Do Worry About Getting Happy

 

You might not feel comfortable getting all touchy-feely at work with some fluffy HR programs, but you should definitely be open to proven performance benefits from activities that make your workers happy. More about those shortly.

First, make sure you know the basics about what makes people happy. Consider the following statement. Is it true or false?

If your workers work hard, they will be successful. If they are more successful they will be happier.

Would you be surprised to learn that there is plenty of scientific study on this topic? Would you be surprised that there was a popular Happiness class at Harvard? Well, it’s true. And as far as I am concerned, this is important foundational knowledge for successful managers and leaders.

The answer to the question is that the statement is false. It is, in fact, the exact opposite of reality. To perform well and be successful, workers must be happy. The happier, the better.

Recently reported in the popular press, one workplace group completed Happiness training (really!) and attained positive results in performance. And the Harvard Professor who taught the Happiness class has written a book where he makes the latest research easy to understand. He uses research findings to develop and describe techniques anyone can use. Check out this quotation:

 “Cultivating positive brains makes us more motivated, efficient, resilient, creative and productive, which drive performance upward. “

That’s what managers want!

As a project manager, you have to lead a workforce often without having direct hierarchical authority. You have to use your influence. Sure, monitoring and control are tasks you complete, but how do you use your influence to make workers happier so that they perform better?

Try these research-based ideas to get started keeping people happy in your project.

• Remember that people are happy when they are “making progress on their way to attaining their potential.” Help them do that.
• First, find out what they want to do. Take a training class? Get experience in a new role? Take the lead of a workgroup where they have experience?
• Next, make it possible for them to achieve those goals. Get them in classes they want. Put them in new roles or in charge of the teams they want. It is easier to do this if you know what people want to do before project planning ends.
• Pay special attention to making people happy when they lead other people. Happiness has been shown to cascade down the organizational chart.
• Find ways to help people help others reach their potential. Imagine the leverage you can get by finding and empowering those who want to increase their own happiness by helping others. Wow!

Bonus Tip:  Do workers need help with project management techniques? Why not get them involved with ProjectManagement?