Category: Uncategorized
Friday Catalyst: Martin Seligman – The New Era of Positive Psychology
Sunday Notes – Your Body Language Shapes Who You are: Amy Cuddy – The TED Talks
Can our bodies change our minds? According to the research the answer is yes – and “tiny tweeks can lead to Big Changes.”
Are You Career Positive?
Do you have a list of your workplace successes handy in the top drawer of your mind? If you don’t, you may be missing out on a powerful source of energy in your work life. Most of us have a strong tendency to forget to “stop and smell the roses” within our careers – (I am guilty, as well) – and this can create a success paradigm that we can never entirely fulfill.
This week on LinkedIn, I explore the fascinating movement of Positive Psychology, as applied to our work lives. (Find the post here.) Based on the simply brilliant TED Talk of Shaun Achor, we travel the path of potential well-being and success, through the process of learning to be a bit kinder to ourselves and others around us.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist located in East Lansing, Michigan. You can also find her on Twitter and Linkedin.
Trusting Your Inner Career Voice
Trust yourself. Then you will know how to live. –
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Do you trust your inner voice? Have you ever faced a career-related problem and been bombarded with advice – only to feel lost and confused? Did you have difficulty sorting through all of the sources – hoping to find a reasonable path that you felt comfortable with?
We often hold the key to our own career progress – but we are simply not listening. This week on LinkedIn, I examine the hesitancy we all have to trust that important inner voice. In the post “The Most neglected Brand of Trust”, we consider the reasons behind our failure to listen – and some of the reasons why.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. You can also find her on Twitter and Linkedin.
Sunday Notes: What’s in a name?
Have you noticed how key workplace topics are renamed and re-branded over the years? Lately, I’ve been observing more of this.
When organizational culture became the latest “buzz” – everyone became hyper-focused upon the concept. Can culture be measured? Who was measuring it? How is it done? But those in the organizational development realm had really been examining (and measuring) culture all along. It might have been labeled an “attitude survey” or “employee insights”, but key aspects of culture always lived (and were revealed) there. We knew that without taking the “pulse” of an organization, we couldn’t help them become healthier with a new training program or hiring initiative. We may have not called it a “culture assessment” – but in essence it was.
The same re-branding process applies to evolving roles in the workplace. At first glance, it appears that some of the newer job categories are highly revolutionary – but that’s really not accurate. These roles have simply evolved. For example, the role of Community Manager seems to have materialized with the rise of social media – but that is really not the case. The is role has much older roots. As explained by Tim McDonald, Founder of My Community Manager:
” It is important to realize that a community manager may or may not leverage social media. It’s grown because of social media. We’ve seen them in the form of receptionists, non-profit organizers, dock foreman, and many others, but didn’t call them community managers.”
This is absolutely true. The importance of connecting with a community of clients or customers, didn’t originate with the advent of social media. The basic need has always existed – and has been a priority for intelligent organizations. Just as the culture of an organization has always been at the core of organizational success.
We update enduring workplace concepts, and they become interesting to us once again. This gives us another opportunity to master the subject and create value.
The names may have changed – but the primary power behind the ideas has not.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist located in East Lansing, Michigan. You can also find her on Twitter and Linkedin.
Saturday Thought Starter – TEDTalks – Dan Pink – The Puzzle of Motivation
Motivation and rewards – what is the real currency for your employees? This relationship is much more complicated than you might think…
Why negative information is so darn powerful
Have you ever heard of the “criticism sandwich”?
This communication strategy purports that if you present negative information in the midst of positive information, it will cushion the impact of the “less than stellar” bits. Well – think again. Our brains seem to be hard-wired to pay much closer to attention to negative information – likely a product of evolution and the “survival of the fittest”. When we hear negative information, it carries more impact and seems to stick with us longer.
In my latest post on LinkedIn, How to hear what you don’t want to hear, I explore methods to cope with negative information, opinion or feedback. Managing the stress that comes with the territory is key. But take heart – you are not alone.
Do you have a strategy to cope with negative information that works for you? Please share it with us – we’ll all be grateful.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. Connect with her and continue the conversation on Twitter and Linkedin.
Sunday Notes: Taking responsibility to make work a better place
We all share responsibility to forge a better workplace. As managers. As employees. As organizations. Even as customers of those organizations. How should we come together to mold a better workplace? This goal might boil down to our personal work life basics.
Some ideas to consider:
- Become more transparent. Honesty is a basic – and its value holds in all facets of the workplace. In a nutshell, tell the truth. If you are a recruiter, let the candidate know everything you know about a role, both good and bad. If you are giving a performance review, tell the whole story. (Don’t skim over the weaknesses that will hold someone back in the future). If you are a customer, don’t walk away upset. Diplomatically express your problem – it is worth mustering the courage to do so.
- Sharpen your listening skills. Make it a point to lessen the signal noise, and really listen to your employees and your customers. Separate yourself from the potential stress you feel this may bring – or worse yet, the fear of the change that may follow. Progress starts with an open mind – and an open mind develops when you truly hear the concerns of others.
- Become hopeful. Remaining optimistic, and maintaining energy levels when things are challenging is a difficult task – but one that is worthwhile. Make every attempt not to give up on an employee, co-worker, a project or yourself. If there is an issue – trouble-shoot and attempt to devise a plan to impact the situation. Not the solution? Step back, reflect and formulate another route. Develop the frame of mind that one more try may hold the ultimate key.
Some related reading to support your quest:
- Ryan Smith & Golnaz Tabibnia – Why Radical Transparency is Good for Business
- Tom Peters – Leadership Thoughts: Listening
- Seth Godin – Confusing lucky with good
- Anthony K. Tjan – The Secrets to Building a Lucky Network
What are the personal methods you utilize to improve the workplace? Ideas welcome.
Dr. Marla Gottschalk is a Workplace Psychologist. Connect with her and continue the conversation on Twitter and Linkedin.
What you can learn from another industry
Have you ever heard someone say, “That simply won’t work for us, they are in an entirely different industry.” That always struck me as quite short-sighted.
We can certainly borrow bits and pieces, from the successful strategies of any business and apply to our own organizations with great success. You just have to step back and see the forest for the trees.
Whether it is an unbelievably effective idea to engage a customer or a novel way to look at a problem – good is just – good.
Today at LinkedIn, I explore what we can learn from the gaming industry. We could all take a page (or screen shot) from their arsenal. Here’s the link: What a Gamer Taught Me About Organizational Success
Marla Gottschalk 