Making Positive Psychology Work

Stefanie K Johnson, an associate professor of management, discusses the intersection of leadership and diversity. Topics include engaging in diversity conversations, the challenges and opportunities of standing out and fitting in, creating diverse and inclusive teams, reducing gender bias, minimizing unconscious bias, and practical ways to implement these ideas in the workplace.

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She’s among the most highly cited and influential scholars in psychology and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and her general audience books, Positivity and Love 2.0 have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Dr. Fredrickson’s scholarly contributions have been recognized with numerous honors and her work has influenced scholars and practitioners worldwide within education, business, healthcare, the military, and beyond, and she’s regularly invited to give keynotes nationally and internationally. In this week’s podcast, we explore how positive emotions can help to broaden our minds and build our emotional, social and physical well-being. Connect with Dr. Barbara Fredrickson: https://peplab.web.unc.edu/ You’ll Learn: [ 02:58] - Barb explains why her research suggests we need to intentionally prioritize positivity in order to care for our wellbeing. [04:36] - Barb shares why positivity needs to be heartfelt. [08:17] - Barb explains why it’s important to be mindful about when to reach for positivity and when to sit with our more uncomfortable emotions. [10:51] - Barb shares her latest thoughts on positivity ratios and what we should be aiming for when it comes to the amount of positive emotion we experience. [13:27] - Barb outlines what studies are discovering about the impact positive emotions have on caring for our physical health. [14:38] - Michelle enters the lightning round! Thanks for listening! MPPW Podcast on Facebook 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, Barb!

Dr. Belle Rose Ragins is a Sheldon B. Lubar professor of management at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She’s an expert in the field of mentoring, diversity, and positive relationships at work. Dr. Ragins has co-authored and edited a number of books. She’s an elected fellow of five professional associations, a Fulbright Senior Specialist Scholar, and past editor of The Academy of Management Review. She’s also received numerous Lifetime Achievement Awards. Her research has over 20,000 citations, and she was recently recognized in Stanford University’s Top Two Percent of Scientists in the World. In this week’s podcast, we explore high-quality mentoring relationships and the positive impact they can have on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Connect with Dr. Belle Rose Ragins: https://uwm.edu/ragins-belle-rose You’ll Learn: [ 02:55] - Belle describes high-quality mentoring relationships and shares why they’re important. [04:09] - Belle paints a picture of who is mentoring in workplaces and what we want this to look like. [07:18] - Belle discusses by mentoring is particularly important for marginalized and disadvantaged groups in workplaces. [13:29] - Belle shares how mentoring can support diversity and inclusion initiatives for the whole of workplace change. [16:09] - Belle highlights what steps we can take to go from ordinary mentoring relationships to extraordinary mentoring relationships. [21:45] - Belle shares the immediate next steps we can take to open ourselves up to being mentors. [23:16] - Belle explains what leaders need to know to ensure their mentoring programs are achieving the outcomes they hope for. [26:42] - Belle enters the lightning round. Thanks for listening! MPPW Podcast on Facebook Stacey Abrams TED Talk - 3 Questions to Ask Yourself 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, Belle!

Dr. Meg Warren, Assistant Professor of Management at Western Washington University, discusses the latest research on allyship in workplaces and why diversity policies often fail. Topics include: advice for stepping into allyship conversations, defining privileged and marginalized groups, understanding allyship, the negative consequences of top-down diversity policies, and the importance of interpersonal support and visible advocacy in building allyship.

Dr. Michael Maddaus, a retired professor of thoracic surgery, teaches self-compassion and shares tips on building a resilience bank account to avoid burnout. Topics discussed include radical acceptance of burnout, ways workplaces can support burned-out individuals, and practical strategies to nurture resilience. The podcast also delves into the two reward systems in the brain, the power of human connection, and the significance of gratitude and valuing individuals in the workplace.

Peter Senge, an expert in organizational learning and author of The Fifth Discipline, discusses creating cultures of learning and navigating workplace uncertainty. Topics include new measures of success for change efforts, misunderstood complexity of change, creating healthy leadership communities, prioritizing well-being, and recognizing collective trauma.

Today we’re talking to Vikki Reynolds, who’s an activist and therapist who works to bridge the worlds of social justice with community work and therapy. An adjunct professor, she’s written and presented internationally on her work, responding to the opioid catastrophe, refugees and survivors of torture, and supporting violence, mental health, substance abuse, housing, and shelter counselors in gender and sexually diverse communities. In this week’s episode, we explore how to find our zone of fabulousness and the power of collective accountability in the face of work experiences that can lead to “burnout”. Connect with Vikki Reynolds https://vikkireynolds.ca/ You’ll Learn: [01:47] - Vikki explains why our approaches to vicarious trauma and burnout in workplaces need re-thinking. [03:33] - Vikki shares how we can each find our Zone of Fabulousness when it comes to helping others at work. [04:45] - Vikki explains why the goal of ‘safe enough’ rather than psychological safety may serve us better when it comes to sustaining connection with each other. [08:26] - Vikki offers some tips to help us resist the politics of politeness and instead embrace the potential value of discord. [10:45] - Vikki explains the power of collective accountability to enact our ethics. [23:40] - Vikki enters the lightning round. Thanks for listening! MPPW Podcast on Facebook 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, Vikki!

Michael Platt, a professor specializing in economics, psychology, and neuroscience, discusses the relevance of neuroscience in leadership and workplaces. He explores the brain's craving for certainty, creating effective teams, maintaining social networks while working remotely, and the impact of our brain's processing capacity. He also shares insights on effective communication, accountability, and the brain's response to different leadership styles.

Jessica Amortegui, Senior Director of Learning & Development at LinkedIn, discusses how workplaces can create safe training grounds for personal growth. They explore the impact of perfectionism on work and how LinkedIn helps its leaders pivot during uncertainty. The podcast also highlights LinkedIn's new leadership program focused on embracing vulnerability and the importance of turning learnings into consistent actions.

Join Professor Edgar Schein, a renowned expert on organizational culture, and his son Peter Schein, a veteran in marketing and corporate development. They delve into the transformative power of humble leadership and humble inquiry in shaping workplace culture. Ed clarifies how culture forms through shared experiences, while Peter discusses barriers to inquiry. Practical tips for fostering humility in leadership highlight adaptability in a complex environment. Their insights encourage genuine connections and effective communication, emphasizing the importance of recognizing humanity in others.