I know you were expecting a follow up article from Ben regarding his last blog on Experienced Agent Recruiting.  Ben is out of town and will pick up where he left off in the next WorkPuzzle edition.  But, on an unrelated note…   

I’ve never cared very much for books like, “The Power of Positive Thinking," or motivational speakers like Tony Robbins.  I’m one of those guys who get a bit nauseous if a speaker asks the audience to perform some sort of goofy exercise to brighten our day.  Maybe it’s my scientific background that makes me question the motives of people who are trying to sell happiness. 
 
However, as you have probably gathered if you’ve been reading WorkPuzzle for very long, Ben and I occasionally supply you with hard research evidence regarding happiness, positive emotion, and success that should be made mandatory learning for anyone who manages people.  Research over the last 15 years has mushroomed on the topic, and has supplied empirical evidence that should compel you to make a point of knowing, applying, and teaching about the this important link between happiness and success.

The latest summary of the research by Shawn Achor, a former Harvard psychology professor and author of The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology that Fuel Success and Performance at Work (Crown Business 2010) is a worthwhile, empirically grounded read.

Here he says what we all have witnessed: "You can take individuals of equal levels of intelligence, and you find there's dramatic variance in their success rates."  If career success isn't primarily a function of intelligence, then what causes it?  According to the evidence, Achor points to optimism, social support and whether we view stress as an opportunity or a threat.

The evidence is clear that, “Our brains are designed to work much better when they are in a positive state as opposed to a negative or neutral one," says Achor.  "We find that when people are positive, it raises their productivity rate by 31 percent compared to when they're in a negative state of mind.  Sales people sell 37 percent more than their negative counterparts.  We know that doctors, when they're positive, perform diagnoses 19 percent more accurately."

There is a neurotransmitter called dopamine (related to pleasure) that is released in the brain when we’re in a positive state of mind.  Furthermore, scientists have found that the brain can access all kinds of creativity, activate learning centers, and provide motivational energy when dopamine is naturally released in the positive state.  As a result, positive brains see more possibilities, and productivity rises.

Does your office create positive states of mind?  Are you mindful of working to keep your team positive, regardless of current stressors? The best leaders in history have had an uncanny way of providing this model and a path for those around them to experience the same.  It’s a worthy goal.