Since the dawn of late night television, everyone is working on their top 10 lists.  Here is one list that is here to stay.  Scientifically proven ways to make you happier. 1. Find Your Flow.  If you can get ‘in the zone’ during your work day, it will not only make you more productive…it will make you happier.  Think about your task and if it is a balance between challenge and your skill level.  Easy way to adjust – either increase the challenge (make a game of how fast and accurately you can write that memo) or increase your skill level (learn Prezi before creating your next presentation). 2. More Good Than Bad.   Research shows what we know instinctively to be true.  That ‘bad is stronger than good’.   When something bad happens we focus on it more.  It impacts us to a greater degree.  Good things… …

Positive Business Conference Set for May 2014 at U-M Ross   Yes, there is such a thing as positive business. Business can, and should, be a force for good. That’s the thinking behind the Ross mission of developing leaders who make a positive difference in the world.  U-M Ross has led the field of positive organizational studies for decades. Now the school is set to share that knowledge and showcase executives who are putting it to practice at the first-ever Positive Business Conference. The event will be held at Ross May 15-17, 2014, and will share the latest trends, research, and results in positive business, a burgeoning management field. Executives from Whole Foods Market, Procter & Gamble, and Ford Motor Company will outline how positive business strategies are impacting employees and profits—both for the better. Think this may sound a little on the soft… …

(This was originally published by Senia Maymin on www.profitfromthepositive.com.) Five of us were on a panel about business and positive psychology. This was at the Master of Applied Positive Psychology Summit a couple of weekends ago. Basically, we answered questions such as, “What approaches have you found effective in introducing businesses to positive psychology research, concepts, and tools?” Each of us wanted to share a few key pieces of advice with those who attended and with those who didn’t have a chance to attend.  Here is our advice: Senia Maymin, MAPP ’06 (senia@ProfitFromThePositive.com. Website: ProfitFromThePositive.com. Senia says, “If you’re moved to do so, we’d greatly appreciate an Amazon review.” On Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/profitpositive.): Take outward actions. We can always take inward actions (like updating our website, thinking about process, writing down an outline for a presentation), but you’ll get more… …

Love contributes to health. It doesn’t stop with counting blessings. It’s not abstract. It’s deeply physical. Let’s follow the argument made by Barbara Fredrickson during the IPPA World Congress. Broad and Build Review Barbara Fredrickson’s Broaden and Build theory explains why humans have evolved to have positive emotions. What good are they? What is their functional value? Positive emotions expand awareness. Minds can open or close, and positive emotions lead to openness. Positive emotions build resources. We are all socially connected, and positive emotions are nutrients, like fruits and veggies, for these relationships. Positive emotions unlock other-focus and help us break self absorption. With positive emotions, connections become more salient. Perspective taking improves, and divisions fade. What Love is Not Building up to a description of what love is and does, Fredrickson was careful to talk about what love is… …

Positive psychology training is being implemented in many countries around the world, and not only are we starting to see the positive effects but also which specific content is having the biggest impact.  Positive Matters, founded by Louisa Jewell in Toronto, Canada, and Plus Side Strategies have implemented various positive psychology tools and decided to test which ones were the most impactful on participants.  Five months after receiving a one-day training by Positive Matters and Plus Side Strategies, employees of Northern Lights Canada were surveyed.  It was discovered that the elements that partiipants found most useful were as follows: • StrengthsFinder (75% of respondents reported as either ‘very useful’ or ‘extremely useful’) • Appreciative Inquiry (62.5% of participants reported as either ‘very useful’ or ‘extremely useful’) • Specific solutions focused exercise (49.9% of participants reported as either ‘very useful’ or… …

At times, here at Positive Business DC, we like to review books that can help cultivate positive business.  This one is by a local writer and consultant, Sharon Armstrong. “It’s not supposed to be this way,” writes HR specialist Sharon Armstrong in the introduction to her new book, “The Essential Performance Review Handbook: A Quick and Handy Resource for Any Manager or HR Professional,” (www.theessentialperformancereviewhandbook.com). Although performance reviews are actually less popular than a trip to the dentist for most supervisors (see that study below), the good news is that Sharon Armstrong — the woman who began her career in Human Resources in 1985 as a recruiter/trainer in a large Manhattan law firm and launched her own HR consulting business in the year 2000 — has found a way to take the pain out of the process. Her new book offers… …