Working with Positivity

Have you ever had this thought before work? "Ugh, I don't want to go to work today." If you’re like most of us, then your answer is probably yes, and for those who said no, hats off to you! It is true, work can be less-than-pleasant at times, but going into the office with a positive attitude can make for some rewarding benefits.

Researchers have identified resources that help us meet the challenges of our daily work, aptly named Psychological Capital (PsyCap). Psychological Capital is comprised of a number of key psychological resources that we bring to our work life experiences (Referred to as "HERO".)

The HERO resources:

• Hope. A belief in the ability to persevere toward goals and find the methods or paths to reach them.
• Efficacy. The confidence that one can put forth the effort to affect outcomes.
• Resilience. The ability to bounce back in the face of adversity or failure.
• Optimism. A generally positive view of work and the potential of success.

In a research article published in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Cameron and his coauthors found that a workplace characterized by positive and virtuous practices excels in a number of domains. Summarizing the findings, Cameron explains that: “When organizations institute positive, virtuous practices they achieve significantly higher levels of organizational effectiveness — including financial performance, customer satisfaction, and productivity … The more the virtuousness, the higher the performance in profitability, productivity, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement.”

I know we have just begun, but I hope we can all agree that a positive attitude in the workplace helps in accomplishing tasks faster and in a better manner. Plus, the performance of employees can have a great dependence on the relationships they share with their colleagues. A Strong, healthy and trusting relationship is created when employees demonstrate a positive attitude towards their work and colleagues. Not to sound like Gandhi, but through positive energy, working becomes a pleasure and staff members find it easier to achieve their goals.

ATTENTION LEADERS, have you ever considered how much responsibility you have in your co-workers or employee’s performance? Your energy can determine the success of a meeting, a workday, or even the overall company. When you inspire your employees to have a positive attitude, they will begin to think of more ways on how they can accomplish their task in a well-defined manner, instead of complaining or finding excuses for non-performance. To my Leaders, I ask you to remember this, how you contribute to your professional environment is as important as what you contribute.

A study shown by The Mayo Clinic, suggests that positive thinking and a good attitude help better a person’s psychological well-being and help them cope better with stressful situations at work. If an individual displays a good attitude, then their co-workers will as well, making it easier to communicate and get along in the workplace. A positive attitude helps employees to appreciate each other’s competencies and helps them work as a team to achieve common objectives, instead of being overly perturbed by inadequacies of team members.

In a quick summary, employees with a positive attitude tend to take more interest in what they do. It triggers a healthy thought process, enabling them to choose wisely and logically. Having this positivity in your work environment paves the ways for self-development, leading people towards attaining the desired results. Those who hold a positive attitude in the workplace create a greater chance to fulfill their personal objectives, such as, gaining experience, getting promotions, getting salary increments and overall, more success down the road.

Let’s conclude with this…

Make no mistake; positivity is a choice and it is one that many of us struggle to attain each and every day. You can decide to live a positive life, see the good in any situation, and work to resolve conflict in a reasonable and stress-free way. And remember, bad circumstances are just new opportunities. They give us a chance to learn from the experience and investigate new ideas on how to make it become a beneficial one. It is now up to you to make each day your masterpiece and I promise, you’ll be amazed at what you will create; plus, when has it ever been bad to feel good…