Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast

Richard Ryan is a professor at the Institute for Positive Psychology in Education at the Australian Catholic University. He is also a research professor of Psychology at the University of Rochester in New York. Rich is a clinical psychologist and co-developer of self-determination theory, one of the leading theories of human motivation. With over 300 papers and books in the areas of human motivation and personality and psychological well-being, he is among the most cited and influential researchers in psychology and social sciences. In this conversation, Rich discusses how we can motivate ourselves and others at work and what we can do practically to cultivate autonomy, competence and relatedness.  He also explains the motivational pull of games and shares how elements within games can be used to improve wellbeing. Connect with Rich Ryan: Rich's Website You’ll Learn: [01:53] - Many organizations still struggle with motivating individuals to do their best work. Rich shares his findings in what actually works.

Kristin Neff is an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Kristin is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research. In addition to writing numerous academic articles and book chapters on the topic, she’s the author of the book, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself and creator of the CD series Self-Compassion Step by Step: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.  In conjunction with her colleague, Dr. Chris Germer, she’s developed an 8-week training program called Mindful Self-Compassion. In this conversation, you will hear Kristin talk about self-compassion. She explains why our fear of failure and anxiety over performance are the two biggest reasons we don’t do as well as we should and shares how the simple practices of self-compassion can help us to feel more confident, motivated and resilient. Connect with Kristin Neff: Website: http://self-compassion.org/ You’ll Learn: [01:58] – Kristin provides some cultural and biological reas

Duncan Young is the head of Workplace Health and Well-being at Lend Lease. Duncan is a passionate advocate for the positive impact of workplaces on our health.   In this conversation, you will hear Duncan talk about the techniques he has helped implement in his organization to help leaders make well-being improvements. Leaders can make these changes based on the information they gather by wearing a heart-rate monitor, keeping the diary, and learning about improving the energy profile.   Connect with Duncan Young: LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/duncan-young-6708389 You’ll Learn: [01:40] - Duncan explains why improving well-being is such an important issue for Lend Lease and why leaders are becoming more aware of this importance. [02:44] - Duncan believes we are becoming aware of the impact lifestyle have. [03:20] - Duncan shares details on the programs he has created at Lend Lease to help leaders understand their well-being has on their performance. [04:28] - Duncan describes the technology they are us

Dr. Alia Crum is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Her award-winning research focuses on how changes in our subjective mindsets can alter our objective reality through behavioral, psychological, and physiological mechanisms. She is an organizational training and consultant on mindset change and stress management. A mindset is a lens in which you view the world. The mindsets we choose play a dramatic role in shaping our physiology and behavior.  In this conversation, you will hear Alia discuss some of her fascinating studies and the findings from those studies. She specifically talks about mindset with stress, exercise, and food indulgence. Connect with Alia Crum: Website: http://mbl.stanford.edu You’ll Learn: [01:40] - Alia sets the framework for this conversation by explaining what a mindset is and how they work. [02:31] - Alia lists some of the things that shape our mindset and why they shape the way we feel and act.   [04:15] - Alia talks about some of her research and findings.

Barry Schwartz is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Swarthmore College and a visiting professor at the Haas School of Business at Berkeley. Barry spent 40 years thinking and writing about the interaction between economics and morality. He has written several best-selling books, including The Paradox of Choice and Why We Work. Barry’s Ted Talks have been viewed by more than 14 million people. When it comes to making decisions do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of choices you have? It seems that while choice is good for your wellbeing, more choice isn’t necessarily better – there’s a tipping point where too many options can paralyze you and lead to regrets.  Hear how adapting a ‘good enough’ strategy, rather than searching for the ultimate best option, can help you navigate more successfully through your choices and improve your wellbeing and how these practices can be applied in workplaces. Connect with Barry Schwartz: Website – http://www.swarthmore.edu/profile/barry-schwartz Ted Talks – htt

Emily Esfahani Smith is a graduate of Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania, where she now serves as an instructor.  Emily draws on psychology, philosophy, and literature to research and writes about the human experience.  She is the author of the best-selling book, The Power of Meaning: Crafting a Life That Matters.   Research shows that people who value happiness in the way our culture encourages us to do are left feeling empty and unhappy. What brings true happiness and satisfaction is meaning.  We all want to know that our lives matter.  In this conversation, you will hear Emily share the four pillars of meaning and the small, practical ways you can find meaning in your work no matter what your job description or your boss says.  Connect with Emily Esfahani Smith: Website – http://emilyesfahanismith.com Twitter – @EmEsfahaniSmith You’ll Learn: [01:44] – Emily explains why meaning matters when looking at wellbeing.   [03:41] – Emily shares what her research shows

Paige Williams is a Positive Change Solutionary who uses the science of wellbeing to create sustainable positive change within individuals and organizations.  She is a lecturer with The Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Melbourne. In this conversation, you will hear Paige share her research on how an Inside-Out-Outside-In approach to improving wellbeing can help to improve work happiness in organizations.  Paige explains how achieving successful and sustainable change relies on the dynamic interplay been the individual and the system that they are part of and the practical strategies organizations can use to create upward and sustainable spirals of wellbeing. Connect with Paige Williams: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-williams/ You’ll Learn: [01:48] –  Paige published a paper, Inside-Out-Outside-In: A Dual Approach Model To Developing Work Happiness.  She explains this approach to wellbeing in workplaces. [04:52] – Paige explains how workplaces can leverage the factors that

Christine Porath is an associate professor at the School of Business at Georgetown University.  Christine’s research focuses on leadership, organizational culture, the effects of bad behavior in workplaces, and how organizations can create a more positive environment where people can thrive. She recently released a new book, Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace. How often does someone’s rude or insensitive behavior zap your energy and motivation? Unfortunately it seems that incivility is on the rise in our workplaces.  It can undermine your work performance, and your mental and physical wellbeing. Listen to Christine share strategies on buffering the negative effects of incivility and building more civil organizations. Connect with Christine Porath: ChristinePorath.com You’ll Learn: [01:48] – Christine defines “incivility” and says that it has become more prevalent in workplaces.   [04:44] – Christine explains that the number one thing driving incivility is stress and feeling overwhelmed. She

Ellen Langer is a Harvard psychology professor and the director of the Langer Mindfulness Institute.  She has been described as “The Mother of Mindfulness” and has authored 11 books and more than 200 articles. Her work has influenced two decades of research in positive psychology.   In this conversation, you will hear Ellen share why mindfulness doesn’t require you to sit in hours of meditation.  She explains the benefits she has found over 40 years of research for the practice of mindfulness in workplaces and what leaders can do practically to be more mindful and how they can help the people they lead to do the same.  Connect with Ellen Langer: Websites: EllenLanger.com LangerMindfulnessInstitute.com You’ll Learn: [01:30] – Ellen explains why “mindfulness” as the process of noticing new things. [02:15] – Ellen lists some benefits of mindfulness in workplaces. [06:07] – Ellen talks about the practical ways leads can be more mindful.   [08:35] – Ellen provides an example of a mindful company that turned a f

Roy Baumeister is one of the world’s most prolific and influential psychologists. He has published well over 500 scientific articles and more than 30 books. In 2013, he received the highest award given by the Association for Psychological Science, the William James Fellow Award. He is a professor of Psychology at Florida State University.   Wish you had more willpower to stick to your resolutions?  Roy’s early studies found that generally self-control works like a muscle – it gets tired when you exercise it, but if you exercise it a lot, it seems to get stronger. Recently he is finding a link between your willpower and your body’s energy system, so when you are feeling tired, hungry, or run down your levels of self-control may be lower. Hear how self-control can help you manage the challenges of life. Connect with Roy Baumeister: Website: http://www.roybaumeister.com/ You’ll Learn: [01:45] – Roy explains why self-control seems more important and powerful than self-esteem. [04:30] – Roy describes his findings

Garry Davis’ corporate career has included more than a decade in executive HR and OD roles in public and private sectors.  His work in leadership development and applied positive psychology has been recognized through various awards.   In this conversation, you’ll hear Garry share his award-winning approach to introducing positive leadership into organizations and his tips for embedding these behaviors to create lasting changes.  Garry also shares the surprising truths he learned about organizational cynics and how to manage them through the change process. Connect with Garry Davis: Website - thestylewisegroup.com [01:47] – Garry shares takeaways from his award-winning work.  He explains the importance of context.   [05:13] – Garry explains why a one-size fits all approach may not work when considering smaller teams within an organization.  There can be different cultures with these teams. [07:18] – Garry shares his award-winning case study for the introduction of positive leadership into a workplace. [09:19

Sue Ashford is a professor in management and organization at the University of Michigan.  Her research interests include leader effectiveness and development, issue selling, self-management and feedback processes in organizations.   Are you keen to step up to a leadership role but worried you aren’t quite ready?  Sue suggests that everyone has leadership potential, and you learn leadership mostly from experience.  But if you’re racing through your experiences mindlessly, you could be missing out on a lot of learning.  By mindfully engaging in your experiences, and being open to growing, developing your skills and getting feedback you can be more effective at learning leadership skills. Connect with Sue Ashford: Sue’s Website You’ll Learn: [01:42] – Sue will be presenting at the upcoming Positive Business Conference on ‘Control Your Own Destiny: Leadership Development through Mindful Engagement.’ [03:41] – Sue discusses the leadership is part skill, part mindset, and in part risk. [05:32] – Sue defines ‘mindf

Edwin Locke is the Dean’s Professor of Motivation and Leadership Emeritus at the University of Maryland.  He has published over 300 chapters and articles in professional journals on topics such as motivation, job satisfaction, incentives and the philosophy of science.  He is internationally known for his research on goal-setting. Goals are critical in helping us create change in our lives, and yet most people struggle to stick with the goals they set. In this conversation, you’ll hear Ed explain the importance of setting goals and what his 35 years of research has discovered about setting effective goals and why SMART goals may not be as smart as you thought they were. Connect with Edwin Locke: Website: http://edwinlocke.com You’ll Learn: [01:37] – Ed explains that life is a goal-directed process and if we remain passive in setting goals it’s unlikely we will thrive. [04:44] – Ed shares why people struggle with goals.   [06:14] – Ed explains why we should be setting difficult goals for ourselves. [07:08] – E

Peggy Kern is a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education in the Center for Positive Psychology. She has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles, and her research addresses the question, “Who flourishes, and why?” Are we oversimplifying positive psychology?  While the field has made much progress over the last 15 years in helping people find ways to improve their wellbeing, however, at best interventions are only beneficial for some people, some of the time, and are far from a magic bullet for everyone in all situations.  Peggy suggests combining positive psychology’s focus on the individual with systems science to take into account the complex reality of our everyday contexts, could assist target interventions for individuals and the collective good. Connect with Peggy Kern: Website: http://peggykern.org You’ll Learn: [01:36] – Peggy has been working with a team of collaborators at Melbourne University that merges positive psychology with systems science to create positi

Professor Carol Dweck is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading researchers in the fields of personality, social psychology, and developmental psychology.  She has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the US Academy of Sciences and won nine lifetime achievement awards for her research.  Her work is used by organizations around the world to transform their cultures. In this conversation, you will hear Carol talk about fixed and growth mindsets and how her research has found they can impact our performance at work.  She draws on her experience of helping organizations implement this type of mindset to share the small changes workplaces can make to cultivate growth mindset environments and where this can go wrong.  Connect with Carol Dweck: Website: http://mindsetonline.com/abouttheauthor/ You’ll Learn: [02:10] – Carol explains the differences between fixed and growth mindsets, according to her research. [04:56] – Carol shares how her studies have found that when there is a fixed

Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley.  He is also the faculty director of The Greater Good Science Center. Dacher’s research focuses on the biological and evolutionary origins of compassion, love, beauty, power, social class, and inequality. Do you run towards or away from having more power?  Often perceived as the need to manipulate, coerce or dominate others, it turns out that power is actually the ability to make a difference in the world by influencing others.   As a result power is not something to be taken, but given to us through the practices of empathy, kindness, generosity and gratitude.  The paradox however is that as our power grows from these practices, it often ends up disconnecting us from the very people we serve.  So how can we navigate the power paradox? Connect with Dacher Keltner: Website – http://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/dacher-keltner You’ll Learn: [01:35] – Dacher defines “power” as your capacity to influence other people. [06:53] – Dacher explains that ther

Vanessa King is a board member of Action for Happiness, which is a UK-based not-for-profit that focuses on proactively building skills for psychological well-being and resilience. She’s also the architect of the Ten Keys to Happier Living. She joins me on this episode to talk about In this episode, you will hear Vanessa’s Ten Keys to Happier Living, which form the acronym, GREAT DREAM.  Vanessa lists these ten keys and describes how they can bring about happier living.  She also talks about her program, Doing Well From the Inside Out and describes some of the success she’s seen through that program with building well-being in the workplace.  As technology changes the landscape of business and the future becomes more difficult to predict, getting back to the basics with well-being is more important than ever. Connect with Vanessa King: Action for HappinessTen Keys to Happier Living You’ll Learn: [01:45] - Vanessa explains that the Ten Keys to Happier Living are areas that we can take action in to help oursel

George Bonanno is professor of clinical psychology, Director of the Lost Trauma and Emotion Lab, and Director of The Resilience Center for Veterans and Families at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. George’s research focuses on resilience in the fact of loss and traumatic events.   Most of us have the natural tools to deal with extreme adversities in our lives. We cope well when extreme things happen to us.  To deal with the world around us, it takes a repertoire of behaviors.  Sometimes, this involves what George calls “coping ugly.”  Sometimes we might need to do something that doesn’t seem pretty but is reasonably effective.   Connect with George Bonanno: Website for Lost Trauma and Emotion Lab You’ll Learn: [01:55] - George will be presenting on loss, trauma, and resilience at the 5th World Congress on Positive Psychology.  He shares what he would like attendees to take home from his presentation.  [03:45] - Media coverage ensures that we are aware of negative events.  The negative psychological co

Jeffrey Auerbach designs and delivers executive coaching and emotionally intelligent leadership programs.  He is the founder and President of The College of Executive Coaching, and past Vice President of the International Coach Federation Global Board of Directors. In this conversation, you will hear Jeffrey talk about the well-being coaching he does with people in the workplace.  The biggest part of well-being is career well-being.  Jeffrey explains the importance of using strengths intelligently, and when one can’t rely on their strengths, doing the work to learn something new.  A weakness is sometimes a strength that is overplayed.  Jeffrey shares examples of coaching clients to demonstrate how these strategies can be implemented to make positive lifestyle changes. Connect with Jeffrey Auerbach: Website: http://executivecoachcollege.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-e-auerbach-4155722b/ You’ll Learn: [01:45] - Jeffrey will be presenting at the 5th World Congress on Positive Psychology. He’

Angela Duckworth is a professor at The University of Pennsylvania. She is also the founder and scientific director of The Character Lab. She has advised the White House, professional sports teams and Fortune 500 CEO’s.   In this conversation, you will hear Angela discuss the research that she is doing on character with children and teachers in middle schools.  Character is not one thing, it is many.  Various character strengths fall into three dimensions: interpersonal character, intellectual character, and intrapersonal character.  Angela also talks about these types of characters in regards to the workplace.  You will also hear Angela talk about grit, and her opinions on the things workplaces are doing to try to cultivate grit.  Connect with Angela Duckworth: CharacterLab.org You’ll Learn: [01:59] - Angela shares some of the takeaways from her upcoming presentation on character at the 5th World Congress in Positive Psychology.   [03:53] - In Angela’s research, she looked at a subsets of strengths in the VI