Well-Being

Rath and Harter. Tom Rath and Jim Harter are releasing Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements in early May. This is an advance review of the book and the companion website set up by Gallup.

The 5 Elements. Rath and Harter examine five elements of wellbeing:

1. Career wellbeing
2. Social wellbeing
3. Financail wellbeing
4. Physical wellbeing
5. Community wellbeing

In addition they discuss measuring what makes life worthwhile and offer tools and resources ranging from daily wellbeing to increasing wellbeing in organizations – the role of managers and leaders.

Great data nuggets. The book is full of nuggets and practical perspectives. There is a mix of new material and material that people who have read other Gallup publication would be familiar with. Here are just a few of the nuggets you will can digest:

• Only 20% of people like what they do each day.
• Actively disengaged employees are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression over the next year
• When you use your strengths you are more engaged and more likely to feel energized for 40 hours a week instead of feeling burned out after just 20 hours of work.
• Managers can contribute in very strong positive or negative ways to an employees career wellbeing.
• We need 6 hours of social time to have a thriving day
• Even 20 minutes of exercise during the day can boos t your mood for the rest of the day.

The role of leaders and managers. Leaders and managers who care about their employees have a significant impact on both employee engagement and wellbeing. they see the growth of their employees as an end in itself not just a means to an end. They know there is now way an employee will love an organization that doesn’t have a heart. Overall what is best for the employee is also best for the organization. Caring leaders and managers know that caring is not a feeling or noun it is a verb that requires they demonstrate continual caring for the people who report to them.

"I hate tennis!"

The phrase, "I hate tennis!" is repeated hundreds of time in Andre Agassi's autobiography Open, which I read this weekend. When my wife first told me this was his attitude I was a bit surprised, until I read this well-written piece. Agassi authentically and vulnerably lets us into a just a slice of his journey which isn't so much about the game between the lines but about the game between his ears.

I'm still pondering over one section where he makes the assumption that millions of people hate their jobs like he does his. While I know that less than 20% of American actually do what they are gifted to do, I'm wondering if this translates into actually hating the job.

How's Life?

"How's life?" is the introductory phrase usually spoken with the intent there will be no answer. However, let's imagine the question is genuinely asked anticipating an honest answer: "How's life...is it happy, pleasant, good, or maybe even meaningful?"

Martin Seligman in his book, Authentic Happiness, writes of three forms of happiness:

1. Pleasant Life: a life full of positive emotion about the past, present, or future

2. Good Life: a life where you are using your "signature strengths" - those things at which you are good.

3. Meaningful Life: knowing what your highest strengths are and deploying them in the service of something larger than you are.

It's worth contemplating what type of life we want and then intentionally choosing to live it.

A Time of Reflection

Whether or not the Lenten season (beginning 02.17) is part of your spiritual tradition we can make the choice to use this forty day period to reflect on our spirit and the inner journey of the soul. Actually, for many reasons it's my favorite time of year.

The question to ponder this season is not so much about what you may find or discover. Rather, let the meditation be on whether or not you (we) are willing to be pursued by the One who is pursuing us:

:: Am I willing to be found?

:: Am I willing to be known?

:: Am I willing to be loved?

Forty days of meditation will be good for our souls.

Successful Companies are SMART & HEALTHY

This is a philosophy - which I've learned from Patrick Lencioni - is something I not only believe in but want to help others achieve....specifically the healthy side. Check this out.! Here's a company, reported by Fortune, paying whose employees get paid in the TOP 25 in the country:

25. Robert W. Baird & Co.

Average total pay: $117,650

For: Financial Analyst*

Best companies rank: 11

Milwaukee-based investment advisor navigated through the financial crisis without having to resort to layoffs. In fact, it increased its staff 10% since 2007.

Aside from total compensation averaging six figures for salaried employees, Baird offers:

• 37.5 hour work week for hourly employees.
• Bonuses and profit-sharing for all employees.
• An opportunity to buy stock in this privately held firm. Nearly half of employees have done so.
• Free investment planning for all employees.
• Bonuses that range from $1,000 to $10,000 for referring a new employee.

"Baird cares about their associates very much," says one employee. "This place is like a second family."

Managing Desk Piles and To-Do Lists

I read this tip in a email blast I received from David Allen (Coach):

If you look at your calendar in detail over the next two weeks, I bet you would think of at least one, if not several, "Oh that reminds me, I need to's." If you take a pen and blank paper, and just spend the next five minutes capturing ideas on the most important project right now for you to make some progress on, you will likely come up with at least one, if not several, "Oh yeah, I could's."

This seems self-evident, but what I've also noticed is how few people actually have the habits installed to use those tools as often as they could to stay on top of their world.

Martin Luther King, Jr and his Vision

King inspires with his vision, clarity, and courage to speak truth. Here's another:

We shall meet your physical force with soul force.
Do to us what you will, and we shall continue to love you...
One day we shall win freedom, but not only for ourselves.
We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience
that we shall win you in the process,
and our victory will be a double victory.'
-Martin Luther King, Jr., Loving Your Enemies