Happiness as a Leadership Leverby Tammy Gibbons, AWSA Director of Professional Development & Information In the early 1900’s two shoe salesmen went to Africa to assess opportunities. One sent a telegram back stating “Situation hopeless. They don’t wear shoes.” The other read, “Glorious opportunity! They don’t have any shoes yet.” What this tale reveals is that we can choose to see opportunity or declare hopelessness in our work situations. Sonja Lyubomirsky, a researcher at UC Riverside found that 50% of our happiness comes from our genes, 10% from life circumstances and 40% from intentional activity. This is probably not the kind of data most of us are studying these days but it does have implications for our work. As a leader, you’ve learned a lot of strategies to employ for building a high-performing organization and to lead a school of equity and excellence. It takes energy, passion, and persistence. Sometimes, these intentional strategies are called levers and we remind ourselves to be thoughtful about when to use what lever. What if there was a lever that can, and should, be employed regularly and that lever was called HAPPINESS? Would your staff say that you are generally a happy person? Do you approach challenges and change with optimism? Do you praise quick wins and encourage risk-taking? Would they say you take care of yourself physically? Leading with optimism and reflecting happiness can and has transformed schools. Positive psychology research has confirmed why the best leaders recognize the need to acknowledge their own level of happiness and how it impacts the culture and achievement of a school. Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage and Michelle Gielan, author of Broadcasting Happiness (and married to one another) illuminate how a leader’s optimism, hope and overall perspective they bring to an organization can transform others ability to see their work and their struggles as opportunities. For the purpose of this article, we’ll reflect on “praise” as an element of distributing happiness. We know that a positive brain fuels performance and that optimism predicts success. So as a leader, what you get people to focus on matters. This includes using praise and recognition as a lever to raise the happiness and optimism indicators in your school. Not praise to simply make people feel better but the kind of praise that has people reflect on their efforts, their contributions, their actions. Achor suggests the following considerations with regards to praise:
Achor also states that our brain can perceive large goals as overwhelming, limiting forward progress. Our brain needs to record a “win” in order to maintain the belief that behavior matters. Which is why a focus on the process for ourselves and others fosters hope and optimism and fuels better outcomes. Not to mention that optimism and positivity can actually change the effect stress has on our system. So, as you begin to get into classrooms, conduct mini-observations, formal evaluations, and learning walks, consider how your targeted feedback leaves an employee feeling that they’re capable of more, that they are valued and that their contributions to the process are recognized. Finally, the more positivity we see, the more grateful we become. Let's remember that 40% of our happiness comes from intentional activity. So, consider taking this challenge. Raise your optimism with gratitude. For 21 days in a row, (essentially one month of workdays) when you first open your inbox, and before reading any of your emails, write a two sentence email thanking someone. End the month by reflecting on how happiness as a leadership lever is impacting you, your school, and your life, and don’t be surprised if your own inbox has a few more in it too! Do what you love, love what you do.
Read more: Achor, S. (2010) The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance At Work. Broadway Books Gielan, M. (2016). Broadcasting happiness: the science of igniting and sustaining positive change. Benbella Books. Sonja Lyubomirsky, Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of the bestseller The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want
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