FINAL WORD

The question is how ? How the heck are we supposed to create a jaw-dropping culture when the pressures are so real , the meetings so frequent and the pace so relentless ?

The rise of the two-percenters

If your hand ’ s still up , congrats . You ’ ve nailed life . Well done you . Keep doing whatever it is you ’ re doing .

For everyone else , here ’ s the most important article of the year .

It won ’ t have escaped your attention that the modern world has gotten itself into a mess . Wars , climate emergency , AI , neurodiversity , anxiety , burnout , social media , fake news , politics – life can feel a bit like Mario Kart . It ’ s fast , furious and there are banana skins aplenty !

So here ’ s a new phrase for you : ‘ collective effervescence ’. If you ’ ve been lucky enough to experience collective effervescence , you ’ ll know what it ’ s like . For those who haven ’ t a clue ( many go through their entire life without living it ), let me explain . . .

Collective effervescence is a feeling of organisational aliveness . There ’ s a buzz about the place . Ideas are popping , there ’ s collaborative learning , calculated risk taking , laughter , banter and all those extra mile behaviours come as standard . These are the days when work doesn ’ t feel like ‘ work ’.

If you ’ re playing by the old rules of business , you ’ re dead in the water . Burnout will be nipping at your heels . You ’ ll be working harder than ever on your growth strategy , but slowly falling behind .

Because , in this brave new world , business growth isn ’ t a strategy , it ’ s a result . It requires leaders to take their eyes off the metrics and shift to a wholehearted focus on creating a culture in which staff can flourish .

This shift requires a new kind of HR , from custodian of Human Resources to instigator of a Happiness Revolution . Let me explain . . .

Twenty years ago , I flipped psychology on its head so , instead of studying illness , I looked at wellness . I investigated workplace wellbeing through a positive psychology lens , seeking out the handful of people who are buzzing with life and vitality . I nickname them the two-percenters ( on the grounds that they are so scarce ) and they ’ re at the top end of the happiness chart .

I ’ ll spare you the academic turgidity , but here are 10 facts :

1 . Happy people get sick less often . 2 . Happy people have more energy . 3 . Happy people are more optimistic . 4 . Happy people are more motivated . 5 . Happy people work better with others . 6 . Happy people are more creative . 7 . Happy people learn faster . 8 . Happy people make better decisions . 9 . Happy people give better customer service .

Dr Andy Cope

With 1 – 9 building to this compelling fact . . .

10 . Happy people are your competitive advantage .

Now simply turn the positive statements above to negatives , and you get the workforce from hell ! Is it really in anyone ’ s interest to have a negative , uncreative , sickness-prone , pessimistic , lacklustre , sclerotic , depressed workforce ?

Be the change

There ’ s a whole host of ‘ how tos ’ in my books and workshops , but in the meantime , here are www . intelligentcxo . com

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