Making Positive Psychology Work

Jessica Amortegui is the Senior Director of Learning and Development at Logitech. Logitech were the winners of the 2016 Positive Business Project Competition, presented by the Center for Positive Organizations at The University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. Logitech designs personal peripherals, and they connect customers to their digital experiences. They are recognized for their work in creating community, where it's employees are invigorated by the work that they do each day. Jessica has spent many years studying, writing about, and applying the practices of positive psychology and positive organizational scholarship. In this conversation, you will hear Jessica share how Logitech is helping its employees use their strengths intelligently at work. She talks about the changes the company has seen from individuals completing the VIA Survey, using job crafting and participating in the free online strengths challenge and explains how Logitech is taking the next step of helping people discover the fears that get in the way of them using their strengths effectively at work. Connect with Jessica Amortegui: Website - JessicaAmortegui.com You'll Learn: [02:30] - Jessica tells us what Logitech is doing to helping people put their strengths to work each day. [06:02] - Recently, hundreds of Logitech employees joined us for the free online strengths challenge. Jessica talks about the change that has been seen from individuals picking one strength to work on. [07:46] - Jessica talks about how Logitech is taking things one step further with strengths by looking at the fears that get in the way of using our strengths intelligently. [10:44] - Jessica provides some examples of things that are holding people back from being able to embrace their strengths at work. [15:05] - Jessica shares information on creating a safe environment for people to have more authentic conversatioins about their strengths. [17:40] - Getting leaders prepared to support people after the workshops is vital. Jessica explains how she is doing this. [19:18] - The Lightning Round with Jessica Amortegui Your Resources: StrengthsChallenge.com The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact - Chip Heath and Dan Heath Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care! Thank you Jessica!

Robert McGrath is Professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is also a Senior Scientist at the VIA Institute on Character, program evaluator for Thriving Learning Community, a character development program implemented in fifty middle schools around the United States, and Director of Integrated Care for the Underserved of Northeast New Jersey. In this conversation, you will hear Robert talk about the exciting work he is doing with various assessments at the VIA Institute. He shares the latest tools and insights to assess and understand character strengths and explains how these can help you to bring out the best in yourself and others at work. Connect with Robert McGrath: Website: http://fdu-psych.com/mcgrath You'll Learn: [01:53] -Bob explains how you can use your character strengths at work. [04:53] - Bob shares how understand the rankings of their character strengths in the VIA survey and what this means practically for developing our strengths. [9:01] - Bob talks about the recent research on the overuse and underuse of our strengths and how this impacts our ability to flourish at work. [10:44] - Bob shares how character strengths are being used to assist in clinical diagnosis. [13:20] - Bob talks about the new Global Assessment of Character Strengths and how this can help people to identify the strengths they find essential to their identity. [18:00] - Bob shares the new Signature Strengths Survey and talks about how this can be used to gather 360 degree feedback. [19:40] - Bob has been working on re-examining the character strengths virtue groupings and why new studies suggest there are three, rather than six virtues. [24:16] - The Lightning Round with Robert McGrath Your Resources: Your Strengths Blueprint: How to be Engaged, Energized, and Happy at Work - Michelle McQuaid and Erin Law The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity - Esther Perel ViaCharacter.com Free Global Strengths Challenge Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Linda Robson is a scholar practitioner, blending work in executive education with consulting and coaching around the elevation of organizations and the individuals who work within them. Linda received her Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. She studied with David Cooperrider and Ron Frey. She is an advisor at the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value. Linda also helped write The Flourishing Enterprise: The New Spirit of Business. In this conversation, you will hear Linda share her fascinating research on the language used by high performing teams and why the words we speak impact the results we are able to achieve particularly in organizational change programs. Linda also shares while simply being more positive is not enough, why we need to acknowledge the sense of loss that any change in our workplaces can bring and the practical things leaders can do to use language to improve people's wellbeing at work. Connect with Linda Robson: Email - Linda.Robson@Case.edu You'll Learn: [02:20] - Linda explains why Professor David Cooperrider believes her research will be so influential in helping organizations navigate change. [04:23] - Linda defines and describes mirror flourishing. [06:55] - Linda shares why language plays such a large role in our interactions with each other and our willingness to embrace and act upon change. [07:48] - Linda talks about what positive and negative language sounds like, in the workplace. [09:07] - Linda explains that the use of positive language is a missed opportunity. [12:18] - Linda shares what we can do to help leaders be more strategic in their language. [14:40] - Linda talks about the idea of some forms of negative language being helpful with change in workplaces. [20:20] - Linda explains what a flourishing enterprise looks like. [22:56] - The Lightning Round with Linda Robson. Your Resources: Care to Dare: Unleashing Astonishing Potential Through Secure Base Leadership - George Kohlrieser Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting Out of Your Own Way - Rick Carson The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs - Robert E. Quinn Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Anna Box is a psychologist, story strategist, and founder of Screen and Soul, where she delivers film and thriving workshops, designed to deliver evidence-based well-being and performance psychology, all while feeling like a day at the movies. In all she does, Anna mashes the art of story with the science of thriving. Connect with Anna Box: Anna Box on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annabox/ You'll Learn: [02:55] - Anna explains how to fuse storytelling and thriving in workplaces. [04:45] - Anna talks about the role of Joseph Campbell's "Hero's Journey Approach" in storytelling. [06:05] - Anna describes how she's teaching leaders to improve thriving in workplaces by helping them understand more about the hero's journey. [10:30] - Anna shares cautions about using film to teach wellbeing and how to protect from those things. [17:02] - Anna shares that the neuroscience of stories work. [18:14] - Anna discusses teaching leaders how to tell stories that might help to improve their people's wellbeing. [20:12] - The Lightning Round with Anna Box. Your Resources: Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead - Brené Brown Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead - Brené Brown A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled - Ruby Wax Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Scott Barry Kaufman is an author, researcher, speaker, and public science communicator. He is interested in using psychological science to help all kinds of minds live a creative, fulfilling, and meaningful life. Scott is a professor of positive psychology at The University of Pennsylvania. His research has been featured in The Atlantic, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and the Harvard Business Review, just to name a few of the many publications. Scott is the host of The Psychology Podcast, which I highly recommend listening to. In this conversation, you will hear Scott talk about creativity in the workplace. While creativity can be messy, and organizations typically don't like "mess," Scott explains how a "no agenda zone", openness to new experiences, opportunities for awe and other leadership behaviors can improve people's creativity. We also explore the psychological tools of growth mindsets, git and self-compassion that may be needed to support creative risk taking. shares some ways we can improve our creativity at work. Connect with Scott Barry Kaufman: Website: ScottBarryKaufman.com Podcast: The Psychology Podcast You'll Learn: [02:26] - Creativity is messy and organizations typically don't like a mess. Scott explains how they can embrace creativity by embracing uncertainty. [05:10] - Scott discusses the relationship between positive emotion and the creative process. [07:42] - Scott talks about the latest in the neuroscience of creativity. He talks about the importance of "the imagination network." [09:14] - Scott shares way researchers are finding can improve our creativity at work. [11:20] - Scott explains how awe can impact our creativity. [13:46] - Scott talks about how unusual environments can foster creativity, and what organizations and leaders can do to create weird experiences. [16:15] - Scott talks about the psychological skills of growth mindsets and self-compassion that enables us to take creative risks. [17:20] - The Lightning Round with Scott Barry Kaufman. Your Resources: Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind - Scott Barry Kaufman and Carolyn Gregoire Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World - Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg David Burkus' books on creativity in the workplace Keith Sawyer's books on creativity in the workplace The Power of Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence - Dacher Keltner Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Dr. Suzy Green is a coaching and clinical psychologist and founder of the Positivity Institute, a positively deviant organization dedicated to the research and application of positive psychology for life, school, and work. She also holds a number of honorary academic positions at The Institute for Positive Psychology and Education, The Australian Catholic University, The Graduate School of Education at The University of Melbourne, and The Black Dog Institute. Her work has been published in articles around the world. In this conversation, you will hear Suzy share the research on why cultivating positive emotions matter when it comes to our performance and wellbeing at work. Suzy shares the practical things employees, leaders and organizations can do to improve mood in workplaces and how to implement these approaches at a systems level. Connect with Suzy Green: Website - http://thepositivityinstitute.com.au You'll Learn: [02:00] - Suzy and I recently had the opportunity to work together on researching and writing a chapter for the new Handbook of the Psychology of Positivity and Strengths-Based Approaches to Work. Suzy shares what stood out to her in this research. [04:17] - There has been a lot of debate about measuring positivity ratios as a way to assess our wellbeing. Suzy shares the advice that she gives her clients about that approach. [06:16] - Suzy explains the importance of self-awareness when it comes to managing our moods. [08:38] - If you are looking to boost your heart-felt positivity, Suzy gives you her go-to activities. [09:56] - Suzy shares some advice if you are in a leadership role and trying to boost positivity within your team. [12:03] - Suzy provides some advice to companies wanting to implement these ideas in authentic ways. [14:50] - Suzy talks about helping organizations go beyond training with these practices. [21:01] - Suzy shares what sees as the most compelling parts of the business case at the moment, based on research. [25:05] - The Lightning Round with Suzy Green Your Resources: The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Positivity and Strengths-Based Approaches at Work Positive Leadership: Strategies for Extraordinary Performance - Kim Cameron The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs - Robert E. Quinn The Three Questions (Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy) - Jon J. Muth Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

BJ Fogg is an experimental psychologist who directs the behavior design lab at Stanford University. He is renowned for creating breakthrough methods for changing human behavior. These methods are called, "Tiny Habits." Fortune Magazine has named BJ one of the 10 New Gurus You Should Know. In this conversation, you will hear BJ talk about the tiny habits method. He explains how small behavior changes are easier to implement and sustain when it comes to creating lasting positive changes. He shares the three simple steps you can take to make tiny habits part of your daily wellbeing routine. Connect with BJ Fogg: Website: TinyHabits.com You'll Learn: [01:29] - BJ talks about his research on making positive behaviors stick. [02:09] - BJ explains what a "tiny habit" is and how it works. [04:12] - BJ describes how he used the tiny habits method with daily pushups. [06:19] - BJ talks about our brains adapting to tiny habits. [07:23] - In case the habit isn't "taking." BJ shares how to tweak the recipe. [10:26] - BJ explains that simplicity lies at the heart of behavior change. [13:35] - BJ tells us why celebration is important to help behavior changes continue. [18:34] - BJ shares how his newest research is looking to uncover super tiny ha bits that have the biggest impact on our wellbeing. Your Resources: Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do - BJ Fogg BJ Fogg Ted Talk Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Dr. Richard Davidson is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and the Director of The Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, both at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a renowned neuroscientist and one of the world's leading experts on the impact of contemplative practices, such as meditation on the brain. He is perhaps best known for his groundbreaking work on the study of emotions in the brain. This conversation with Dr. Richard Davidson was recorded live at the 2014 World Congress on Positive Psychology. This recording has never been played before on our podcast. In this conversation, you will hear Richard share what neuroscientists are discovering about ways to train our brains to improve wellbeing through small daily practices. Connect with Richard Davidson: Websites: http://richardjdavidson.com http://investigatinghealthyminds.org You'll Learn: [01:38] - Richard shares what the latest neuroscience research shows in the area of ways to improve wellbeing. [03:10] - Richard explains that wellbeing can be improved with practice. He talks about practices when it comes to improving wellbeing. [05:30] - Richard recommends that people start implementing these practices gradually. [6:26] - Richard encourages you to go to InvestigatingHealthyMinds.org and download the Compassion Meditation Practice. [07:02] - Mindfulness-based stress reduction is another excellent place to start, according to Richard. [07:41] - Richard explains how gratitude practices can help train our brains. [09:30] - Richard says that turning behaviors into habits is an effective way to embed these practices, neurologically. [11:37] - Richard describes some of the newer research now underway to understand how we can train our brains for wellbeing. Your Resources: The Emotional Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique Patterns Affect the Way You Think, Feel, and Live--and How You Can Change Them - Richard Davidson and Sharon Begley Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Lindsay Oades is the director and an associate professor at The Center for Positive Psychology at The University of Melbourne, where he oversees the masters of applied psychology program. Lindsey's study and application of wellbeing ranges from individuals, mental health systems, educational institutions, workplaces and liveable cities. He has published over 100 journal articles and books chapters on these topics. He is the co-editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard University. In this conversation, you will hear Lindsay shares some of the latest findings on how wellbeing practices can improve organizational performance. He also explains why focusing on improving individual wellbeing alone is not enough, and why we need to also address wellbeing at the team and organizational level and how we can approach this in workplaces. Connect with Lindsay Oades: LindsayOades.com Wiley.com education.unimelb.edu.au/cpp You'll Learn: [02:38] - Lindsay shares why he believes organizations are struggling to capitalize on the growing evidence about how wellbeing practices impact workplaces. [03:59] - Lindsay talks about the individual approaches for applying positive psychology at work. [06:09] - Lindsay explains why cultivating happy workers is overstated. [08:03] - Lindsay shares the importance of improving wellbeing at team levels and how this can be addressed. [14:30] - Lindsay talks about how organizational practices and policies and enable or restrict workplace wellbeing. [16:27] - Lindsay shares the advice he is currently giving to leaders about improving wellbeing at a systemic level. [20:33] - Lindsey explains why wellbeing literacy matters in workplaces. [22:22] - The Lightning Round with Lindsay Oades. Your Resources: Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace - Christine Porath Eat Move Sleep: How Small Changes Lead to Big Changes - Tom Rath Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Until next time, take care!

Emilia Lahti is a researcher and social activist whose life mission is to be a catalyst for human connection, compassion, and nonviolence. She has given talks at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Tedx, as well as at Singularity University at NASA Ames, where she studied futurism and exponential technology. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Business Insider, and Forbes, among others. In this conversation, Emilia shares her research on sisu,an ancient Finnish construct that describes what enables you to endure the toughest of life's situations and take extraordinary action against seemingly impossible odds. Emilia explains how we might be able to cultivate more sisu and why it can help us to exceed our own expectations and discover what we're really capable of. Connect with Emilia Lahti: Website: http://emilialahti.com http://sisunotsilence.com You'll Learn: [02:01] - Emilia explains that sisu is a latent inner-power and the difference between sisu, resilience and grit. [05:49] - Emilia addresses the question if sisu is something we are born with or is cultivated. [06:52] - Emila explains what an action mindset is and how it relates to sisu. [08:33] - Emila talks about what she is learning about our latent power to exceed our own expectations. [13:51] - Emilia shares why sisu is not a solo endeavor. [17:29] - Emilia explains her "Sisu Not Silence" movement and how she hopes to run the length of New Zealand to end the silence on interpersonal violence. [21:39] - Emilia defines the dark sisu zone and what to do if you find yourself there. Your Resources: Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession - Paulo Coelho Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post. Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free! You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Thank you Emilia. Until next time, take care!