Gulliver. Focusing on driving happiness at work - or in general - seems a bit hollow to me and feels like what Susan David, Ph.D. calls toxic positivity vs. emotional truth. Focusing on talking with, not at, our people (and listening to what they say), finding meaning in the work we do, and foster connection / building communities, both in and out of work is what I would prioritize. And I agree that it is a heavy ask for the workplace to deliver on all fronts.
CEO, Giving Children Hope | Speaker-Consultant-Coach on Life, Leadership, and Culture | Kunik Expert
11 个月Happiness is a deep sense of fulfillment in the moment or perhaps looking back over life. Happiness comes from good relationships. You probably know that intuitively. The Harvard Study on Adult Development is the science that backs up your intuition. Great leaders--at work, at home, and in the community--focus on developing high trust relationships with their people. They drive a culture of high trust relationships through their organizations, families, and communities. You don't need to focus on driving 'happiness'. When you focus on developing the highest trust relationships possible, fulfillment and Happiness are the natural result. It will make you a better leader in all areas of your life. It will increase employee commitment, engagement, and productivity. People will fight to work with you (even at lower pay) and fight to stay with you (better retention). Life is about Happiness-fulfillment which comes from good relationships. Become a good, wise, loving person who naturally develops strong relationships, and happiness-fulfillment-life and success will take care of themselves.