Blogs - Page 58 of 65

Flow and sustainable happiness…

Engagement, Positive Psychology, Productivity, Wellbeing / My Holland

Flow – the secret of happiness Have you ever done an activity – a sport or something creative – where you have been totally absorbed in that exact moment, without a care about what is going on around you? Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, one of the pioneers of the scientific study of happiness, called this feeling ‘flow’ and says it is the key to happiness. He said: “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times… The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.” At that moment when you forget yourself and only the thing you are doing at that moment matters, you have effortless control and Csikszentmihalyi says this is an optimum state of happiness. Lots of psychologists and theorists argue that happiness must be worked at to achieve, it doesn’t simply happen. It can be achieved by setting ourselves challenges (nothing too hard or too simple) and making them unique to our passions. We need to cultivate our own happiness and one way to do that is to work out when and how we can achieve flow. Flow happens on our journey towards completing – so for example, it is the creative process of writing a story or painting a picture, or it is what athletes refer to as ‘being in the zone’ when they are preparing or running a race. When we are totally immersed in something we give it our full attention and can forget all of our external issues and problems. Cziksentmihalyi stated that happiness comes from within us and is unique to US –our passions, our likes, what makes us tick. In 1990, he explained flow as: “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.” This is why it is so worthwhile to have hobbies in our lives and make the time to do the things we love to do. To achieve flow, Czikszentmihalyi said there are certain things to do and feel, such as having clear goals, allow awareness and action to meet, disregard time and allow self-consciousness to disappear. During ‘flow’ there is no worry about failing; instead we receive immediate feedback in the shape of gratification. So how do can we achieve flow on our lives? Csikszentmihalyi says that we need to immerse ourselves in an activity we can lose ourselves in. This will be different from one person to the next. It also requires us to practise mindfulness – being aware of the here and now. When we learn to enjoy the immediate experiences we face, we can experience flow and its benefits for our happiness.

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Is It Really The Money That Everybody Works Hard For?

Compassion, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership / My Holland

If the very popular late 1970’s Donna Sommer’s monster hit “She Works Hard for The Money” is to be believed, you’d say it was money and pay raises that make office workers go the extra mile. But that’s a song, and you know what they say about song writers being allowed their creative license to say practically anything. In truth, here’s what a recent survey of more than two hundred thousand (200,000) workers around the globe have to say about being happy in the workplace: The seven most important factors these people value for on-the-job satisfaction and happiness are: That They Get To Be Appreciated For Their Work – That proverbial pat on the back, that “Hey, that was a great job you did on the project!” that “the team couldn’t have done it without you!” is the number one motivator that gets people working in support of the company’s goals and values. That There Is Good Relationship Among Colleagues And Peers – Don’t take this to mean that this is about those bold and adult, man-woman romantic dalliances that you get to hear about in the office every now and then. Sure, these would probably be good storylines for those late-night TV series as “Sex and The city”. But it’s not about that. This is about real, genuine teamwork that goes hand in hand with mutual respect on a personal and professional level, with fun-at-work thrown in for good measure. That They’re Able To Have A Good Work–Life Balance – Happy at work and happy with their personal lives. The ample, adequate time they spend on both sides of the fence are of top quality leaving them neither frustrations or disappointments. That There Is Good, Professional Relationship With The Head Honchos – The guys in dark grey suits from the top floor have nothing but respect and appreciation for the work that they do. That they’re sometimes called by their first name by the chairman of the board, is something that can really get them going more than 100%! That The Company They’re Working For Is Financially Stable. It doesn’t make them happy to be working for some fly-by-night organization. It’s got to be a company that’s standing on solid ground, an organization that fights back when bullied by a competitor. a reputable, respected company that’s got the muscles it needs to win its matches. They’d be proud and happy to be working for a group like that. That There Are Opportunities For The Employees To Learn, Develop And Further Their Careers – Anybody worth his salt would surely want to be able to go up higher on the corporate ladder. They’d be happy in a company that gives them the chance to learn and take a crack at whatever opportunities there might be to prop them up closer to the top. That The Company They’re Connected With Offers Attractive Fixed Salaries. And why not? We’d be hypocrites if we said thick wads of US dollars or Euros didn’t create some adrenaline rush on paydays. But hey! It’s not the be all and end all of being happy at work. In fact, if you take a closer look, among the 7 most important components that matter in relation to happiness on the job, it’s at the bottom! Keep these findings in mind as you manage your people. They’re rock solid. Adopt them and make your organization humming like happy bees at work. oozing with productivity.

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Emotional Intelligence and IQ… which one is more important?

Emotional Intelligence, Engagement / My Holland

EQ versus IQ in the workplace Every business out there is looking for the competitive edge. Every employer wants the best employees – the hardest working, the most reliable, the most co-operative colleagues. While this has usually been picked and determined by the IQ level of a person applying for a job (a measurement of cognitive ability), many businesses are starting to look at other qualities, and in particular EQ or emotional intelligence. What is the difference between the two and how can employers benefit from recruiting differently and thinking outside the box? Two psychology professors , John Mayer (University of New Hampshire) and Peter Salovey (Yale University), discovered the concept of EQ back in 1987 when they realised that good decision making and other employable skills depend on more than just the intellect of a person. This theory was explored further by Dan Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ (1995). He concludes that leaders use ‘people skills’ in the workplace to build relationships, respond effectively to the needs of others and are in tune with their own emotions. He defined EQ as the ability to recognize, understand, use and manage emotions in oneself and in others. And the good news for all of us? Unlike IQ, EQ can be taught, learnt and developed. So what qualities does somebody with a high EQ possess? Self awareness (intra-personal) – a knowledge and understanding of their personal strengths and weaknesses and in tune with their own emotions Empathy (inter-personal) – An understanding of others Self control (stress management) – Thinking before acting Optimism (mood) – an ability to see the ‘cup half full’ Adaptability – be grounded and realistic rather than a ‘dreamer’ The more of these qualities you possess, the higher your EQ and all of these qualities can be developed. While our personalities are unique to us as an individual, emotional intelligence is not. In the workplace, having a high EQ means making decisions based on the needs of yourself and others, playing by the rules but challenging yourself and making a success of your endeavours. While it does not necessarily mean that you will be a higher achiever, those with a high EQ will be easier to work with, more productive in a team and help with the overall mood of a workplace. In other words, many employers are starting to appreciate a higher EQ compared with a higher IQ to help their workplaces flourish.

Emotional Intelligence and IQ… which one is more important? Read More »

Flow and sustainable happiness…

Is It Really The Money That Everybody Works Hard For?

Emotional Intelligence and IQ… which one is more important?

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