Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup and author of "Blind Spot," dives into the paradox of rising global unhappiness despite improving economic indicators. He reveals how subjective well-being often contradicts objective measures like GDP, emphasizing the disconnect between how people live their lives and how they perceive them. Clifton discusses the importance of addressing emotional needs in the workplace, advocating for genuine connections over mere perks, and highlights the powerful role of emotional intelligence in fostering happiness and engagement in teams.
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insights INSIGHT
The Disconnect Between Economic Indicators and Unhappiness
Objective economic indicators like GDP and the Human Development Index have shown positive trends.
Despite this, global unhappiness, measured through surveys, has been rising for over a decade.
insights INSIGHT
Objective vs. Subjective Well-being
Well-being is understood through both objective (e.g., income, possessions) and subjective (e.g., feelings, emotions) indicators.
Subjective indicators, captured through surveys, offer a more complete understanding of how people experience their lives.
insights INSIGHT
Seeing vs. Living Life
Well-being is assessed by how people see their lives (overall evaluation) and how they live them (daily experiences).
Global negative emotions are rising, linked to increased hunger, loneliness, and workplace misery.
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Jon Clifton: Blind Spot
Jon Clifton is the CEO of Gallup. His mission is to help 7 billion citizens be heard on their most pressing work and life issues through the Gallup World Poll, a 100-year initiative spanning over 150 countries. He is a nonresident senior fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and serves on the boards of directors for Gallup and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.
Jon has been interviewed on BBC News, Axios, C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” and Al-Jazeera, and he has testified in front of the U.S. Congress on the state of American small business and entrepreneurship. He is a frequent contributor on Gallup.com and has written for The Hill, The Diplomatic Courier, and The Global Action Report. He is the author of Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It.
In this conversation, Jon and I discuss why many objective numbers like GDP appear positive and yet don’t correlate to wellbeing and happiness. We examine how to think about more subjective measures and ways for leaders and organizations to gain insight. Plus, we dialogue about what managers can do to help make genuine connections in the workplace.
Key Points
While objective trends worldwide such as GDP and the Human Development Index have been positive for decades, people are angrier, sadder, and more worried than ever.
There’s a key distinction between how someone sees their life and how someone lives their life.
Money does not buy happiness, but it is hard to be happy without it.
Frequent conversations, listening, and framing work around strengths are key actions managers can take to address unhappiness with employees.
Examples of questions/survey topics to ask of customers to gain insight into emotional attachment:
Company always delivers on what they promise.
I feel proud to be a Company customer.
Company is the perfect company for people like me.
Examples of questions/survey topics to ask of suppliers to to gain insight into emotional attachment:
Company always treats me with respect.
Company is easy to do business with.
Company always does what they say they will do.
Resources Mentioned
Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It* by Jon Clifton
CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment
Interview Notes
Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).
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