Messages from Melbourne - My Takeaways from the 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology

I have waited a few weeks before posting about my key takeaways from the 6th IPPA World Congress on Positive Psychology (WCPP) in Melbourne because I wanted to ensure that what I shared was applicable and could add value in 'real life'. Over the last 6 weeks I have been able pass on and apply my learnings in both the corporate and education sectors and in my own life too - they really are proving to be relevant and powerful indeed!

Positive Psychology is the science of 'what makes life worth living' and it studies what enables individuals, organisations and societies to thrive, which as an organisational coach is something very close to my heart. The WCPP 2019 saw over 1,600 scientists, researchers and practitioners (some with 4 legs as you'll see!) from 50 different countries representing each continent of the world, coming together to share, learn and above all connect in common pursuit of the goal to create a more flourishing world!

And boy do we need it! Or it certainly appears that way. Whether we are young or old, in school or in work, are parents, professionals or politicians (or all three!) or from any region, we certainly seem to be in the midst of an increasingly VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex & ambiguous) world with all the challenges and opportunities that brings. And the world isn't going to get any easier to navigate.

So wherever we come from and whatever our starting point we all need to learn how to thrive and not just survive, how to be mentally tough not just resilient and how to pro-actively take care of our own and others' well-being and not just look for the quick fixes when distress kicks in.

Positive Psychology may not have all the answers to the world's ills but it is certainly amassing a bank of peer-reviewed published research. Studies and meta-analyses of studies evidencing that a range Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) can be effectively applied across cultures, ages, professions, industries and sectors to buffer against anxiety, stress and depression and bolster our capacity to feel good, function well and make the most of what life has to offer.

With 14 streams including Global Perspectives; Work & Organisations; Meaning; Body & Brain; Positive Education; Motivation, Well-being & Coaching; and up to 14 simultaneous keynotes, workshops, symposia & presentations to choose from 5 times a day, it was impossible to cover all the WCPP had to offer! So there follows a brief taste of some those I got to and although it's a bit long I do hope you get to the end because I think it's worth it!

THE CONTEXT - Prof. Martin Seligman, recognised as the founder of Positive Psychology opened the congress with a call to action highlighting the paradox that the world is actually a far better place today than it was 100 hundred years ago on so many measures – literacy, health, wealth, democracy, equality, conflict. But despite the fact we are arguably in an age of 'Material Prosperity' we are at the same time experiencing greater 'Emotional Poverty' with unprecedented increases in anxiety, stress, depressive disorders and suicide amongst both adults and young people. Despite all we have, society is in a psychologically worse shape and to counteract that he argued Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) can indeed provide the tools to enhance and sustain well-being, create greater agency in society to come together to support collective well-being and help people to be more future-minded and prospect positively into what the future might hold.

THE CHALLENGE - This message was powerfully backed up by Jonathan Haidt from New York University who presented sobering evidence that the 'coddling' of young people (Gen Z) over the last 20 years has limited their experience of the challenges of work and relationships and this combined with their unregulated exposure to social media has significantly contributed to the increases in anxiety, stress, depression and self-harm that Seligman referred to. He cited evidence that in the last 5 years alone major depressive episodes amongst those born after 1996 have gone through the roof, particularly in girls and young women. Some of this can be related directly back to the increasing reach of smart phones and social media platforms that encourage 'likes', social comparison, superfluous relationships, isolation and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) or FOBLO (Fear of Being Left Out). Recent studies severely restricting depressed young peoples' access to social media have resulted in significant reductions in their depressive symptoms and reported increases in well-being.

Haidt re-inforced that people, particularly the young are 'anti-fragile' in that if they break they get stronger. His argument was that we need to encourage and facilitate young people to build mental toughness, take risks, face challenges, set backs and experience both the highs and lows that work and relationships bring and that schools and parents should encourage this. (N.B. An interesting side note here is that research on Australian Youth Wellbeing targetting 30,000 young people, presented at the Congress by my friend & colleague Danielle Buckley, found that those students with part-time jobs at school did well academically and had higher levels of well-being than those who didn't have jobs and that young people in chosen apprenticeships had highest wellbeing of all even compared to those at university!).

Longstanding traditions on how to live well, add value to society and get along with others fit well with findings from Positive Psychology interventions that encourage enhancing high quality connections, altruism, perspective taking, optimism, mental toughness, gratitude, managing stress and growth through embracing challenge, failing and succeeding. Of course the current mental health epidemic is not limited to the young generation, but key to the challenge of addressing it in the 2020s will be to start when they are at school.

POSITIVE EDUCATION - Haidt's keynote helps us to advocate even more strongly the case for the Positive Education movement, a particular passion of mine, which seeks to apply Positive Psychology in schools to support and enhance well-being, character development alongside academic achievement. It was a popular and well represented stream throughout the Congress and it was encouraging to see such a focus on the strategic application of PPIs and coaching programs in schools and the reported outcomes for the well-being of school communities including students, school leaders, teachers and in some cases parents too, alongside evidence of enhanced academic achievement and professional practice. Standouts for me included:

Shannon Suldo from the University of South Florida presented her extensive research that has tested the wide application of universal Positive Education programs applied alongside interventions targeting high school students at risk of mental health challenges and those who already face them. Overall improved student outcomes led to robust positive effects on life and school satisfaction, improved mental health, student engagement and course grades with 1& 2 year follows up showing sustained improvements in social-emotional behaviours and acadmics outcomes. She also reported on positive outcomes for interventions designed to support high-performing students risk of stress and burn-out.

Shannon's work also includes testing the impact of character strengths assessment and coaching on teachers at risk of burnout with outcomes for enhanced coping and increased subjective well-being, workplace well-being and engagement. Interestingly these findings are in line with those of Claudia Harzer from the University of Greifswald who's research on character strengths at work is showing significant correlations with strengths awarenesss and use and perceptions of work as a calling, life satisfaction, higher engagement and less stress with an associated positive impact on the work-related well-being of others. What schools and teachers (or organisations) wouldn't want that?! And how fitting that this so closely reflects work I am doing with schools on helping teachers to discover, ignite and build their character strengths before helping students do the same!

Outgoing IPPA President Prof. Lea Waters from the University of Melbourne used her President's Symposium to showcase the work of 4 doctoral candidates including Anne Johnstone Principal of Ravenswood School for Girls. Anne presented her PhD concept and developing research on helping young people to develop a 'connectedness mindset' and how this can be facilitated through PPIs to enhance high quality connections and positive relationships in school, which in turn can promote a culture of well-being and flourishing within the school community. Young people feeling better about themselves by finding ways to connect more positively with others. Powerful research which resonates so strongly with my experience in schools who proactively invest in building positive realtionships through peer coaching and which has potential to address some of the challenges laid out by Haidt.

Lastly a quick shout for my friend and colleague Sonya Papps, British Section Head at the Taipei European School. Sonya gave a well received presentation on our work over the last 4 years at her school on the development of a strategic whole school approach to well-being and Positive Education. She shared intitial findings of an associated action research study to Assess Well-being in Education which is exploring the links between targeted PPIs including coaching, well-being, mental toughness and academic attainment in the student body. A work in process but one which nevertheless is making a positive difference.

POSITIVE WORKPLACES - Positive Leadership and Workplace Engagement & Wellbeing were popular themes and best captured for me by the research presented by Prof. Wilmar Schaufeli from Utrecht University. The VUCA world at work today is characterised by rapid economic, technological, demographic and socio-cultural changes relating to globalisation, digitisation, empowerment and diversity. These opportunities and challenges demand very different leadership and employee skills sets than even those required 20 years ago, particularly around psychological capital, resilience and mental toughness.

Schaufeli argued that simply striving for satisfaction at work is not enough and both leaders and employees today need to be engaged - energetic, focused, and motivated as this has twice the impact on performance. He cited individual outcomes for genuine engagement at work relating to improved physical health (less chronic stress – e.g.heart problems); improved mental health (less depression, anxiety, better sleep and recovery); More positive attitudes and behaviours (workability, initiative, loyalty, organisational commitment). Organisational benefits include less turnover, increased job performance and resulting productivity/profitability/customer or client satisfaction, subject to context of course.

Organisations that recognise this are therefore investing in understanding how to enhance genuine employee engagement rather than simply focus on satisfaction or occupational health. One way of doing this is by measuring vigour, dedication and absorption at work using the UWES (Utrecht Work Engagement Scale - available in 27 languages). This tool can help to assess levels of Satisfaction; Work addiction; Burn Out; & Engagement within the workforce and to then determine necessary interventions to promote, increase and sustain workplace engagement. Schaufeli was at particular pains to highlight the often overlooked and misunderstood motivators and drivers that distinguish between engagement and workaholism (Work addiction + Burn Out) which I know that of many of my coaching clients are at risk of and that organisations and schools ignore at their peril. My coaching conversations over the last few weeks affirm that this topic is worthy of far more awareness and discussion.

Drawing on Positive Psychology Schaufeli then shared a range of interventions applicable at both the individual and organisational level many of which can be supported by the use of coaching. These include

• Social Support - Building a team climate and high quality connections (which can be helped by having a coaching culture)
• Personal Resources - Building emotional stability; self esteem; optimism; self-efficacy; goal striving and achievement – all of which coaching builds.
• Job Resources – Alignment matching what we want and offer to what the organisation offers and wants - job control and fit, task variety, real strengths use, adequate tools, participation in decision making and consultation - career management coaching.
• Growth – Performance feedback, career possibilities/progression, learning and development - career development coaching.

From a leadership perspective Schaufeli drew on self-determination theory to suggest that Engaging Leadership requires capabilities in Inspiring through creating meaning & purpose; Strengthening with a focus on mastery and strengths awareness and use; Connecting with a focus on facilitating relatedness through collaboration; Empowering with a focus on autonomy through ownership, responsibility and voice.

POSITIVE DOGS! - Another of my absolute 'moments' was to meet Well-being Coach Roz Rimes with Rafa and Flash the Positive Psychology dogs!. Building on her practice in Canine Assisted Therapy Roz works with her dogs to enhance well-being in her work as a coach through her 'Walk, Talk and Savour' coaching. Through this unique approach the benefits of savouring are enhanced through interaction with her beautiful, friendly and highly trained companions. Neurobiological benefits can include decreased psychological and physiological stress and increased resilience and capacity to flourish. For my part these interactions had a very personal resonance as it has been a current goal of mine to be a dog owner. Learning from Roz about the potential of this to impact on my own well-being and that of others has taken the idea to a whole new realm of possibilites that I had never previously considered. The stars have been aligning ever since so watch this space for the patter of tiny paws!

POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY & COACHING - I have saved the best to last for two good reasons. First without question my Congress highlight was to see once again in action my own Professor Anthony Grant from the University of Sydney Coaching Psychology Unit who first introduced me to Evidence-based Coaching over 10 years ago. To hear Tony talk again in his inimitable self-deprecating and funny style, took me back to the start of my own coaching journey back in 2007 when my life was changed by what I learned from him, Prof. Michael Cavanagh and Dr. Suzy Green.

Second, over the last 20 years Tony and his colleagues have validated a theoretical framework and evidence-base for coaching that demonstrates its efficacy in significantly enhancing resilience, well-being, hope, goal striving and attainment whilst reducing anxiety, stress and depression in a wide range of contexts - peer & professional coaching, executive and leadership coaching, coaching in workplaces, coaching in schools and life coaching.

Tony shared two important recent studies the first conducted with Dr. Sean O'Connor worthy USyd faculty member and buddy, in which they have shown that the already proven power of solution-focused coaching is significantly enhanced further when combined with creating positive affect with the coachee. It might seem obvious that to broaden and build our clients through generating positive emotions adds value to coaching outcomes but it's good to see it evidenced. A great find for a Positive Psychology Conference!

Another study Tony presented which is still 'in press' seems to be indicating that evidence-based coaching itself has a greater impact on well-being, goal striving and action than PPIs on their own, Not such a great find for a Positive Psychology Conference you may think but for those of us who believe that coaching is integral to the successful applications of PPI's this is really important! PPI's work if you apply them effortfully. But understanding which to apply in your given context of challenges and opportunities, learning how to not just apply them but reflect on them, gain insight on their impact and value, evaluate what works for you and what doesn't, learn to self-regulate and to keep trying until positive change take place, all arguably need coaching support to make the positive change happen. So Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology really are complimentary partners in flourishing!

I myself was honoured to take part in a WCPP Roundtable presentation on Positive Psychology Coaching led by my former lecturer and now colleague and dear friend Dr. Suzy Green, co-editor with Prof. Stephen Palmer of Positive Psychology Coaching in Practice (Routeledge 2018). Suzy was also my co-author along with Daniela Falecki on the chapter PERMA-Powered Coaching in which we present the case for coaching to underpin the foundations for building flourishing lives by helping coachees to enhance their Positive Emotions, Enagement, Relationships, Meaning in Life and Accomplishment (PERMA). Along with other chapter authors we drew a large and interested crowd of congress delegates keen to understand more about how coaching provides a framework for individual change and how it helps coaching clients appy the principles of Positive Psychology in pursuit of their personal and professional goals.

POSITIVE ENERGISERS

My final takeaway from the WCPP 2019 has to be the opportunities for further deepening of valued friendships and forming of new relationships that these unique gatherings provide. To be together with so many positive and like-minded people is always a pleasure and they are real energisers. Just like Dr. Kim Cameron's research shows - they pep me up and give me more vitality and stamina to do my work and they help spread positive contagion around the world! So many memories to savour, from joining Suzy Green and Aaron Jarden and the team to help run the kick off Melbourne Well-being Adventure Race, to the Karaoke 'night of all nights' with my Sydney Uni chums, the University of East London crowd and next years European Congress hosts from Iceland, to the fab and funky Melbourne Gala night where we danced with people from all over the world! It was Positive Psychology and PERMA in practice! Roll on ECPP Reykjavik 2020 and WCPP Vancouver 2021 for more learning, sharing, connecting and reflecting!

Clive Leach M.Org. Coaching is an organisational coach working widely across the corporate, public and education sectors. He provides coaching for leadership & executive development, career management & transition with a focus on well-being, engagement and mental toughness. For more information on coaching programs, workshop facilitation or speaking events please contact Clive through LinkedIn or at [email protected]