Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast

  Today we’re talking to Nicholas Epley, a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business whose research explores social cognition, and how people think about other people, to understand why smart people so routinely misunderstand each other. His research has appeared in more than two dozen empirical journals, has been featured by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal among many other media outlets and he’s the author of Mindwise, How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel and Want. In this episode, we discuss how your brain’s ability to understand what others think, believe, feel and want helps you to connect with others.  Nick also explains how this often goes wrong at work due to over-confidence that results in interpersonal misunderstandings and what you can do to improve your ability to mind read when it comes to your relationships. Connect with Nick: Website:  http://faculty.chicagobooth.edu/nicholas.epley/   You’ll Learn: [01:57] - Nick explains

Today we’re talking to Robyn Stratton-Berkessel, who’s an adjunct professor in the School of Management at Champlain College, where she teaches online in the positive organizational development MBA programme. She’s the author of Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions, hosts the popular Positivity Strategist Podcast, and is an advisor on various appreciative inquiry initiatives, for organizations all over the world. In this episode, we explore how positivity is improved in workplaces when people are given a voice using participative approaches like Appreciative Inquiry and how leaders can learn to feel confident about these generative approaches. Connect with Robyn: Website:  positivitystrategist.com You’ll Learn: [02:18] - Robyn explains the characteristics of a positive workplace. [04:45] - Robyn shares how we can help leaders feel more confident about the benefits of giving people a voice when it comes to improving positivity in workplaces. [07:37] - Robyn shares an example of how Appreciative In

Today we’re talking to Dan Cable, a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School and whose research and teaching focuses on employee engagement, change, organizational culture, leadership mindset, and the linkage between brands and employee behaviors. An award-winning researcher, Dan has published more than 50 articles in scientific journals, been extensively featured in business publications around the world, and the author of several books, the latest being ‘Alive at Work’. Dan’s clients include Deloitte, McDonald’s, Twitter, and many more. In this episode, we explore how workplaces can harness people’s neurological seeking system to help them bring their best selves to work each day and why self-expression, serious play and purpose can help us to achieve what we’re truly capable of doing while looking after our wellbeing. Connect with Dan: Website:  dan-cable.com You’ll Learn: [02:33] - Dan explains why researchers continue to find why many employees still feel like they can’t really be

Today we’re talking to Rob Baker, who’s a specialist at bringing positive psychology to workplaces, and strives to be a force for good in the world of work. A graduate of the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology programme at Melbourne University, Rob is the founder and chief positive deviant of a leading evidence-based positive psychology, well-being, and HR consultancy called Tailored Thinking. His ideas and research on how people can personalize work and bring their whole and best selves to the workplace have been presented at academic and professional conferences around the world. In this episode, we discuss how job crafting and in particular micro-crafting (small changes to what you do each day) can help you to align your work with your strengths, interests and passions to help you balance the demands of your job and feel more engaged, satisfied and effective at work. Connect with Rob: Website:  tailoredthinking.co.uk/ You’ll Learn: [02:15] - Rob explains what job crafting is and how it might help us a

Today we’re talking to Dr. Fred Luskin, who founded and currently serves as Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. Fred is also a senior consultant in Health Promotion and Wellness at Stanford University’s health center, where he teaches classes on positive psychology, the art and science of meditation, forgiveness, wellness, flourishing, and the psychology of storytelling to undergraduate and graduate students, and conducts numerous workshops and staff development trainings in relationship enhancement, stress management, and positive psychology through the Stanford Be Well program. He’s the author of several best-selling books, including Forgive For Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness, and has been interviewed by mere outlets around the world. In this episode, we discuss how forgiveness can help to improve our wellbeing, grit and psychological safety at work. Connect with Fred: Website:  https://learningtoforgive.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:02] - Fred explains the value of for

Today we’re talking to Darren Coppin, who is a Ph.D. researcher and businessman, who implements positive psychology methods, not because of any deep-seated faith in the movement’s principles, but because it works. Darren’s mother is an outrageous hippy who is at one with the universe, so Darren over-zealously tries to ensure that everything he says and does is evidence-based. In that vein, since 2014, over 105000 people have been through his government-funded model to increase the return to work rates for welfare recipients, and these tools are now being adopted by higher education and apprenticeship institutions around the world. In this episode, we discuss how to optimize people’s motivation and resilience for work. Connect with Darren: Website:  Darren Coppin on LinkedIn You’ll Learn: [02:01] - Darren explains how the motivation for behavior change is often misunderstood in workplaces. [03:26] - Darren shares how he’s applied the principles of behavior change to help long-term unemployed people find work.

Today we’re talking to James and Janice Prochaska. Jim is the Director of the Cancer Prevention Research Center and Professor of Clinical and Health Psychology at the University of Rhode Island and is internationally recognized for his work as a developer of the stage model of behavior change for which he has won numerous awards, including being one of the Top Five Most Cited Authors in Psychology from the American Psychology Society. He is the author of over 400 publications, including four books of which the latest is Changing to Thrive which he co-authored with his wife Janice, who is one of the most published authors in the field of social work having applied the model of behavior change to cutting-edge issues. In this episode, we discuss the stages of change most people move through and how understanding this process can help to improve people’s wellbeing and enable leader’s to embed positive changes in workplaces. Connect with James & Janice: Website: jprochaska.com You’ll Learn: [02:13] - Jim outl

Today we’re talking to Dr. Acacia Parks, who is the chief scientist at Happify, an online platform that turns the science of happiness into activities and games to create lasting changes and whose research focuses on self help methods for increasing happiness via books and digital technology with an emphasis on objective, observable outcomes such as physical health indicators. Acacia regularly publishes articles in scientific journals, has edited three books, and is also the associate editor at The Journal of Positive Psychology. In this episode, we explore how positive psychology and wellbeing interventions can be delivered in workplaces through technology platforms like Happify to create behavior changes that stick. Connect with Acacia: Website: happify.com You’ll Learn: [02:05] - Acacia explains how positive psychology interventions can be delivered through technology platforms to create behavior change that sticks [03:19] - Acacia outlines how the Happify technology platform works [04:40] - Acacia shares

Today we’re talking to Alex Linley and Trudy Bailey from Capp, whose vision is to match the world to their perfect job. Alex is one of the early leaders in positive psychology and its applications, particularly around strengths, and he’s the author of From Average to A+. Trudy’s been responsible for the relaunch of Capp’s Strength Profile tool and ensuring that practitioners have access to the tools to build a strengths-based culture that’s sustaining. In this episode, we discuss the business case for understanding how the use, energy, and performance of our strengths can improve our performance, wellbeing and business outcomes. Connect with Alex & Trudy: Website:  www.capp.co/Home www.strengthsprofile.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:22 - Alex summarizes his three most important findings on developing people’s strengths at work. [04:25] - Trudy shares new research on how using our strengths can help us to achieve our goals. [05:48] - Trudy explains how the Strengths Profile tool works to help people develop the

Pernille is an experienced Business Consultant, Trusted Advisor, Facilitator, Board Member, Author and Speaker with a specialty within the Future of Leadership & Work, Change Management & Strategy Execution, Organizational Culture and Development. Passionate about developing Organizations, Leaders, and Leadership Teams from a Strengths-Based Perspective, focusing on their Core Ideology and how to add value to the world. In today’s episode, we cover the strengths-based approach to leadership and team development, and how focusing on these strengths has greater effectiveness than trying to improve peoples weaknesses. Connect with Pernille: Website: https://hippebrun.com/ You’ll Learn: [01:51] - Pernille gives the business case for a strengths-focused approach. [06:05] - Pernille explains how the acronym IDEAL PIT helps to remember the philosophy behind a strengths-based approach. [10:47] - Pernille explains how to run strengths-based meetings at work. [12:46] - Pernille covers using a strengths-focused

Rasmus Hougaard is the founder and managing director of Potential Project, a global leadership training, organizational development and research firm, who help leaders and organization to enhance performance, innovation, and resilience through mindfulness and other practices grounded in neuroscience and research. Rasmus writes for the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Business Insider, and has led more than 1500 keynotes and workshops around the world. His most recent book, The Mind of the Leader, is based on research with more than 35,000 leaders and executives and provides a pathway to great leadership in the 21st century. In today’s episode, Rasmus explains why 21st century leaders need to cultivate the qualities of mindfulness, selflessness and compassion for themselves, their teams and their organizations and how this can be practically achieved. Connect with Rasmus: Website: www.potentialproject.com You’ll Learn: [02:11] - Rasmus explains why 86% of leaders rate themselves as inspiring and good role

Dr. Jason Fox is a motivational speaker, best selling author, leadership advisor and wizard rogue of ace repute. Often sought for his fresh perspectives, contemporary philosophies, and deep expertise in motivation design, Jason shows forward-thinking leaders around the world how to unlock new progress and pry deeper into uncharted territory. His clients include Fortune 500 companies around the world, and he’s also the best selling author of “The Game Changer” and “How to Lead a Quest: A Handbook for Pioneering Leaders”. His research has been featured in the likes of Smart Company, Huffington Post, BRW, and the Financial Review. In today’s episode, we discuss how leaders can challenge the mindsets that keep them stuck in conventional thinking, by embracing the principals of motivational design and framing change opportunities as quests. Connect with Jason: Website: www.drjasonfox.com You’ll Learn: [02:14] - Jason explains how game design can be used to motivate behavior change in workplaces. [04:13] - Jason e

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts is a teaching professor of management at Georgetown University, whose research examines how leaders cultivate positive identities in diverse work organization. Laura’s publications ‘How to Apply Your Strengths’ and ‘Creating A Positive Professional Image’ are among the most popular articles from Harvard Business Publishing and have been featured in several media outlets. She’s the editor of numerous books including Exploring Positive Identities in Organizations with Jane Dutton and is a co-founder of RPAQ Solutions, a research and consulting firm that brings strength-based practices to leaders who seek extraordinary performance and personal fulfillment. In today’s episode, we discuss creating a positive work identity, and the effect it has on our personal brand, our sense of meaning and our relationships at work. Connect with Laura: Website: lauramorganroberts.com You’ll Learn: [02:43] - Laura explains what it means to have a positive work-related identity [09:32] - Laura introduces

Leah Weiss is a researcher, lecturer, consultant, and author who teaches compassionate leadership at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she created the perennially waitlisted course, Leading With Mindfulness and Compassion. Leah is a principal teacher, and a founding faculty member of Stanford’s Compassion Cultivation Programme conceived by the Dali Llama. Her first book “How We Work: Live Your Purpose, Reclaim your Sanity and Embrace the Daily Grind” focuses on developing compassionate and soft skill-based leadership, while also offering research backed actionable steps towards finding purpose at work. In today’s episode, Leah talks to us about why business leaders are lining up to learning how to be more compassionate in workplaces and how this is helping them to harness the wisdom of their emotions, to fail better in order to learn and to find more purpose in their work. Connect with Leah: Website: leahweissphd.com You’ll Learn: [02:01] - Leah explains why graduate students are lining up to l

Susan David is an award willing psychologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, co-founder, and co-director of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, and CEO of Evidence Based Psychology, a boutique business consultancy. She’s the author of the number one Wall Street Journal best selling book “Emotional Agility,” based on her concept that Harvard Business Review heralded as a management idea of the year, and has been featured in numerous leading publications including The New York Times, Washington Post and Time Magazine, and has worked with the senior leadership of hundreds of major organisations including the United Nations, Ernst & Young, and the World Economic Forum. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss why emotions are not simply positive or negative, and how we can navigate the way we feel in more agile and effective ways at work. Connect with Susan: Website: http://www.susandavid.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:20] - Susan explains why thinking of emotion as positive or negative can undermine pe

Dr. Adam Fraser is a human performance researcher and consultant who studies how organizations adopt a high-performance culture to thrive in the challenging and evolving business landscape. Adam has worked with elite-level athletes, the armed forces, and business professionals of all levels, and in the last five years, he has delivered more than 600 presentations to over 50,000 people in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing how struggle functions as a stimulus for change in workplaces. Connect with Adam: Website: dradamfraser.com You’ll Learn: [02:09] - Adam shares how he’s been helping leaders at Queensland Urban Utilities evolve their mindsets and behaviors to better support their people. [04:21] - Adam explains how he creates safe spaces for them to learn to lead with vulnerability. [06:15] - Adam shares what his research has found about helping HR teams to thrive. [08:11] - Adam expands on what his research has found about the importance of having challenging opportun

Michelle is a senior fellow at the University of Melbourne and holds a Masters in Positive Psychology and a provisional Ph.D. on how AI summits create positive disruptions that enable systems to flourish. She’s the author of several books, and her newest book, “Your Change Blueprint” with Professor David Cooperrider is about to be released. Michelle also works with organizations around the world on finding ways to help people flourish. In today’s anniversary episode, we’ll discuss Michelle’s hot of the PhD presses research findings on how AI Summits can be used to create positive disruptions that enable people and systems to flourish. Connect with Emily: Website: https://www.michellemcquaid.com/ [free_product_purchase id="27103"] You’ll Learn: [01:50] - Michelle explains how Appreciative Inquiry helps people and systems to create positive changes. [03:46] - Michelle outlines how an AI Summit differs from other appreciative inquiry applications. [07:03] - Michelle shares what she has observed about AI Summits

Emily Larson serves as the director of the International Positive Education Network and is an assistant instructor in the Masters of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania. Emily has worked on various positive education projects in Nepal, India, the Philippines, the UK and the USA. She holds numerous board positions and is a published author. In today’s episode, we’ll be discussing how schools are applying positive psychology to help improve wellbeing across the school environment and what other organizations can learn from their efforts about creating systemic change. Connect with Emily: Website: ipen-festival.com You’ll Learn: [01:58] - Emily explains what schools are learning about applying positive psychology findings to improve people’s wellbeing. [03:05] - Emily shares why a systemic approach to improving people’s wellbeing can be so important. [05:10] - Emily provides a case study of how a school is implementing a systemic approach to the wellbeing of teachers, students,

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. She’s an expert on leadership, teams and organizational learning, whose research on psychological safety in workplaces has been discussed in the New York Times, the Financial Times, Forbes and many other media outlets around the world and is the author of several books, including her most recent, Extreme Teaming: Lessons in Complex, Cross-Sector Teaming. In today’s episode, we discuss why Google have found that psychological safety is the common factor in all of their highest performing teams, and what you can do in your workplaces to improve psychological safety for others. Connect with Amy: Website:  Amy Edmonson HBS Faculty Profile [free_product_purchase id="26666"] You’ll Learn: [02:03] - Amy explains why more and more workplaces are talking about the need for psychological safety. [04:43] - Amy offers practical tips for leaders to improve the levels of psychological safety in their teams. [06:38] - Amy e

Dr. Mark Williamson, who is the Co-founder and Director of Action for Happiness. Since creating and launching Action for Happiness in 2011, Mark has engaged with a vast range of organizations, projects, and people on the topics of happiness, well-being, and resilience, including leading academics, major multinational corporations, public sector organizations, policymakers, schools, charities, and community organizations. He’s led the development of all of the Action for Happiness resources and activities and has spoken regularly on related topics at events and conferences across the UK and around the world. In today’s episode, we’ll explore how Action for Happiness are helping to improve people’s wellbeing in workplaces and communities around the world. Connect with Mark: Website: actionforhappiness.org/ You’ll Learn: [02:04] - Mark explains how Action for Happiness became a global movement to improve people’s wellbeing. [04:09] - Mark shares how Action for Happiness has mobilized wellbeing champions around