How to "cope" with Happiness @work

In the emotional landscape of team conversations happiness is most often regarded as something of a conversation filler: if apropiate, some words about the achievement are sprinkled here and there and then people move on. After all, there's so much to do!

Most often this happens because we haven't really received the Happiness User's Manuals. What does it want from us? What's its purpose? How much happiness is apropiate @work anyway?

Does this sound familiar?

• "Oh, good job (with X)! Keep it up!"

• "Great work with.."

• "So glad we/ you/ I could.."

Settling for this level of "celebration" is like relying on a diet of water. Indefinitely.

Water is good for us, but it doesn't provide all the nutrients our bodies need.

What many of us too often forget is that happiness is healthy in and of itself, but more importantly that by sharing it with other people, the quality of our relationships improves. And that, in turn, impacts our health (see the Harvard Study). When we start to share more and dwell more on things gone/ done well, the level of motivation increases and with it our creativity and resilience.

So here are some questions to ask your team when Happiness arises:

-Why do you think we managed to achieve this?

-Who inspired/ influenced/ impacted us so that we actually did this?

-What does this succes mean to us?

-What does this achievement say about us?

-What does this achievement reveal to us about someone in the team?

-How does this succes actually feel (in our bodies)?

-Which part in each of us gets/ feels fueled by this achievement?

Choose one or several, depending on the time you have available. If you choose to go out for lunch or dinner to celebrate, it's definitely worth throwing at least two or three of these around the table. You'll maybe notice for some people it seems strange to ponder on these questions. Stay curios and wait for them to answer- in team meetings the magic happens when EVERYONE answers. The experience of having shared and listened to all the others will bring people closer and will increase trust.

Sharing happiness is also one of the simplest types of fuel available.

It doesn't require complicated and expensive setups or interventions. Just a bit of time and curiosity will get you a long way towards creating a team people want to be a part of.