The Power of Progress in Leadership | Dr. Teresa Amabile

What truly drives creativity and innovation in the workplace? Join us as we sit down with Dr. Teresa Amabile from Harvard University, the brilliant and visionary author and researcher behind "The Progress Principle." Dr. Amabile's groundbreaking study, which involved analyzing over 12,000 diary entries, reveals the critical factors that influence employee creativity. We dive into the pivotal role of organizational culture, supervisory support, and team dynamics in fostering an environment where innovative ideas can flourish.

Discover the fascinating "inner work life effect," derived from daily diary entries, which shows how positive emotions, perceptions, and intrinsic motivation lead to higher levels of creativity and productivity. We discuss the profound impact of managing setbacks and the surprising finding that many leaders mistakenly prioritize recognition over progress. Dr. Amabile provides valuable insights into how even small impediments can significantly affect employee creativity and productivity, emphasizing the importance of facilitating progress.

Learn practical strategies for supporting your team's inner work life, with a focus on basic respect, recognition, encouragement, emotional support, and camaraderie. Finally, she offers advice on how to use diaries to track inner work life and reflect on progress, fostering a motivated and cohesive work environment. Don't miss this enriching conversation that promises to elevate your leadership skills and drive creativity within your team.

What You’ll Learn:

- The crucial role of organizational culture, supervisory support, and team dynamics.

- Surprising findings about managers' misconceptions regarding employee motivation.

- Practical strategies for leaders to support their teams effectively.

- The power of progress over mere recognition in driving motivation.

- A daily progress checklist inspired by Atul Gawande's "The Checklist Manifesto."

Podcast Timestamps:

(00:00) – What Can You Learn From 12,000 Diary Entries? 

(11:49) - The Inner Work-Life Effect

(24:51) - Managing Setbacks and Facilitating Progress

(32:25) – The Vital Role of Interpersonal Support

(46:08) – The Power of Checklists

Who is Teresa?

As Director of Research at Harvard Business School, Dr. Amabile has had the opportunity to interact with managers at all levels from a variety of industries. Most recently, Teresa collected over 12,000 diary entries from over 200 people working on 26 project teams. These diary entries gave Teresa insight into the inner work lives of the employees, allowing her to parse out what fosters creativity, progress, and ultimately a successful project. The results of this research can be found in her book: The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-amabile-8542727/ 

Key Topics Discussed:

Creativity, Innovation, Progress Principle, Organizational Culture, Supervisory Support, Team Dynamics, Inner Work Life Effect, Positive Emotions, Intrinsic Motivation, Managing Setbacks, Checklist Manifesto, Reflection, Diary, Gratitude, Connection, CEO Success

Mentions:

The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile: https://www.amazon.ca/Progress-Principle-Ignite-Engagement-Creativity/dp/1491514353 

Amy Edmondson: https://amycedmondson.com/

The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande https://www.amazon.ca/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000/ref=sr_1_1?hvadid=208307794507&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9001326&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=5539261850166569313&hvtargid=kwd-295612719286&hydadcr=2438_9638418&keywords=the+checklist+manifesto&qid=1698867545&sr=8-1 

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