It is true that happy employees and leaders are more effective, engaged, resilient, creative, social, and productive – all crucial factors in organizational success. But the reverse is also true for me. I get happy when I am working and new clients and engaging challenges and creative projects is just the kind of work that makes my brain do the happy dance!
In recent decades, Ph.D. researchers have been doing peer-reviewed studies of happiness and optimal brain function at universities including Harvard, University of California, and many others. Scientific breakthroughs and paradigm-shifts in neuroscience and positive psychology have delivered insights into the human brain that can and should inform the way we build organizations today. There are even large conferences, seminars and professional coaches dedicated to this. So there must be something to it!
I have experienced first-hand the damage an unhappy toxic workplace can cause to my emotional state. And I am not alone in this. Certainly organization of all shapes and sizes can fall prey to negative people who by their own actions destroy the productivity of the whole team. So in owning my own business I am keenly aware of the lack of negativity around me. It is only up to me to maintain a happy environment for my clients, colleagues and most importantly, myself! So as I have added new clients over the last few months, I always find that my brain does a happy dance...not for revenue, but for the new challenges and creative work I choose to do. I've never been happier...and yes, my brain is ]doing the happy dance!
