Powered by Happy: How to Get and Stay Happy at Work (Boost Performance, Increase Success, and Transform Your Workday)

by Beth Thomas

Overview

The only pocket-sized book packed with ways to boost not only workplace happiness, but also your-and your company's-performance

Research has shown that employee happiness improves the bottom line, but how can a time-crunched, stressed-out employee wedge in a little joy? Instrumental for anyone working, whether in a cubicle or a corner office, Powered by Happy offers a quick hit of optimism for the workday, which will help your career and job satisfaction.

Employee engagement expert Beth Thomas has crafted a powerful little book filled with upbeat coaching, practical advice, and proven techniques.

"Powered by Happy provides a step by step, tip by tip strategy for figuring out what gives us joy and how to create an environment in which we can find it-all day, every day, in any situation, no matter what challenges we face." —Larry Israelite, talent management executive

"Here is a practical collection of strategies and approaches that will support and enliven the lives of employees and managers." —Elliott Masie, chair, The Learning Consortium

"Look hard into the mirror, be honest with yourself, follow Beth's advice, and become more productive and honestly happy!" —Steven M. Lyman, vice-president, American Eagle Outfitters

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402247163
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	03/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	973 KB

About the Author

Beth Thomas is managing director and executive vice president of Sequent Consulting, a firm that provides training and HR services to the corporate sector. She has been senior vice president of retail training at JPMorgan Chase, where she was responsible for the learning and development of nearly 40,000 employees. She has worked with Limited Brands, Abercrombie and Fitch, DSW, and the CIA on how to improve the bottom line by investing in employee happiness. She is a frequent national speaker.

Read an Excerpt

Are you happy?

How you answer that question probably depends on what area of your life you think about first. Your spouse? Home? Children? Friends? Work?

For most people, work isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But a lack of happiness at work can have a huge impact. When you are unhappy at the office, that feeling overflows into every part of your life. On the flip side, when you are happy in your nine-to-five, that joy pervades every area of your life. Unfortunately, happiness can sometimes play a serious game of hide-and-seek.

I'm not telling you anything you don't know-at least not yet. We all know how difficult it can sometimes be to find joy at work, whether you're in a cubicle or a corner office. And we all know, in a vague, rainbows-and-butterflies way, that more happiness in the hallways at work would be good. But it's a little more serious than that. True happiness improves the bottom line-yours and your company's. Don't believe me? Research at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has shown that U.S. corporations with the happiest employees have a financial performance notably better than lower-ranked companies. Why is this? Common sense might offer hints, but other happiness research proves it: people who are happy function better, according to folks like happiness expert Alexander Kjerulf. Happy associates are productive associates.

And being happy at work is more important for you than most people think. Why? Because being happy at work is the first step in a sequence that leads to success. If you are happy at work, you become engaged in your work. If you are engaged, increased productivity, better results, and stronger relationships with your co-workers will follow. Happiness can not only skyrocket your career, but it can also transform your every workday. What's more, being happy not only affects your work; it affects your entire life in a positive way. Who wouldn't want that?

Not just working professionals. A positive psychology class nicknamed Happiness 101, taught by professor Tal Ben-Shahar, recently beat out Intro to Economics as the most popular course at Harvard, with more than 850 students enrolled in its last offering. In the last several years, positive psychology courses have popped up on over a hundred campuses around the country. These classes aim to better prepare young adults by teaching them that you do not just need the technical knowledge of how to move ahead in your career; happiness plays a significant role in your overall success as a professional and a person. And people want to learn how to get happy.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Happiness Tip #1: Create Your Own Definition of Happiness 1

Happiness Tip #2: Choose Happiness and Make It Happen 23

Happiness Tip #3: Avoid What Holds Your Happiness Hostage: Minimizing Worry and Negative Thoughts 45

Happiness Tip #4: Hang with a Gang That Gets It 75

Happiness Tip #5: Dump the To-Do List and Start an I-Wish List 101

Happiness Tip #6: Take the "Un" Out of "Unhappy" and Be Grateful 121

Happiness Tip #7: Make a High-Yield Happiness Investment 139

Happiness Tip #8: Oh, Happy Day: Get Your Happiness on the Calendar Now! 165

Happiness Tip #9: When All Else Fails, Just Laugh 183

Happiness Tip #10: Pack Up Your Happiness and Take It to Work 201

Conclusion 215

Acknowledgments 225

References 227

About the Author 229