Making Positive Psychology Work

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!

Mathew White is an award-winning educator who brings a unique combination of a deep academic background in well-being with executive level leadership experience across education, public, and social sectors.  Mathew is the Director of Wellbeing and Positive Education at St. Peter’s College. He is an Associate Professor in the graduate school of education at the University of Melbourne. In this conversation, you will hear Mathew talk about the new book he recently edited, "Future Directions In Wellbeing" and the ground-breaking ways positive psychology can be applied in workplaces and schools.  He also shares some of the gaps he encourages all wellbeing researchers and practitioners to be thinking about.   Connect with Matthew White: Website: http://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/display/person174409#tab-overview Twitter: @Mathew_WhitePhD You’ll Learn: [01:45] -Mathew shares the three big a-ha moments for him as he reviewed the essays on the future on wellbeing for the book. [04:19] - Mathew discusses the idea of well-being models in schools and parenting. [07:13] - Mathew talks about how organizations can improve wellbeing. [09:32] - Mathew shares how positive psychology is being integrated into the human resource practices at St. Peter’s College. [11:18] - Mathew explains how St. Peter’s College is maintaining the momentum of wellbeing practices after seven years of implementation. [13:46] - Mathew talks about wellbeing literacy in workplaces.   [16:03] - Mathew lists a few gaps in the field of wellbeing. [18:00] - The Lightning Round with Mathew White Your Resources: Future Directions in Well-Being: Education, Organizations and Policy - Matthew A White and Gavin R Slemp The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish - Lea Waters Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined - Scott Barry Kaufman Scott Barry Kaufman TedX I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb 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. Ryan Niemiec is a leading figure in the education, research, and practice of character strengths that are found in all human beings. He is Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character, a global, nonprofit organization.  He is an award-winning psychologist and adjunct professor at Xavier University, an annual instructor at The University of Pennsylvania.  He is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on positive psychology topics around the world. His latest book is Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners. In this conversation, you will hear Ryan talk about how your character strengths are the fuel that makes our other strengths rise. Ryan talks about ways to identify and develop your strengths at work each day and the behavioral traps that can bring your strengths unstuck. Connect with Ryan: Websites:  http://www.ryanniemiec.com and http://viacharacter.org You’ll Learn: [02:12] - Ryan starts the conversation by explaining what a strength is. [03:36] - Over 5 million people have measured their strengths by using the wonderful VIA Character Survey. [04:24] - Ryan talks about The Power Zone of Strengths. [07:35] - Ryan explains what he has found around subsets of our character strengths.   [10:39] - Ryan discusses the idea of taking middle strengths and moving them up.   [14:38] - Ryan selects three of his favorite strengths and interventions from his latest book.  He talks about subtract signature strength, appreciation, and alignment. [21:00] - In his book, Ryan shares behavioral traps around developing our strengths.  He shares some words of caution. He talks about trying to immediately apply a concept and the need to be flexible in this work. [23:35] - The Lightning Round with Ryan Niemiec. Your Resources: Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners - Ryan Niemiec The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It - Kelly McGonigal 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! Thanks for joining us today Ryan!

Elise Morris is a positive psychology practitioner, and Director of People and Culture at Swisse Wellness, who were recently recognized by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business as a global example of excellence for their work in whole person wellness.  Elise believes wholeheartedly that other people matter, and when we live and lead from this perspective, we can unlock ours and others ability to thrive and flourish.  .  Would you like to implement a comprehensive wellbeing program to take people from functioning to flourishing in your organization?  Elise explains the programs and initiatives Swisse Wellness are implementing as part of their whole person wellness program. These come under three pillars – movement, nutrition and mindfulness.  Hear about the successes, and her hopes for further integrating the program within the organization. Connect with Elise Morris:  Website - StillNorth.com.au You’ll Learn: [02:08] - Elise shares why Swiss Wellness won an award at the 2017 Positive Business Project Conference. [04:40] - Elise explains the growing business case to improve wellbeing at work. [06:56] - Elise talks about getting past our own biases and understanding where someone else is coming from. [08:23] - Elise shares the tools and practices in their program. [10:20] - Elise explains how they are considering how to take a more systems perspective. [13:04] - Elise discusses performance and contribution. [14:17] - Elise shares how they measure the impact of their program. [15:49] - Elise talks about gender and buy-in with the practices. [17:31] - Elise shares a challenge they have faced with rolling out this program. [19:18] - Elise provides advice to others who are thinking about rolling out a similar program. [20:23] - Elise talks about scaling this program for working across multiple markets. [22:55] - The Lightning Round with Elise Morris Your Resources: Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness - Ilona Boniwell Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience - Pim van Lommell Authentic: How to be yourself and why it matters - Stephen Joseph Positive Business Conference 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!

Amy Blankson is one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between positive psychology and technology. Amy is the only person to be named “a point of light” by two Presidents for creating a movement to activate positive culture change. She has worked with government agencies and large companies to help foster a sense of well-being in the digital era.   In this conversation, you will hear Amy talk about how technology is  positively and negatively impacting our wellbeing at work. Amy explains how our obsession with smart phones is wearing us out, how to be intelligent and deliberate in the way we use devices and the wearable technology that can actually help to improve our wellbeing.    Connect with Amy Blankson:  Website - AmyBlankson.com  Amy Blankson Ted X Talk  You’ll Learn:  [02:01] - Amy explains why she believes that technology is the biggest disruptor of happiness in human history.  [04:13] - Amy shares her thoughts where technology is taking us when considering the way we work and our wellbeing.    [06:49] - Amy encourages us to consider our intentions when it comes to technology.    [09:30] - Amy talks about an experiment she is currently working on, which involves the frequency of checking an email inbox.   [11:39] - Amy shares some advice on how to set other people’s expectations based on our intentions.   [14:04] - Amy provides us with some statistics on our technology use and its impact on our productivity.   [16:30] - Amy talks about how this conversation may change the expectations managers put on employees.  [19:15] - Amy explains what digital citizenship means and the practices we need to use to role model good behavior.   [21:16] - Amy talks about her current favorite wearable, The Muse Headband.  [23:03] - The Lightning Round with Amy Blankson  Your Resources:  The Future of Happiness: 5 Modern Strategies for Balancing Productivity and Well-Being in the Digital Era - Amy Blankson and Shawn Achor  Ripple’s Effect - Shawn Achor and Amy Blankson  Calm App  Headspace App  Simple Habit App  Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World - Cal Newport  Heartificial Intelligence: Embracing Our Humanity to Maximize Machines - John Havens  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!  

Jon Berghoff is a co-founder and managing partner of The Flourishing Leadership Institute. He has designed and facilitated whole system change efforts through large group collaborative summits for businesses and institutions of all sizes.  His work on appreciative leadership, emotionally intelligent negotiating, and influence has taken him to Australia, Japan, the UK, and Australia. Jon is the official design and facilitation partner for the 4th Global Forum for Business as an Agent of Well Benefit. In this conversation, you will hear Jon share his knowledge and experience in appreciative inquiry.  He discusses the idea of an appreciative inquiry summit and provides some example of productive summits.  Jon explains how to bring appreciative inquiry into our daily lives and small groups, as well as larger groups and organizations.  Jon shares how micro moments can influence macro movements. Connect with Jon Berghoff: Website - http://lead2flourish.comJon Berghoff Ted Talk You’ll Learn: [01:54] - Jon shares what he has discovered unleashes our ability to come alive, be at our best, play to our strengths, innovate from everywhere, and deepen our sense of purpose. [02:42] - Jon describes what an appreciative inquiry summit is. [03:42] - Jon shares his definition of appreciative inquiry. [04:53] - Jon provides an example of an appreciative inquiry summit. [09:50] - Jon talks about his work with the city of Cleveland.   [12:58] - Jon shares his thoughts on when an appreciative inquiry summit is an appropriate tool. [19:43] - Jon explains why he views appreciative inquiry as a tool. [25:19] - The Lightning Round with Jon Berghoff. Your Resources: Conscious Business: How to Build Values Through Value - Fred Kofman and Ken Wilbur Spiritual Capital: Wealth We Can Live By - Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall 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. Special thanks to Jon for joining us this week. Until next time, take care!

Adam Grant  is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, and live more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 25 most influential management thinkers, is the author of three New York Times best-selling books, and his TED Talks have been viewed more than 8-million times. In this conversation, you will hear Adam explain how our beliefs about our relationships at work shape the success we are able to achieve.  Adam walks us through his research on givers, takers and matchers and what organizations can do to cultivate giving cultures.  He also explains how to deal with takers, the value of disagreeable givers and the small practices you can try to be an effective giver.   Connect with Adam Grant: Website - http://AdamGrant.net You’ll Learn:   [02:02] - Adam shares what advice he gives the organizations on how to lead and manage people better. [03:23] - Adam talks about the importance of organization rewarding the right people through measuring others-focused behaviors and results.   [05:51] - Adam shares his thoughts on dealing with “takers” in an organization and bringing out the positive qualities in these individuals. [09:55] - Adam explains how to be a thoughtful giver within an organization. [13:56] - Adam cites that doing 5-minute favors at work raises your job satisfaction. He goes on to explain that the receivers of those favors pay back at 278%. [16:00] - Adam shares his thoughts on why self-compassion is important to help set boundaries and say “no” so we can be more effective givers.   [17:46] - Adam explains how his opinions have changed on the topic of needing takers in an organization. [20:56] - Adam recently found that the most important driver of engagement at work was pride in the company. [23:31] - The Lightning Round with Adam Grant. Your Resources: Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant Adam Grant Ted Talk: Are you a giver or a taker? Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy - Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World - Adam Grant Supernormal: The Untold Story of Adversity and Resilience - Meg Jay The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups - Daniel Coyle 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. Special thanks to Adam for joining us this week. Until next time, take care!  

Shane was one of the world's leading researchers on hope and was also a senior scientist and research director at The Clifton Strengths Institute, where he explored the links between hope, strengths development, academic success, and overall well-being. For me, one of the most magical moments of this year’s World Congress on Positive Psychology was the chance to honor, savor, and build upon the research of Dr. Shane Lopez. I first met Shane at a World Congress years ago, and he was generous enough to allow me to interview him on several occasions. To give you a chance to savor Shane’s insight, I thought you might enjoy this interview, which was recorded prior to his death.  Shane explains how using your strengths - those things you are good at and enjoy doing -  can help you be more engaged in what you do each day at work.  And when managers shift their thinking to a more strengths based approach that encourages each person to do what they do best they can make a big difference in engagement, profitability and productivity. Learn how to identify your strengths, how these can change over time, and what you can do to develop yours and others strengths. You’ll Learn: [01:45] - Shane shares his journey with strengths.  He talks about the work of Don Clifton at the University of Nebraska. [04:00] - Shane explains what a talent is and how they grow into strengths. [05:58] - In the workplace, we focus on weaknesses and try to “fix” those deficits rather than helping individuals find the right role.  Shane states how Don focused on talents on finding the roles for people based on those roles. [07:20] - Shane shares that our talents are not static over time, but they don’t change a lot.   [09:05] - Shane talks about Clifton Strengths Finder.   [11:57] - Shane discusses the difference in strengths between entrepreneurs and those working within organizations. [12:23] - If you have taken the strengths finder, Shane suggests you team up with someone else that has taken the assessment. [13:49] - Shane talks about how a workplace can be transformed by catching people doing great work and providing quality feedback. [15:57] - Shane talks about the 70% of disengagement in the workplace. Managers are not exempt from this lack of engagement. [17:33] - Shane shares what managers do to help employees use their strengths at work. [19:47] - Shane talks about the changes of strengths in college students and how that will eventually change the culture of workplaces. [20:48] - Shane speaks about seeing strength development at the preschool level. Your Resources: Making Hope Happen: Create the Future You Want for Yourself and Others - Shane Lopez 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. Vale Shane Lopez. Until next time, take care!