Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast

Professor Brian R. Little has been a major innovator in the field of personality assessment and motivation, beginning when he received his Ph.D. in personality psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and most recently he has been the 2020 winner of the Henry A. Murray Award for distinguished research on the study of lives. He is currently a Senior Fellow in Person-Analytics at the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania, and Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus at Carleton University in Ottawa. He is also a widely renowned educator, having received major awards for his teaching at a number of universities, including Harvard where for four consecutive years he was elected a Favorite Professor by his students. Along with Brian’s bestselling books – “Me, Myself and Us: The Science of Personality” and the “Art of Well-Being”; Brian has a very popular TED talk that has been viewed over 20 million times. In this week's episode, Brian Little shares insights from his innovative research on

In this week's episode, we discover the five evidence-based approaches teams can playfully experiment with as they head back to the office to improve their resilience and wellbeing. Connect with Nic Marks: https://fridaypulse.com/ [free_product_purchase id="112024"] You’ll Learn: [02:47] - Nic explains how we can differentiate happiness and wellbeing in our workplaces [03:58] - Nic outlines the business case for investing in employee wellbeing. [06:45] - Nic outlines the five evidence-based ways we can improve the wellbeing and resilience of teams at work. [08:35] - Nic provides an example of how we can make hybrid working arrangements fairer for teams. [10:52] - Nic shares how leaders can help their teams strike the right balance of learning and challenge without burning people out. [12:29] - Nic explains why encouraging teams to playfully experiment as they work can boost psychological safety, creativity, and innovation. [15:17] - Nic shares how we can optimize meaning and purpose in our teams without cr

Dr. Paige Williams is co-founder of The Leaders Lab and honorary fellow and researcher at the Centre for Wellbeing at the University of Melbourne. Paige creates practical evidence-based pathways to teach leaders how to leverage their energy attitudes and mindsets to benefit from the dynamic complex and uncertain environment in which most organizations now operate using the latest research in neuroscience, positive psychology, leadership, and systems thinking. And you can see how all of these ideas come together in her book, Becoming AntiFragile: Learning to Thrive through Disruption, Challenge, and Change. In this week's episode, we explore new research that explains how some leaders are supercharging the well-being and performance of themselves and their teams as they try to shape the new normal of work. Connect with Dr. Paige Williams: https://www.michellemcquaid.com/theleaderslab/leadingtothrive/ You’ll Learn: [02:45] - Paige explains why new data suggests that old leadership approaches are no longer wo

In this week's episode, we bust the outdated myths about how our brains work and discover what the latest science really suggests about how we can work better with others. Connect with Lisa Feldman Barrett: https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/ You’ll Learn: [03:29] - Lisa explains what the latest research suggests about how our brains really work and what they are best for? [06:21] - Lisa shares how our brains are structured like a network, to share the information that makes up the experiences and actions of our lives. [08:16] - Lisa shares why our brains are predicting organs and what this might mean practically for us as we go about our work. [15:12] - Lisa explains how our brains are impacted by each other as we work together. [20:16] - Lisa explains the 5Cs of the human brain and how these help us to create a social reality as we work together. [33:14] - Lisa shares how we can use our brains to more intelligently navigate the socially constructed worlds in which we live. [35:51] - Lisa enters the lightning

In this week’s episode, Dr. Paige Williams chats with Associate Professor Carol Kauffman, who shares her insights into how leaders can more effectively build bridges of connection with their people. Connect with Carol Kauffman: https://carolkauffman.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:17] - Carol shares her favorite question to help build leadership capacity and impact [05:48] - Carol explains how we can overcome ego through a shift in perspective [09:14] - Carol suggests how we can shift to a more constructive leadership perspective [10:37] - Carol shares how to build bridges with people who are reluctant for connection [14:28] - Carol explains the risk of resilient leaders missing compassion [17:18] - Carol explains a technique to build bridges in feedback conversations [20:08] - Carol shares a guiding principle to use when ‘coaching up’ [28:35] - Carol enters the lightning round... Thanks for listening! MPPW Podcast on Facebook The Institute of Coaching Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoy

In this week's episode, we explore how workplace wellbeing programs can benefit from understanding the best practices of trauma theory and attachment theory. Connect with Dr. Sandra Bloom: https://www.geniuswithin.co.uk/ [free_product_purchase id="108735"] You’ll Learn: [02:49] - Sandra explains what trauma theory can teach us about caring for each other in workplaces. [04:38] - Sandra outlines why attachment theory can teach us about caring for each other in workplaces. [06:30] - Sandra shares how trauma theory and attachment theory can help us to care for wellbeing in workplaces. [10:09] - Sandra explains how workplace wellbeing approaches can balance the science of human flourishing with the science of human suffering. [11:49] - Sandra offers some tips for how we can create sanctuaries of wellbeing in our workplaces. [18:05] - Sandra shares why we need a safety plan in addition to a wellbeing plan. [20:06] - Sandra offers some tips for how we can build more psychologically safe organizational cultures.

Dr. Nancy Doyle is a Chartered Psychologist, in organizational and occupational psychology and the founder and owner of Genius Within, a social enterprise dedicated to facilitating neurodiversity inclusion. Her work has included advising NGOs, international and national civil servants, and political groups, as well as working with organizations towards a future where all Neurominorities are able to maximize their potential and work to their strengths. Nancy is also a Research Fellow with Birkbeck, University of London. And In 2019 she was recognized by the British Psychological Society with an award for her contribution to Policy Impact in Occupational Psychology. In this week's episode, Dr. Nancy Doyle talks us through the wonderful benefits of a neurodiverse workforce and how we can best support this. Connect with Nancy Doyle: https://www.geniuswithin.co.uk/ You’ll Learn: [02:38] - Nancy explains what neurodiversity is. [07:55] - Nancy shares what are considered Neurominorities. [10:06] - Nancy shares wh

In this week’s episode, we explore how teams and leaders can work together to lower the risk of burnout.  Connect with Paula Davis: https://stressandresilience.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:46] - Paula explains why addressing burnout has become such a big issue in workplaces in recent years. [05:00] - Paula defines the difference between burnout and stress. [08:51] - Paula shares why we need to cause approach – and not simply a symptoms approach – to addressing burnout in workplaces. [12:20] - Paula explains why teams play such an important role when it comes to addressing burnout. [14:34] - Paula shares some of the simple steps teams can take to lower the risk of burnout. [18:49] - Paula explains how tiny noticeable things in teams can have a big impact on burnout. [23:06] - Paula provides some suggestions on what leaders can do to positively impact their team’s stress level and try to decrease burnout. [33:19] - Paula completes the lightning round. Thanks for listening! MPPW Podcast on Facebook https://breneb

Jim Harter, Ph.D. is chief scientist for Gallup’s Workplace and Management and Well-Being Practises. Jim is the primary researcher and author of the first large-scale, multi-organization study to investigate the relationships between work-unit employee engagement and business results. This study currently includes 2.7 million employees across 54 industries in 96 countries. In this week’s episode, Jim Harter shares his insights from the latest Gallup research to help us understand how to create a Net Thriving Culture at work. Connect with Jim Harter: https://www.gallup.com You’ll Learn: [02:29] - Jim explains how thriving is defined in 'Wellbeing at Work' [03:54] - Jim explains the research that underpins this definition of thriving [06:45] - Jim unpacks a measure of thriving that all organizations can use [08:41] - Jim explains the five factors that can help us move from struggling to thriving [10:53] - Jim explains how the Gallup Net Thriving Score fills a gap in well-being measurement [13:39] - Jim share

Peggy is an associate professor at the Centre for Wellbeing Science at the University of Melbourne. Her research is collaborative in nature and draws on a variety of methodologies to examine questions around who thrives in life and why and she has published 3 books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles and chapters. Danielle is a registered psychologist, and the Co-Founder of The Wellbeing Lab, and the Co-Creator of The PERMAH Wellbeing Survey. In this week's episode, we discover the practical steps communities are taking to care for people’s well-being, even in the face of significant struggles. Connect with Dr. Peggy Kern: https://www.peggykern.org/ You’ll Learn: [02:41] Peggy explains how people are managing to thrive even in the face of challenging circumstances. [07:32] Peggy shares the factors interpersonal, intrapersonal and external factors that appear to be supporting people’s wellbeing. [13:07] Peggy outlines how people can boost their levels of thriving across their communities, even in the face o

Dr. Robin Stern is the co-founder and associate director for the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence and an associate research scientist at the Child Study Centre at Yale. She is a licensed psychoanalyst with 30 years of experience treating individuals, couples, and families, and also does consulting work with schools both nationally and across the globe, as well as with large corporations, including Facebook and Google on best practice, practices for integrating the principles of emotional intelligence into training, outreach, and product design. In this week’s podcast, we explore what gaslighting is, how it can play out in our workplaces, and positive strategies we can employ when faced with it. Connect with Dr. Robin Stern: https://robinstern.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:23] - Robin shares with us what gaslighting is. [04:01] - Robin shares what gaslighting can look like at work. [06:04] - Robin shares an example of gaslighting at work. [09:49] - Robin shares the impact gaslighting has on people in the wor

Scott Donaldson is a post-doctoral scholar in evaluation, statistics, and measurement at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine Moores Cancer Centre. Scott’s research focuses on the design, measurement, and evaluation of individual workplace and community-based well-being interventions and has been published in leading journals. In this week’s episode, we explore which positive psychology interventions have been found to be the most effective in workplaces, and why. Connect with Scott Donaldson: https://www.scottdonaldsonphd.com/ You’ll Learn: [03:15] Scott explains what Dr. Seligman’s PERMA theory of wellbeing suggests about caring for our wellbeing. [06:20] Scott shares some of the recent concerns about the PERMA wellbeing theory researchers have been discussing. [13:10] Scott shares the additional wellbeing factors his research has been uncovering. [15:39] Scott explains the impact studies are finding workplace wellbeing can have on workplace outcomes. [20:37] Scott shares how differe

Rasmus Hougaard is the founder and managing director of Potential Project. He’s recognized by the Thinkers50 as one of the most important emerging business thinkers and leaders in the world. He writes for Harvard Business Review and Forbes and lectures at the world’s leading business and executive education schools like IMD, Rotman, and IESE. Rasmus has led more than 1,500 keynotes and workshops, and he’s recognized as the leading global authority on training the mind to be focused, effective, and clear for great leadership, performance, innovation, and resilience. In this week’s podcast, we find out about the difference between compassion and empathy and how wise compassionate leadership is the most effective way to lead our teams.    Connect with Rasmus Hougaard: https://www.potentialproject.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:51] - Rasmus shares what it means to do hard work the human way. [04:59] - Rasmus Explains why we need to go beyond compassion. [09:30] - Rasmus describes the four skills that underpin wise-com

Dr. Grace Lordan is the founding director of the Inclusion Initiative, director of the master’s in behavioral science, and an associate professor in behavioral science at the London School of Economics and political science. Grace’s research is focused on understanding why some individuals succeed in life and others don’t and she’s an expert on the effects of bias, discrimination, and technology and how these changes impact us. She’s also an expert advisor to the UK government sitting on their skills and productivity board and her academic writings have been published in top international journals and her new book Think Big: Take Small Steps and Build the Future You Want has just been released. In this week’s podcast, we explore how to set and reach the future goals that matter most to us, even in the face of limited time, limiting stories, and our tendencies to self-sabotage. Connect with Dr. Grace Lordan: https://www.lse.ac.uk/PBS/People/Dr-Grace-Lordan You’ll Learn: [03:00] - Grace explains why our futu

Michael Bungay Stanier, who helps people be a force for change. Best known for his book, The Coaching Habit, Michael’s learning and development company, Box Of Crayons, trains hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like, and their clients range from Microsoft right through to Gucci. In this week’s podcast, we explore how to navigate hard changes more effectively by leveling up our individual and organizational curiosity. Connect with Michael Bungay Stanier: https://www.mbs.works/ You’ll Learn: [02:28] - Michael explains the difference between easy change and hard change. [06:51] - Michael explores how our definitions for successful change may need to be updated. [10:46] - Michael offers some tips to help us tell less and ask more in order to create the changes we want. [14:22] - Michael shares some simple questions we can ask to help us stay curious and open as we create change. [17:05] - Michael provides some simple prompts to help us tame our advice-giving monsters. [20:47] - Michael explains

Manfred Kets de Vries is a distinguished clinical professor of leadership development and organizational change at INSEAD, whose work explores the interface between management science, psychoanalysis, development psychology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, psychotherapy, executive coaching, and consulting. Manfred is one of the pioneers in the field of global leadership. He has published more than 400 academic papers and is the author, co-author, or editor of 52 books, including his most recent publication, The CEO Whisperer: Meditations on Leadership, Life, and Change. In this week’s episode, we explore what makes an organization authentizotic, and we uncover strategies leaders can use to help people feel engaged and wholly alive in the workplace. Connect with Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries: https://www.kdvi.com/ You’ll Learn: [02:29] - Manfred shares what an 'authentizotic' organization is. [03:08] - Manfred shares the factors leaders can focus on to help create authentizotic organizations. [06:30] -

Eric Karpinski has been on the cutting edge of bringing positive psychology tools to workplaces for over 10 years with clients that include Intel, Facebook, IBM, T-Mobile, and many others where he has helped managers and executives lead with positive emotions to drive team productivity, engagement, and performance. He is a key member of Shawn Achor’s GoodThink team and Eric’s new book, Put Happiness to Work, has just been released and we highly recommend it. In this week’s episode, we explore tiny evidence-based actions and habits you can take to improve levels of happiness and engagement for yourself and others as you work. Connect with Eric Karpinski: https://puthappinesstowork.com/ You’ll Learn: [ 02:54] - Eric explains why employee engagement is generally done wrong in most workplaces. [05:12] - Eric outlines the differences between happiness and wellbeing in workplaces. [11:51] - Eric outlines the two different groups of employees who are likely to benefit most from happiness and wellbeing strategies

Stefanie Johnson is an associate professor of management at the University of Colorado, whose research focuses on the intersection of leadership and diversity. Stef works with companies to implement evidence-based practices to reduce unconscious bias and increase inclusion. She is a member of the MG 100 Coaches, was selected for the 2020 Thinkers50 Radar List, and is the author of the National Bestseller, Inclusify, harnessing the power of uniqueness and belonging to build innovative teams. In this week’s episode, we explore how supporting people to stand out whilst creating a sense of belonging can help us to thrive at work. Connect with Stefanie K Johnson: https://drstefjohnson.com/ You’ll Learn: [ 02:33] - Stef shares how we can more confidently engage in the diversity and inclusion conversation with each other, even when it’s awkward. [05:41] - Stef explains why we each long to stand out and fit in and the challenges and opportunities this creates for inclusion. [07:37] - Steph shares how leaders can h

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She’s among the most highly cited and influential scholars in psychology and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and her general audience books, Positivity and Love 2.0 have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Dr. Fredrickson’s scholarly contributions have been recognized with numerous honors and her work has influenced scholars and practitioners worldwide within education, business, healthcare, the military, and beyond, and she’s regularly invited to give keynotes nationally and internationally. In this week’s podcast, we explore how positive emotions can help to broaden our minds and build our emotional, social and physical well-being. Connect with Dr. Barbara Fredrickson: https://peplab.web.unc.edu/ You’ll Learn: [ 02:58] - Barb explains why her research

Dr. Belle Rose Ragins is a Sheldon B. Lubar professor of management at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She’s an expert in the field of mentoring, diversity, and positive relationships at work. Dr. Ragins has co-authored and edited a number of books. She’s an elected fellow of five professional associations, a Fulbright Senior Specialist Scholar, and past editor of The Academy of Management Review. She’s also received numerous Lifetime Achievement Awards. Her research has over 20,000 citations, and she was recently recognized in Stanford University’s Top Two Percent of Scientists in the World. In this week’s podcast, we explore high-quality mentoring relationships and the positive impact they can have on diversity and inclusion initiatives. Connect with Dr. Belle Rose Ragins: https://uwm.edu/ragins-belle-rose You’ll Learn: [ 02:55] - Belle describes high-quality mentoring relationships and shares why they’re important. [04:09] - Belle paints a picture of who is mentoring in workplaces and what we wan