We can all easily list external factors that will take the joy out of work. Unrealistic deadlines, a constantly negative team member, or construction noise are all obviously destructive to a good mood. Chances are, we each have our own habits that put us in a bad mood – and these internal factors are often read more…
12: The Elements of Great Managing introduces the Q12, a set of twelve questions that Gallup uses to measure employee engagement. Gallup’s extensive data suggests these 12 questions are key to measuring the things that make a performance difference. These questions (actually statements that people are asked to agree with, or not, on a 5 read more…
In the process of developing my serious game, I have been distilling many of the relatively small but enormously effective changes individuals and companies can implement to boost happiness and productivity into sets of related hacks. Even after immersing myself in this topic for several years now, I continue to be amazed at how applicable read more…
Kevin Kruse keeps employee engagement short and sweet. In Employee Engagement 2.0: How to Motivate Your Team for High Performance (A Real-World Guide for Busy Managers), which many will read in under an hour, he delivers a lot of important points. Definition & Data Kruse defines employee engagement as the emotional commitment an employee has read more…
Do you ever play at work? Should you? If you are a regular reader of this blog or participated in a Happy Brain Science workshop, you know that I ground virtually everything I say in science. You also know that was a game designer for much of my professional career, and maybe you’ve heard me read more…
We all know we need engaged employees who willingly work hard to give their best. Employee engagement is a win/win/win that benefits the employees, the organization they work in, and the customers they serve. But how do you get engagement? One expensive but solid approach to significant organizational change is the “conference model” advocated by read more…
At some point in our careers, most of us have to deliver a presentation. Whether you are introducing a new company policy, showing the progress on your latest project, or convincing someone of your qualifications for a position, you can draw upon brain science to boost your impact. The key is to understand how the read more…
What are intelligence, creativity, and talent? How can we measure them? Are they innate, or learned? And how can we each uncover our own? Scott Barry Kaufman tackles all of these important questions and many more in Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. I found the book compelling, well-researched, and powerful, especially because Kaufman speaks both from his read more…
Seeing a talented employee walk out the door almost always means costs ahead – costs in the form of recruiting, interviewing, training, learning, and/or team building. And in most cases, those costs (and the disappointment on both sides) might have been avoided by applying some specific insights provided by neuroscience and the science of happiness. read more…
How do you motivate employees? How do you keep them happy and engaged? The Progress Principle The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work presents compelling evidence that most of us are failing to use one of the most powerful tools of all: progress toward clear and meaningful goals. read more…