The Secret to Thriving at Work and Loving Your Life
For the last several years my team and I have been studying what it takes to raise engagement levels in the workplace. We went on this journey to help improve the lives of the amazing people we get to work with every day. There have been many bright moments of inspiration. So many, that to write about them all in a simple blog post would be impossible. However, we have found a secret to individual and team success in any organization.
To fully understand our excitement, it’s important to know what we are up against in the workplace. For many, work is the problem. Work is what we have to do to survive, not what we get to do to thrive. According to the latest engagement data while we are trending positive by a few percentage points the vast majority of the U.S. workforce remains disengaged.
If we are going to solve the problem of disengagement in the workplace, we need to understand the importance of personal energy and momentum at work. All engagement at work is fueled by energy.
When we can deeply connect with our strengths and use them every day at work it becomes a natural stimulator of positive energy. Not only do we become acutely aware of our energy levels we begin to understand and feel the energy in the room. This is accomplished by getting very intentional about becoming instinctively positive.
If we can understand how to personally flourish at work, we can begin to love the life we are living. It starts with how we maintain our thinking. Positive psychologist, Dr. Martin Seligman suggest a theory of flourishing called PERMA. Positive emotions, Engagement, (Positive) Relationships, Meaning and Achievement. Hidden in this blueprint is the power to unlock our energy. Once we become more intentional about unlocking this additional energy, we are freed to raise the energy of our entire team.
When we are intentional about maintaining high energy levels at work, we can also do it in life. We become energy-giving people that attract others. While work and the world beat people down, they know that in us they can, and will, find the power to stand back up after a failure. Positive energy is by no means a “soft-skill.” Rather, it’s a catalyst to being free and challenging others to unleash their energy.
Unfortunately, it becomes all too clear when someone is refusing to engage and sucking others energy while generating none of their own. This poor behavior should fuel our desire to do the work necessary for gaining and maintaining energy at work.
As leaders, our natural reaction should be to celebrate all that is good in people, to shine a light on talents and strengths, and illuminate achievements. Even in the most intense work moments, and through the foggy days we should battle to maintain our energy and offer it as a gift to others.