Happiness is the precursor to success, not merely the result.
—Shawn Achor
It’s not news that the workplace happiness factor impacts performance and achieving results, and it’s something that we as leaders continually struggle with.
Not everyone is motivated by the same thing or enjoys the same styles or environment. For example, we’ve worked with many individuals and teams over the years and found that while some like to be publicly recognized for their contributions, others were mortified. We also learned that some team members wanted daily touch points/check-ins, while others were quite happy when communication happened based on the need for updates or when issues arose.
So what’s a leader to do?
We obviously need to invest time in our staff. Do you know what motivates each team member or how they prefer to be communicated with?
Make sure each employee knows they are appreciated; let them know how what they do contributes to the bottom line. So many teams do their job, and do it well, but do not understand how they satisfy the needs and wants of the customer/client, or even the workplace as a whole.
Employees want to know that what they do makes a difference. They want to hear what they’re doing well, and when delivered in an honoring way, they want to know what they could do better. Don’t neglect providing consistent feedback; we suggest minimally incorporating monthly one on one time. (That means actually scheduling it and putting it on your calendar!).
Money has been found to be a short term happy factor. Instead, employee engagement, the ability to be heard, to be part of the decision making process, and feeling they have purpose makes the difference.
This all leads to self motivation, inspiration, and employee engagement with the overall sense of feeling good, and
Feeling Good = Happiness = Success.
Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.—Robin S. Sharma