Previous Events

Webinar 12/7/16: Connecting for Success with Robert Rosales

  Shift your perspective on relationships, well-being, and success. Led by Robert Rosales, EMBA, MAPP. Don’t forget to register here for webinar login details What is the greatest source of energy, creativity, and new business at work? People, provided they are fully engaged and supported by great leaders. In today’s workplace nothing of significance can be achieved alone. People are at the core of organizations because business, essentially, is about relationships. Surprisingly, research shows that most workplaces do not fully recognize the value of social in people’s lives. It’s time to rethink the importance of connections in our lives. In this transformative and entertaining webinar, Robert Rosales, advisor, coach, and founder of Lead Academy, a positive leadership consultancy, shares the latest research on relationships from neuroscience, positive psychology and business. In this webinar, you’ll learn: How positive social connections lead to a…

Webinar 5/10/16: Performing Your Way to Growth by Author Cathy Salit

Did you miss our webinar on May 10th? Have no fear, you can watch it here.   Whether you’re navigating your way on a new team, expanding your leadership role, or just trying to get heard in a meeting, you’re facing the kind of workplace challenge we all run into sooner or later: you need a new performance. And the good news, Cathy Salit says, is that even though you might not have been onstage since you played a tree in third grade, you — and all humans — have an innate ability to perform, pretend, and improvise. Tapping into this ability is key to learning and growing in new, exciting and profound ways. In this engaging and entertaining presentation Salit, author, performer and CEO of Performance of a Lifetime, shares the revolutionary approach that has transformed the work of executives and teams from…

Free Fully Charged Screening on February 10th at 6:30 pm!

Join us for a free screening of the full-length film based on book by Best Selling Author Tom Rath.   See this new film for free.  Fully Charged features science-backed tips and world-leading experts on decision-making (Thomas Gilovich), willpower (Roy Baumeister) and meaning in our work (Amy Wrzesniewski) and others. Science tells us that small and meaningful actions can increase our wellbeing, impacting our energy, purpose and relationships. How can you bring this to your organization? Join us for the free screening and meet like-minded people. Walk away with empirically-backed new tools to implement for 2016! Join us for the screening of the film and a lively discussion. The Details: 6 PM on February 10, 2016 at Make Offices at Tyson’s, 1751 Pinnacle Dr #600, McLean, VA 22102 Light hors d’oeuvres will be served!

Meet the Authors: Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life

Come out with likeminded people and meet authors Shannon Polly and Kathryn Britton to discuss and sign Character Strengths Matter: How to Live a Full Life.  This is part of Busboys and Poets’ Wellness Revolution series and is co-sponsored by Think Local DC and Positive Business DC. Dec 2 at 6:30 PM at Busboys and Poets 4251 Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA The event is free and open to all. Free appetizers will be  provided. Full bar + menu available throughout the event. The book honors the late Christopher Petersen whose research has shown that character strengths are ubiquitous across culture and time. Within the book, there are stories, research explanations, read aloud passages, and tangible exercises to help people leverage their character strengths for higher performance and happiness. Many acclaimed authors have endorsed the book including Martin E. P. Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness, Learned Optimism, and Flourish, Tal…

Succeeding on Virtual Teams

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM WEBINAR ON YOUR COMPUTER, Washington, DC (map) The world is flat. More and more teaming occurs virtually. But how do you build rapport when you don’t have a water cooler to meet near? How can you really know what your employee is doing? What does the science of positive psychology say about all this? Join us with an expert, Melissa Hammer, who shares some tips and techniques. She will also share some research on brain science and how you can use the way you learn (auditory, kinesthetic, visual) to engage your team…and yourself.

Your Strengths Blueprint by Michelle McQuaid

Friday, March 6, 2015 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM Webinar Washington, DC (map) In 2001, only 2 out of 10 employees did what they do best at work. In 2015, 5 out of 10 people are building on their strengths. How is this possible? Employees are driving a strengths revolution in our workplaces. It’s clear that a growing number of organizations and managers have prioritized knowing and building the strengths of their employees and are seeing the results. However, employees not fortunate enough to have leaders who understand the value of helping people do more of the things they’re good at and enjoy doing, are taking matters into their own hands. The numbers speak for themselves. • Despite having neither organizational nor supervisor support for focusing on their strengths, 49% of employees are still able to name their strengths and…

Local Author, Todd Kashdan: The Upside of your Darkside

The Upside of Your Dark Side Todd Kashdan, Local Author RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD! LOCAL AUTHOR, TODD KASHDAN, WILL BE DISCUSSING HIS BOOK ”THE UPSIDE OF YOUR DARK SIDE: WHY BEING YOUR WHOLE SELF-NOT JUST YOUR “GOOD” SELF-DRIVES SUCCESS AND FULFILLMENT!” In “The Upside of Your Dark Side,” two pioneering researchers in the field of psychology show that while mindfulness, kindness, and positivity can take us far, they cannot take us all the way. Sometimes, they can even hold us back. Emotions such as anger, anxiety, guilt, and sadness might feel uncom- fortable, but it turns out that they are also incredibly useful. For instance: • Anger fuels creativity • Guilt sparks improvement • Self-doubt enhances performance In the same vein, we can become wiser and more effective when we harness the darker parts of our personality in certain situations.…

Webinar – Successfully Setting Boundaries

Mark Sachs will present Successfully Setting Boundaries Boundary setting is key to productivity, morale and teamwork. Join October 23rd at Noon EST – right from the comfort of your computer. The success of organizations is often determined by how well staff relates with others. An important way to improve this is by effective boundary setting. When we set better boundaries, productivity increases, teamwork is more effective, and morale improves. Also, fewer deadlines are missed and there is less stress and turnover. Also, successfully setting boundaries can be beneficial in personal relationships. In this webinar you’ll learn: -Why it might be difficult for you to set a boundary -What you need to tell yourself that can help you set a boundary -The essential steps to being successful in setting them About Mark: Mark has been a consultant/coach for over 15 years…

Webinar: Hacking Creativity for Leadership Success

Hacking Creativity Presented by Ready to increase your creativity? Free Webinar at Noon EST on September 24. First in the “Hacking Creativity” Series.   Apply a process to one of your creativity challenges transform these insights into action! Students at the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program designed this webinar series exclusively for Positive Business DC: Jessica Amortegui, Katrina Calihan, Jaiqi Wu, Tal Eyere and Shira Reicher

Shannon Polly to Lead a Discussion on Best-Seller Flourish to CBODN

Sign up for a great book discussion on August 13, 2014 Shannon Polly will lead a discussion on the book Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin E. P. Seligman for the book discussion group sponsored by Chesapeake Bay Organization Development Network (CBODN). The best-selling book, Flourish, builds on Martin Seligman’s work on optimism, motivation, and character to show how to get the most out of life. Flourish refines what Positive Psychology is all about and has implications for education, economics, therapy, medicine, and public policy. The session will include interactive exercises to help readers explore their own attitudes and aims as well as a collaborative discussion. Registration for the event is free and open to all who are interested. They can register at http://www.cbodn.org.

Shannon is featured in this video about the MAPP program at PENN.

Program Director Dr. James Pawelski hosts a virtual information session designed for students interested in the Penn Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. The session highlights courses and faculty, background requirements and financial aid, and features an interview with positive psychology founder Dr. Martin Seligman. Full Article

Build a Brilliant Team by ME Hart

Rescheduled. New date to be announced.   Research shows that Diverse Teams are stronger in Innovation and Creativity. Selecting the right people is especially critical for small businesses and startups, where every individual represents a significant investment and a large percentage of your company. Identifying people with the skills and qualifications needed – that’s the easier part. The harder part comes next. Who will be a good fit for the culture you want to create? Will their work style compliment or conflict with other team members? And what about character? The science of Positive Psychology is giving us new insights and can help us in a process of answering the ever burning question: “How do I know if I’m picking the right person?” At tonight’s Meetup we’ll explore the benefits – and the challenges – of using your intuition to…

Shannon Polly to Present at 2nd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology

2nd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology July 16 Pre-conference Workshops: Register July 17 & 18, 2014 Conference:  Register Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Ottawa For more information on the 2nd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology download the final program here. About the 2nd Canadian Conference on Positive Psychology The conference will bring together internationally-renowned researchers in positive psychology, positive psychology practitioners, clinicians, educators and teachers, business consultants, coaches and the general public from across Canada and the world. Our goal is to share leading-edge research and best practices in the application of positive psychology across disciplines.

Webinar: Qualities Every Leader Needs to Survive

WEBINAR: Qualities every Leader Needs to Thrive Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 4pm Learn how authenticity, empathy, and creativity transform business It’s hard to read popular publications like Forbes and Business Insider recently without reading about business leaders and traits like empathy, authenticity and creativity.  Business is evolving.  Join Positive Business DC as our guest, Martin Best of the Corporate Theatre, discusses how the world of business has changed and how leaders can respond to this by unlocking their real potential as inspirational leaders. About Martin Best:  Martin Best has a reputation for bringing out the best in people utilizing his background as a  performing artist, scholar and teacher.  Martin is the founder of The Corporate Theatre. The Corporate Theatre brings the power of Arts and Humanities to transform teams, inspire high performance, and improve corporate culture. . Join our Meetup Group! ———-  

WEBINAR: Present Like a Rock Star: How to Cultivate Positive Presence

May 28 at 1:00 PM It’s a common myth that you either have ‘executive presence’ – that essence that helps you to command a room – or you don’t.  Actors know that there are tangible techniques and exercises you can do to cultivate that presence…and that they can be taught.  But what does science say about the impact your presence has in a room?  And what (if anything) does research show you can do to improve it?  Shannon Polly brings both her expertise as a professional actor, playwright and Broadway producer and her background in positive psychology as a teacher, facilitator and coach to this somatic approach to well-being and thriving.  The approach is from two vantage points – the external and the internal aspects of presence.  If you interact with others and want to increase your confidence, power and influence, this session is for you. Shannon M. Polly, MAPP, is…

Happiness at Work:  Measure it for Success

Wednesday, April 2, 2014 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM   The first 50 registrants will receive a code to take the Happiness at Work survey for FREE. You will receive your personal results immediately online. What if you could be happy at work? No, it’s not a trick question and, it’s not a pipe dream. For people working in orga- nizations in any sector, it’s possible to assess your level of happiness at work,  identify and capitalize on existing happiness strengths, identify and resolve existing deficiencies in happiness at work. Jocelyn S. Davis, an expert in assessments and positive psychology, will show us the key elements of the business case for including happiness at work as a key performance metric in your organization. Jocelyn S. Davis is an expert in assessments and positive psychology and founder of Nelson Hart, LLC. She is also the former CFO of AARP and a dynamic speaker. This will be an hour well spent. And…

Employee Development on a Shoestring presented by Halelly Azulay

Halelly Azulay Employee Development on a Shoestring presented by Halelly Azulay Tuesday, February 11th Networking: 6:30 pm Program start: 7:00 pm Shirlington Library 4200 Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA Halelly Azulay is a professional performance improvement practitioner specializing in guiding individuals, teams, and organizations of all types and sizes to peak performance. Here we will learn about her book and how learning and development is a a strong positive business practice.

Profit from the Positive

PROFIT FROM THE POSITIVE Presented by Authors Margaret Greenberg and Senia Maymin Profit from the Positive from Donna Hemmert on Vimeo. “…what business schools will be teaching in ten years.” – Shawn Achor, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage   On January 14, 2013 we had a very well-attended webinar, where we learned tools that have been implemented in businesses large and small, and as diverse as Google, VMware, SNL Financial, Aetna, and Intel.  If you are coach, business leader, entrepreneur, or HR professional don’t miss this webinar! Margaret Greenberg and Senia Maymin, authors of the new book Profit from the Positive: Proven Leadership Strategies to Boost Productivity and Transform Your Business (McGraw-Hill), translate the science of positive psychology into practical tools.  Margaret Greenberg is a sought-after organizational development consultant and executive coach to Fortune 500 companies.  Senia Maymin is a PBS-featured executive coach to…

Change is not a Dirty Word

April 26, 2013 at  7 pm Canvas, 1203 19th St. NW,  Washington,  DC CHANGE IS NOT A DIRTY WORD Presented by Shannon Polly Third in our series ”Increasing Well-being in The Workplace Series” On April 24, our own Shannon Polly, co-founder of Positive Business DC (PBDC), will be presenting Change is Not a Dirty Word, the 3rd in our speaker series Well-being in The Workplace.  Shannon (@ShannonPolly) is one of only approximately 300 people in world who has received a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Martin Seligman and has been an assistant instructor in the MAPP program at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a contributor to the book, Positive Psychology at Work, has developed curriculum for the higher education version of the movie, Happy and has been a facilitator for the Master Resiliency Training (MRT) program for the U.S. Army. Shannon will…

Creating you Best Life for Success

January 31, 2013 at 6pm TeqCorner in Tyson’s Corner CREATING YOUR BEST LIFE FOR SUCCESS Presented by Caroline Adams Miller Second in our series “Increasing Well-being in The Workplace Series” Creating your Best life for Success: learn how to set goals for happiness and success Caroline Adams Miller, author of Creating Your Best Life, is an internationally-known coach, author and speaker on the topic of goal accomplishment and its connection with happiness. She is recognized as one of the world’s leaders on this research and how it can be applied to one’s life for maximum transformation and growth. Caroline has been a pioneer for over two decades with her ground-breaking work in the areas of change and goal accomplishment, and has appeared on many television and radio programs around the world, and been featured in U.S. and international magazines and newspapers. Caronline is a magna cum laude graduate of Harvard University, and has a MAPP Degree (Masters in Applied…