Content about Positive psychology

January 6, 2012
The Power of Local Leaders

Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, authors of “The Progress Principle,” have been studying what they call inner work life—the confluence of emotions, perceptions, and motivations that occur continually throughout the workday. When inner work life is positive, people feel happy, have positive perceptions of their work and those they work with, and are highly motivated by the work itself. In their quest to find the forces that rule inner work life, the authors discovered that lower-level, local leaders —such as team leaders—can be surprisingly powerful.

By Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer

December 27, 2011
Happiness Breeds Success

Contrary to popular belief, happiness actually is the precursor to success, not merely the result, says Shawn Achor, author of “The Happiness Factor. And happiness and optimism actually fuel performance and achievement—giving people the competitive edge he calls the Happiness Advantage.

By Shawn Achor

If you observe people around you, you’ll find most individuals follow a formula that has been subtly or not so subtly taught to them by their schools, their company, their parents, or society. That is: If you work hard, you will become successful, and once you become successful, then you’ll be happy. This pattern of belief explains what most often motivates us in life. We think: If I just get that raise, or hit that next sales target, I’ll be happy. If I lose that five pounds, I’ll be happy. And so on. Success first, happiness second.

November 28, 2011
True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development

Being part of an ongoing group of six people—True North Groups—who know you intimately is the best way to develop your emotional intelligence (EQ), according to Bill George and Doug Baker, authors of “True North Groups: A Powerful Path to Personal and Leadership Development.” True North Groups enable us to integrate the drives for bonding and comprehension into our development as human beings and leaders.

By Bill George and Doug Baker

As a result of myriad leadership and economic failures in the past, both personal growth and leadership development are undergoing a significant rethinking. Macroeconomic theories prevalent for the last 30 years convinced many opinion leaders that people are motivated by monetary gains alone and act only in their economic self-interest.

November 23, 2011
Integrity and the Role of HRD

With all the apparent lapses of integrity we’ve witnessed, why are we not seeing more attention paid by the HR and HRD world? Here are a dozen suggestions of ways HR and HRD professionals can play a proactive role positioning integrity as a practical business strategy and crafting more“integrious” organizational cultures.

By Al Watts, Founder, inTEgro, Inc.

With all the apparent lapses of integrity we’ve witnessed, why are we not seeing more attention paid by the HR and HRD world? What should the roles of HR and HRD professional be? Here are three reasons it may be difficult to get our arms around integrity, and suggestions for helping leaders and their organizations function at the highest possible level:

July 27, 2011
Knowing Who You Are and What You Believe

If we are to become the leaders we have the potential to be, it is essential that we understand who we are and what we believe, says Doug Moran, author of  “If You Will Lead: Enduring Wisdom for 21st Century Leaders.” While there is a great deal of self-awareness associated with all of the “If” Sixteen Leadership Attributes, these first four in particular—character, authenticity, integrity, and self-efficacy—provide a strong foundation for self-awareness.

By Doug Moran

Why Self-Awareness Matters

If we are to become the leaders we have the potential to be, it is essential that we understand who we are and what we believe. While there is a great deal of self-awareness associated with all of the “If” Sixteen Leadership Attributes, these first four in particular—character, authenticity, integrity, and self-efficacy—provide a strong foundation for self-awareness.

May 20, 2011
Resilience: The Foundation of Organizational Success

Scientific evidence supports the fact that to be fully effective, employees need greater soft skills to complement and enhance their hard skills. Becoming more resilient is the soft skill at the very foundation of all other work activity. Discover the seven pillars that serve as the gateway to resilience training.

By Jim Hornickel, Director, Training & Development, Bold New Directions

July 29, 2010
Best Leaders Bounce Back

Corporate  leaders around the world believe that resilience-the ability to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities-is key to keeping your job. These leaders view women as slightly more resilient than men, and they are providing their female professionals with a variety of programs aimed at developing resilience

Corporate  leaders around the world believe that resilience-the ability to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities-is key to keeping your job. These leaders view women as slightly more resilient than men, and they are providing their female professionals with a variety of programs aimed at developing resilience, according to Accenture's "Women Leaders and Resilience: Perspectives from the C-Suite" study of 524 senior executives in 20 countries in Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. Survey findings: 

December 1, 2001
A South Carolina fabric and chemical manufa...

A South Carolina fabric and chemical manufacturer uses a machine that runs five times faster than anticipated and completes tasks that were totally unexpected when the company authorized the purchase order. That's because employees have made more than 200 small improvements to that machine, contributing to the organization's competitive advantage in a challenging industry.

A South Carolina fabric and chemical manufacturer uses a machine that runs five times faster than anticipated and completes tasks that were totally unexpected when the company authorized the purchase order. That's because employees have made more than 200 small improvements to that machine, contributing to the organization's competitive advantage in a challenging industry.