Jim Harter, Chief Scientist for Gallup, specializes in workplace management and well-being, with a focus on what helps teams thrive. He discusses Gallup's key findings on the connection between managers and employee well-being, highlighting five essential elements: Career, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community. Jim stresses the need for meaningful weekly feedback and open salary conversations, noting that many find interactions with managers unfulfilling. He advocates for a coaching approach, emphasizing the importance of supporting employees' overall health and satisfaction.
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insights INSIGHT
Importance of Job and Manager
Gallup's research reveals a strong correlation between "my job" and "my manager" with overall well-being.
Career and manager are the two strongest links to net thriving, impacting every other area of life.
insights INSIGHT
Gallup Net Thriving Metric
Gallup's net thriving metric assesses overall well-being based on a two-part ladder question about present and future life.
Scoring 7+ in the present and 8+ in the future indicates thriving, with positive life outcomes.
insights INSIGHT
Five Elements of Well-being
Well-being comprises five elements: Career, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community, in order of importance.
Prioritizing career and social well-being creates trust and sets the stage for positive impact in other areas.
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Wellbeing at Work explores the five key elements of wellbeing—career, social, financial, physical, and community—and provides strategies for organizations to support these elements. The book emphasizes the importance of managers in fostering a culture of resilience and thriving teams, especially in times of global health and economic crises. It offers actionable advice based on Gallup's extensive research.
The Coaching Habit
Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever
Michael Bungay Stanier
In 'The Coaching Habit,' Michael Bungay Stanier provides a straightforward and effective approach to coaching. Drawing on his extensive experience training managers worldwide, he introduces seven essential coaching questions designed to help managers unlock their team's potential. These questions include the Kickstart Question, the AWE Question, the Lazy Question, the Strategic Question, the Focus Question, the Foundation Question, and the Learning Question. The book emphasizes the importance of saying less and asking more, fostering a collaborative and empowering work environment. It combines practical advice with research in neuroscience and behavioral economics, making coaching a daily, informal part of managerial work rather than a formal event.
Jim Harter: Wellbeing at Work
Jim Harter is Chief Scientist for Gallup’s workplace management and wellbeing practices. He has led more than 1,000 studies of workplace effectiveness and is the bestselling coauthor of It’s the Manager, 12: The Elements of Great Managing, and Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements. Jim has also published articles in many prominent business and academic journals and he's the author with Jim Clifton of Wellbeing at Work: How to Build Resilient and Thriving Teams*.
In this conversation, Jim and I discuss Gallup’s recent research findings on what managers and organizations can do to support wellbeing at work. We highlight the five key elements of wellbeing from the research and the obstacles that managers and organizations face in supporting these. Plus, we share practical steps that each of us can take to support wellbeing among the people in our organizations.
Key Points
People report that their strongest links to net thriving are “my job” and “my manager.”
The five key elements of wellbeing are, in this order: Career, Social, Financial, Physical, and Community.
Many people report that “time with a manager” is the worst part of the day.
To support better wellbeing, make it a part of regular career conversations.
Have open conversations about pay philosophies. Data shows this is even more important than the actual salary.
Giving meaningful feedback every week is a basic requirement of management.
Gallup’s data shows that only half of employees worldwide know what is expected of that at work, a significant contributor to stress and anxiety.
Resources Mentioned
Wellbeing at Work: How to Build Resilient and Thriving Teams* by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter
Interview Notes
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Related Episodes
These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237)
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How Teams Use StrengthsFinder Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293)
Three Steps to Great Career Conversations, with Russ Laraway (episode 370)
Gallup Findings on the Changing Nature of Work, with Jim Harter (episode 409)
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