“They seem happy enough.”
Does that sentence bother you? It bothers me, for it was said by a manager about his team.
Things are not always what they seem.
And why “they” instead of “we?”
Is there really an “enough” which can contain true happiness?
Here’s a goal for the Alaka‘i Manager to consider in this shiny new year:
Define true happiness in your workplace.
Then ask yourself, “Are we happy?”
If the answer is anything but an enthusiastic “Yes!” you’ll need to get to work to make it so.
I don’t think I need to extol the virtues of happiness for you. Happiness is good — it’s great, and we know it’s far better than all unhappy alternatives. Happiness is a fantastic beginner’s place, from which we’ll leap forward toward creativity, imagination and hope with positive, abundant energies.
Our “seem happy” workplaces can cover a gamut of less than happy circumstance. Survivor guilt and all its hangin’ around relatives are common culprits, where “seem happy” actually translates to “well at least I have a job” or “I guess it could be worse” or “I just don’t have a better idea/option/chance/expectation/opportunity right now; this will have to do.”
None of those things sound very happy, do they. Settling for second best means complacency and boredom have set in, and all striving for better has been derailed.
I truly don’t mean to be negative as the year starts. Knowing the nature of January, I want you, as the Alaka‘i Manager you seek to be, to “Get Real” (in that Pono state of mind described here) and set great goals for yourself this year.
Great goals need not be strategically detailed and pompously complicated; they just have to be good. They have to be worthy.
To set a goal like this —
“I’ll work daily
to assure we are really, truly happy in our work.”
— is SMART: Specific [Use next-stepping. Go for small wins.], Measurable, Aloha-Abundant, Rewarding for everyone involved (including you, Kākou), and Trustworthy. Achieve it, and you’ll be able to trust in the continual success of your culture-building because your best possible foundation is in place; people Ready (see ‘Ike loa for 2013) for Ho‘ohana intentions and Ho‘ohanohano behaviors.
Happiness is readiness.
If you’re looking for a place to start in 2013, managing with new energies and smart intentions, get happy. Happiness in the Aloha Workplace is the best start to have as you Rally your ‘Ohana.
Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin.
Beginning makes the conditions perfect.
– Alan Cohen –
Postscript: The links I have embedded in this posting primarily go to only 3 other articles, connecting their dots: Have you read them?
- Going Forward into 2013, with Aloha
- ALOHA ~ In Grace and Kindness
- HO‘OHANA ~ The Worthwhile Work of our Choosing
- ‘OHANA ~ Rally your tribe
- KĀKOU ~ Speak with Aloha, and Receive with Aloha
- ‘IKE LOA ~ Student, be Ready
- HO‘OHANOHANO ~ Demeanor is your Open Door
- ALAKA‘I ~ Answer your Calling
- MĀLAMA ~ Serve to Honor
- PONO ~ Get Real! Visceral is good.
- KA LĀ HIKI OLA ~ Back to the Beginning is Opportunity
- The 10 Beliefs of an Alaka‘i Manager
- The Language of We
January 24th Update:
Just read a good article by Emily Esfahani Smith for The Atlantic: There’s More to Life Than Being Happy. In it, she recalls Viktor Frankl’s bestselling 1946 book, Man’s Search for Meaning, which he wrote in nine days about his experiences in the Nazi concentration camps. She points out Frankl’s relevant wisdom in her analysis of new studies done, concluding: “This is why some researchers are cautioning against the pursuit of mere happiness.”
The article resonated with me in light of its timeliness – I had written this posting, and then just a few days later I had a coaching conversation with a manager about the self-motivations of his staff. The question we talked story about, is a direct hit to the practical application of Smith’s article in our workplaces, and why “We don’t manage by the book; we manage by the person.”
The question stirring our conversation was, “What if an employee doesn’t care about vision, mission, meaning or purpose, but just wants to be happy?”
Sometimes a person is motivated by the pursuit of happiness, and sometimes the same person can be motivated by the pursuit of meaning: A manager is tasked with knowing which playing field they are currently on, and helping them achieve their goals there, so they can move forward – a great manager is versed in responding to both motivations — and honoring them.
We will often question people and argue with them, imposing our own shoulds, “But don’t you want this to be more meaningful?” (see the 2nd ‘possibility robber’) when the better approach is to meet them where they are first, and tackle change later when they want it, or feel they newly need it — often we’ll find they’ll initiate that change when they’re ready.
I encourage you to read Smith’s article in your next quiet moment – she offers much food for thought about this.
From Fast Company Co.Create: How One Company Taught Its Employees How To Be Happier, And What Happened Next
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