The Science of Happiness: 3 Tools for Achieving High Performance Copyright © 2009 by h2c, LLC. All rights reserved. Cathy L. Greenberg,

The Science of Happiness: 3 Tools for Achieving High Performance

Copyright © 2009 by h2c, LLC. All rights reserved. www.h2cleadership.com

Cathy L. Greenberg, PhD

The Key: A Constructive Climate

•When were you in this condition?

•What were you working on?

•Who were you working with?

•Why was it optimal for you?

Based on the science of happiness:

Copyright © 2009 by h2c, LLC. All rights reserved. www.h2cleadership.com4

Can We Afford Happiness?

• In a tough economy should you just keep your head down and work?

• Happiness drives high performance for you and for your team

• You can’t afford not to

think about happiness

HAPPY Companies (HAPIE)

• Heartfelt

• Adaptive

• Profit with people

• Invigorated stakeholders

• Engaged community partners


Happiness = High Performance

• When people are happy, they can think with their whole brain

• Under stress, we resort to flight, fight or freeze blocking our capacity to have…

• “PEACE of Mind”• Productivity• Ethical decisions• Adaptability• Creativity• Excellence in performance


• Investing in people doubles ROI of investing in equipment: 8.5% vs. 3.9%

• Good people practices triple shareholder value over five years: 21% - 64%

• Firms with great people outperform comparably by 52% to 300%

• High people loyalty creates returns of

30% - 50%• Companies with a clear reward strategy

have 13%-15% lower turnover

ROP of Happy Companies


Effective Performance Relies on our Limbic SystemTwo Pathways to Emotional Responses

Activation of ANS andstress hormones

ThalamusAmygdala

Copyright Institute of Heart Math 2004

4M = PRIMITIVE BRAIN 80K = MAMMALIAN BRAIN =

EMOTION 10K NEOCORTEX = CIVILITY,

MORALITYFEAR WAS ESSENTIAL

FOR SURVIVAL


Happiness is a Performance Issue

• Happiness at work comes from:• Being proud of your skills/role• Feeling challenged and supported• Working to your strengths• Receiving recognition/appreciation

• A happy or engaged work force• 20% increase in productivity• 23% increase in customer satisfaction• 50% reduction in unplanned attrition

• 93% of performance is tied to happiness & satisfaction


The Science of Happiness

H = S + C + VHappiness = Set Point +

Circumstances + Voluntary Activity

50% is genetics and

50% is within your control


Happiness is a Health Issue

Feeling appreciation creates:

• synchronization of the central nervous system, improves auditory discrimination,

• spatial awareness,

• short and long term memory

Our emotions influence our digestive, cardiovascular, immune and hormonal systems

• When we are happy, our bodies perform optimally with minimal wear and tear


3 Ways to Create High Performance

1.Create a Positive Environment

2.Manage Based on Strengths

3.Choose Happiness Every Day


1. Create a Positive Environment

• “Human Flourishing is to live within an optimal range of human functioning, one that connotes goodness…growth and resilience”

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

• Requires 3 positives for every 1 negative interaction

3:1 5:1 9:1

• Low stress environment means people use their whole brain – emotion and reason

• Results in more creative and more ethical decisions


1. Create a Positive Environment cont’d

• As a manager or an associate• use more positive language, • practice openness and safety• create an environment of positive feedback,

• You have the power to create a positive environment by being relentlessly positive in your own behavior

• This doesn’t mean we overlook the negative or avoid the unpleasant. It means we do not dwell on them. Our focus is on what’s working….vs what’s not

Happiness = Profit$


2. Manage Based on Strengths

• Strengths = activities that energize you• Weaknesses = activities that drain you

• Maximize team performance by spending time on strengths and minimize time spent on weaknesses


2. Manage Based on Strengths cont’d

• Assess which activities and people at work energize you and find ways to spend more time on those

• Assess which activities may drain you and find ways to minimize time on those

• Help your team to do the same• Managing your energy investments will improve

performance and increase engagement over time


3. Choose Happiness Every Day

• Happiness is a choice –

like living a healthy life style

• There are common happiness traps– once you understand them, you can navigate around them

• You can’t control life but you can control where you spend your time and energy


How Spouse Views Success

Child Care Cooking, day care, homework, sports, play and supervise, names & numbers of Dr’s, friends, teachers, car pooling

Housekeeping House is clean when all floors and carpets are vacuumed, furniture, shelves dusted, beds made, laundry put away, frig is full and dated food discarded, bathroom surfaces shine, grout and tile are white, everything is disinfected

Result $$$ for help will make my life easier!

Area of Concern Women’s Standard Men’s Standard

You should be able to find the remote control in under ten minutes

Can I ever make her happy?

The thief was spending more…


Happiness Traps for Working Moms

• Supermom – perfect does not exist

• Money Matters – work has meaning

• Whose Needs – your needs

• Resentment – truly let go, forgive

• I Am What I Do – value who you are

• Self Doubt – trust your voice

• Setting Your Pace – Life on your time


About Cathy

• Cathy Greenberg, PhD, is an internationally recognized authority on leadership applying the new science of happiness. An acclaimed speaker and radio show host, she founded h2c - Happy Companies Healthy People in 2004 - the first organization to specialize in coaching leaders on the art and science of building happy, high-performance companies.


About Barrett

• Barrett S. Avigdor, JD, is an international Lawyer, executive coach and Fulbright Scholar. An innovator, trainer and thought leader in talent strategy and management, she has been a member of the leadership team of Accenture's Legal Group since 1995. She can be found circling the globe spearheading her passion for excellence in human performance.

Documents

The Science of Happiness: 3 Tools for Achieving High Performance Copyright © 2009 by h2c, LLC. All rights reserved. Cathy L. Greenberg,