Life is full of lessons, an ongoing masterclass in the human condition. One lesson common to humanity is how to negotiate conflict skillfully. In a keynote speech to graduate students in conflict analysis, international mediator Kenneth Cloke (2011) made a profound statement that has stayed with me to this day: […]
Being a great leader is no easy job. Talented leaders must balance the input and needs of their followers while still ensuring the collective meets its goals. They must carefully regulate their own behavior and emotions, recognizing these are contagious and can reflect on the image of their team. Most […]
Few, if any, reasonable adults expect to be bullied after school, but that’s exactly what is happening in the workplace. According to Dr. Gary Namie (2021), workplace bullying is the only form of abuse in the United States that is not yet taboo. Because it is legal, it remains invisible. […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020) estimate that US employers lose $36.4 billion a year due to missed days of work. Drivers of these absences include a range of health conditions and risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, physical inactivity, and obesity (Centers for Disease Control […]
Witters (2019) found that average work-related wellbeing across organizations throughout the United States has dropped significantly year-over-year since 2016. Further, findings from the World Happiness Report point to a 10% drop in happiness at work since COVID-19 was declared a global emergency in March 2020 (Cotofan, De Neve, Golin, Kaats, […]
Many of us spend over 80,000 hours in our careers (80,000 Hours, n.d.). With such an enormous chunk of our lives dedicated to working, we must learn to use that time wisely. Industrial psychology can help; it examines our identity and behavior in the work environment by asking key questions […]
Have you ever dreaded going to work, feeling a heaviness in the air the moment you walk through the doors? Successful organizations recognize that employees who resent coming into work will invest less effort into their job and be more likely to leave, taking their precious knowledge and skills with […]
Stress is a factor in 7 out of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, and the workplace is an important contributor (Quick & Henderson, 2016). An American Psychological Association survey found that 31% of staff felt stressed out during their workday (cited in Tetrick & Winslow, 2015). Help is […]
When confronted by demands at odds with our best interests, we must ask: Why are we not standing up for ourselves? Are we saying yes because we agree, or are we trying to prove our worth, unsure of how to assert ourselves (Shaw, 2020)? There are times when we fail […]
Have you ever been told you need to speak up? To please other people, do you agree with them despite it not being in your own best interests? If these statements apply to you, you may be struggling with being assertive. Assertiveness training is designed specifically for individuals who have […]
A lack of assertiveness can leave you feeling like you are no longer living your own life and are nothing more than a puppet, at the mercy of others’ desires. In contrast, being less anxious and more able to speak up with confidence plays a central role in who you […]
Assertiveness is a skill we can learn. By getting better at it, we can improve how we communicate, relate to others, and ensure our needs are met. Increasing assertiveness can be life changing for those of us who are shy, passive, or have a tendency to please others (Hill, 2020). […]
Have you clocked over 50 hours at work this week? Are you a self-confessed workaholic? As it turns out, working long hours isn’t enough to call yourself a workaholic. However, add a constant preoccupation with thinking about work to the point where it detracts from anything else, and this raises […]
Many leaders are continually on the hunt for fresh ways to motivate their team, increase productivity, and create a supportive atmosphere. A perennial question in the arena of leadership thinking is simply this: ‘What constitutes good leadership?’ Filtering such questions through a new theoretical framework can be powerful, causing top-down […]
People from all walks of life feel like an imposter at certain points. As a medical doctor, I’m no stranger to this feeling. It often seems my achievements have been accidental and that I might be exposed as a ‘fraud’ at any minute. It’s clear, however, that I’m far from […]
Thanks to popular media, imposter syndrome is now a well-known concept with many possible solutions. A large body of literature highlights its presence, particularly in the context of work, and thankfully also offers coping strategies (Bravata et al., 2019; Feenstra et al., 2020). In the first-ever systematic review on imposter […]
In life, we all seek different outcomes. One employee wants a vacation, another a raise, and someone else wants flexible working hours to spend more time with their family. Assertiveness is crucial when our desired outcomes compete with others'. It affects how hard we push to get what we want […]
Assertiveness describes how prepared you are to stand up for your opinions when someone else wants different outcomes (Ames, Lee, & Wazlawek, 2017). Too little or too much assertiveness, and you have a problem. Our challenge as managers is to achieve a balance where we can make ourselves heard and […]
Throughout our careers, our feelings about our jobs change. Sometimes we feel very satisfied, other times we feel incredibly disheartened and unsatisfied. Measuring job satisfaction is important because it can predict our future behavior (Faragher, Cass, & Cooper, 2013). For example: Are we likely to resign from our jobs? Are […]
Some years ago, I worked in a university library to help pay for my studies. I loved being surrounded by books and immensely enjoyed helping students find research articles and locate authors. While my pay was small, my motivation was high. Research has shown that being intrinsically motivated – doing […]
Gauges, thermometers, controls, and dials – all instruments to check whether a system is working or not. But how does one monitor and report back on a concept? Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. […]
The field of job satisfaction is rich and multi-layered, peppered with definitions, concepts, and theories drawn from several disciplines. But why is it important to think about job satisfaction? Why is it important to try and optimize it? For one, most people spend the bulk of their waking hours at […]
Have you asked yourself lately if your job is right for you? Are you aware of what right actually means? Determining whether you are satisfied with your job, whether it is right for you, and why that is important often involves personal intuition and circumstances. For some people, the right job […]
Haven’t we all had it? It's that feeling that we have misled others about our abilities and don’t deserve to be here. Perhaps it’s not so much what we said about our degree of talent but what we didn’t. Imposter syndrome is linked to feelings of self-doubt and intellectual fraud […]
Negative feedback can be hard to handle and, when poorly delivered, unhelpful. While we have all been on the receiving end of criticism – that uncomfortable conversation often toned down by pleasantries – it is neither easy to give nor take. And yet, if appropriate, timely, and well wrapped, feedback […]
Like all other forms of life on earth, humans are the sum of countless random inherited mutations. Over hundreds of thousands of years, selected genetic deviations have led to positive adaptations, increasing our ancestors’ chance of survival and having offspring, and being passed on to later generations. Useful adaptations ultimately […]
The workplace retains a central role in many people’s lives. With lots of people spending more time at work than on any other daily activity, it is vital that individuals within any organization feel connected and supported by peers, subordinates, and leaders. Psychosocial hazards related to the culture within an […]
When you read the words "positive gossip," what comes to mind? It is difficult to imagine that anything about gossip could be positive? Most of us picture two people huddled close, one whispering in the other's ear, eyes darting back and forth. Some of us envy them and want to […]
Once upon a time, psychologists working in organizations were typically doing so in service of a firm’s bottom line. Today, scholars, psychologists, and practitioners are aware of the impact that one’s working life can have on overall functioning and its importance for a fulfilling life. The research space in which […]
What would your ideal work day look like? How would you describe your current job? Is it “another day another dollar”? Maybe “thank goodness it’s Friday?” Or, is it more “I love what I do!” If it’s one of the first two, you’re not alone. Stress and burnout are super […]
If you’re a fan of positive psychology, you’ve likely heard a lot about strengths: how to identify your strengths, how to use your strengths, how to maximize and improve upon your strengths, etc. Not surprisingly, people are generally happier and more successful when they play to their strengths. This naturally […]
What are the best ways to motivate employees and increase productivity? This is a crucial question for just about anyone in a workplace leadership role. And, while leadership experts may agree with Aubrey Daniels that “positive reinforcement is the most powerful leadership tool” (Daniels, 1982), managers often find themselves overwhelmed […]
If you’re a leader in any sense of the word, you know that it’s a difficult job. Leadership is about much more than giving orders, managing employees’ time and making schedules, or providing annual performance reviews; it’s a task that requires dedication and a wide range of skills. Leading others […]
Leadership plays an important role in the workplace as well as other community organizations. Leadership activities are associated with benefits to business, including increased performance and productivity. However, perhaps the sign of a truly successful leader is a happy, healthy workplace. Interested in what leadership activities can do for your […]
Do you love your work? When Freud was asked to define happiness, he gave this simple answer: “Work and love.” We all want to be happy at work, not only because we spend a significant part of our life working, but also because it is a source of meaning for […]
Have you ever found yourself wondering what makes someone successful at work? Chances are, like many people you imagine that the key to success at work is intelligence or going above and beyond the demands of the role such as working extra long hours or taking on extra commitments. However, […]
Assertiveness is a type of behavior which is used to express one’s needs in a healthy, prosocial manner. Being assertive can be beneficial in a variety of social settings, although there can also be consequences to being excessively assertive. While some people are naturally more assertive than others, you can […]
There’s an old saying among sports coaches: "A champion team will defeat a team of champions." However, as much as we value the ideals of teamwork and connectedness, there’s also the alternative notion of the “rugged individual” or “prima donna,” who stands out from the crowd and succeeds without help […]
We all want work to feel positive and engaging. Who doesn't dream of waking up on a Monday excited to go to work? Positive Psychology explores the science behind positive emotions since they linked with the benefits of improved health, well-being, longevity, and a greater quality of life. On the […]
