Creative Reaction

As I was writing the previous post, The Power of Happiness, I noticed Harvard Business Publishing’s Discussion Leader Blog was also linking to the same research. They add a managerial perspective to the discussion in Why You Need to Be a Happier Manager.

The post links to other articles on the contagious happiness study from NYT and Time Magazine, and then offers these tips for managers (which I’ve summarized):

• Resolve to cheer - It is a leader’s obligation to spread confidence.
• Pick your moments - Especially when people need encouragement.
• Keep on doing it - Persevere.

“A happy workplace… (makes) coming to work a more pleasant experience. Productivity even improves, and so too does engagement.”

Happiness does not make up for an organization’s shortcomings, though along with a great product and excellent service, it is clearly an ingredient for success.

It seems happiness is a powerful force, not only affecting people we meet, but also cascading outward through up to three degrees of separation. Being Happy Affects Even Those You Don’t Know, details research carried out over a twenty-year period, offering these astonishing findings.

Study co-author James Fowler says, “To think about the way we’re connected to one another has caused me to take more responsibility for my own actions… If I head home in a happy mood, I’m not just making my son happy, I’m potentially making my son’s friend happy. I’m not just making my wife happy, I’m making my wife’s mother happy.”

Managers and owners, you can already tell where I’m going with this. (See Attitude Adjustment, the Day-to-Day Management Affects Creativity series, Part I, Part II and Part III  and Negativity is Poison!)

“Don’t care what people say, I got my attitude”
-”Attitude” by Bad Brains

I’m definitely not one of those vapid “positive attitude” people. While a positive attitude is foundational to shaping thoughts and leading to actions, it means nothing in and of itself.

So when I clicked on Phil Gerbyshak’s 5 Ways to Make a Positive Attitude and it opened by wishing me a “Happy Positive Attitude Day” I almost closed the web browser window in disgust. Once I realized it was grounded with elements of gratitude and perspective, I continued to read.

I find a lot of what passes for “Positive Attitude” is actually perspective. Good things and bad things of various degrees happen to everyone every day; keeping things perspective helps us moving forward through the bad stuff. I would put the first three tips into that category. So, here they are:

1. Reframe the situation.
2. Count your blessings.
3. Give thanks to those who’ve helped you.
4. Read or listen to something that makes you smile.
5. Smile or make a silly face for no reason.

So why am I blogging about this? As owners and managers, our attitudes have an huge impact on everyone around us; it is vital for us to keep our attitudes in check, if for no other reason than that it’s good for business. (See my Day-to-Day Management Affects Creativity series, Part I, Part II and Part III  and Negativity is Poison!)

This short post over at HR World, Dress to Impress, sites a CareerBuilder.com survey where 41% of employers admit to having a tendency to promote those who dress more professionally.

Is that fair? I’m sure that there are readers whose immediate response to this is that “people shouldn’t judge…” or that this is superficial; and yet I would have to disagree.

Selling the Invisible author Harry Beckwith explains that in any business that is a service, and thus has no tangible product, the intangibles, such as how we dress become far more important.

There’s a somewhat well-known story involving management guru Tom Peters, an airline executive, and coffee stains, in which the airline executive explained that when passengers see coffee stains, they have a tendency to wonder if other aspects of the airline, such as its maintenance, are also sloppy. The airline made a better effort to clean the planes and profits rose.

So perception matters; it’s simply a reality of life. How we dress is something we have complete control over. And “dressing up” can another effect; it can actually improve our attitudes - if we let it.

In Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain posted about a year ago, Kathy Sierra summarizes some heavy-duty brain research which supporting something that we’ve all probably experienced at one time or another - the contagiousness of negativity. First, she explains the recent discovery of “mirror neurons”, which “go happily about their business of imitating others without our conscious intention”. Wow. Next is “Emotional Contagion”. She quotes an expert on road rage, who states, “If you are near a resentful or angry person, you are more prone to become resentful or angry yourself”, then notes to her readers, “while we all have a lot of respect for physical biological contagions, we do NOT have much respect for physical emotional contagions.” Finally she shows how “happy” people are not empty-headed robots, oblivious to life’s hardships. Science suggests that happiness is associated with the left/logical side of the brain, while anger and fear are associated with the right/emotional side.

This is quite a meaty stew, having numerous implications for any workplace.

Managers of creative folk have much to ponder as they lead their companies/departments. Since negativity has the destructive power of a hand grenade; what must we do to protect our troops?

…and be there enthusiastically. In this Seth Godin post, he talks about going beyond just showing up and being “purposeful and positive and prepared” and actually being enthusiastic about what you are doing. Think what a difference this will make in almost every aspect of your workday. It can affect everything you do; how you do your job, how you interact with your co-workers, your staff, your clients, and probably how much you enjoy doing what you do. Now think about what a group of people with that mindset can accomplish. That’s powerful.