Want in on the Best Kept Secret to Peak Performance?

I’ve got a secret – and it’s one of the best-kept secrets out there – for being super productive at work AND for getting the most from the people that you lead.

As an organizational consultant, I’ve been doing this work for a long time – working with groups and individuals to drive exceptional performance and productivity. I’m known for getting managers and leaders to be more efficient, more effective, and make incredible contributions to their bottom lines – helping them become Best Bosses.

And regardless of whether I’m working on monster strategic planning processes… training a team of managers... or coaching an executive leader… there is a simple guiding principle for all my work… a question I ask all my clients:

 How happy are you?

  Gallup tells us that "only 13 percent of employees are engaged at work worldwide" (29 percent in the U.S. and Canada), and that in order to grow your business you must " win the hearts and minds of [your] employees," ... so why isn't happiness a higher priority?

I firmly believe that happiness is the foundation of exceptional workplace performance. Now, if you want to dismiss this as Pollyanna Best Boss BS, consider the research and statistics that support my thinking:

When I work with clients, I continually revisit their WIIFM (i.e., What’s In It for Me?). I encourage clients – and I want to encourage you – to be selfish. When I say selfish, I mean that I want you to get clear about the subjective and highly personal attributes you need in your work to be happy. 

I think of happiness as the first level of Maslow’s Hierarchy in my workplace game-book. Sometimes happiness is just about the transactional nature of trading one’s time for a paycheck - about putting food on your table, clothes on your back, and keeping a roof over your head. But typically, once those first level needs are met, they don’t add up to “happy” – instead, they add up to merely “satisfied”. 

So how happy are you? What does it take for you to be truly happy at work? When are you working – and it doesn’t feel like work? Those are glimpses into peak performance – and into the power of happiness at work.

What happens when you’re happy at work?

As you see to the left – bottom lines are enhanced. Whether that’s the human capital bottom-line of treating your direct-reports and colleagues with respect, confidence, and a smile - creating workplace community and camaraderie. Or it’s the discernible increase in quality (and likely, quantity) of the work that you do – adding to the profit bottom-line of your work. Or – at the highest level – contributing to the bottom-line of the planet – creating energy and sharing positivism with the world – happiness is the gift that keeps on giving.

No matter what your motivation – I want you to consciously and deliberately build your HQ - your own Happiness Quotient.

Can I help you with that? Along with being a certified provider of the Happiness at Work organizational assessment and tool*, I want you to complete the following Am I Happy? quiz to get a clearer sense of where you may want to put your energy as you work on your HQ. (FYI, the questions are based on looking at job performance, productivity, and engagement as a system that drives happiness)

 Am I Happy?

Score each question from 1 to 5 (1= Not at all… 3= Sometimes… 5= Almost always)

 1.   Do I have the opportunity to be my best - and do what I do best every day?

2.   Am I surrounded by authentically positive and supportive colleagues?

3.   Do I have the information, materials, and tools I need to do my job well?

4.   Is there regular feedback from the key stakeholders in my work so that I have all the data I need to tweak and adjust my performance?

5.   In general, do I like my job – do I get what I want and need from it?

 Scoring:

1.    First, look at your individual lowest score(s).

Your low scores tells you where to put your efforts. From a system-perspective, each of the questions addresses the key components of your "happiness system": Input, Process, Output, Feedback, Environment, and Goals.  All components need to be working and healthy for the system to be optimally functional. Look at your scores – what part(s) of your “happiness engine” need attention?

 2.    What is your total score for the quiz?

a.    20-25: If you didn’t score a 1 or 2 on any of the questions, you likely got this happiness thing down pat. Keep on keepin’ on! If you did score low, you’re lucky- you see exactly what you need to work on – to really optimize your HQ. You also likely have the “happiness bandwidth” to spread that awareness and build up the HQ of your entire team – a very wise investment.

b.    15-19: You know what I’m talking about when I say “happiness engine”. And you know how important it is to take care of that engine. What can you do to address your lowest scores? If you don’t, you run the risk of not being happy – you’re at that edge. Don’t let your scores slip!

c.    5-14: Only you can say whether you’re happy or not – but your lower score likely indicates that you’re not as happy as you could (and should) be. Where in your WIIFM are you least satisfied? What are the big changes that need to happen to bring up your score? Why aren’t you doing those things? It takes courage, yes… but it’s so worth it. You deserve this!

I don’t tell my clients that I’m focusing on their HQ with them because I don’t want to be thought of as frivolous or impractical. They come to me with serious problems with enormous possible consequences if the issues aren’t addressed skillfully and with results that we can be proud of. That said, with all the tools, systems, and strategies that I use to address their complex issues and bring value to our work together, none is more important or profound than those that support happiness at work. Happiness is the secret sauce to exceptional workplace performance and organizational effectiveness. Without it, the likelihood of work being stale, unfulfilling, and unproductive are increased significantly. 

Isn’t happiness worth your attention and workplace pursuit? Go ahead, be selfish -you know what’s in it for you. What can you do to be happier at work?

* Contact me for more information on how I can bring this to your organization

Danny Ceballos, is a leadership consultant, trainer and executive coach. He is the founder and principal for Unleashed Consulting, where he works with individuals and organizations to excel in workplace performance, productivity, and employee engagement by "Building Better Bosses". Danny works with CEOs, executive directors, management teams, and Boards of Directors to create workplace systems, processes, and best practices that are sustainable and triple bottom-line effective.