As leaders, we should want to aspire to create positive emotions in employees. The more positive employees feel about work the more likely they are to stay and be dedicated to the tasks they want to accomplish. As you read this, think of ways to inspire your employees to feel these powerful positive emotions while in the work place.
I recently performed an informal survey about what experiences people have which causes them to feel these twelve different emotions. I’ve compiled the results and found significant trends in almost every category.
Joyful
People seem to find the most joy in their lives from watching other people have a good experience. From listen to a virtuoso performance to children playing, to watching friends and colleagues have a wonderful experience. Joy comes from being in the proximity of someone having a great time.
Are you employees joyful at work? Are they getting the chance to experience a friend or colleague delivering a virtuoso performance? How are you providing an environment that encourages joy?
Excitement
People describe being excited when being involved in a winning accomplishment. Either a team victory or a personal “win” gets people pumped up and excited. It’s why people follow sports teams, why they enjoy competition, and why they enjoy trying new tasks because they get the opportunity to demonstrate a winning skill or talent.
How are you giving your employees a chance to experience victory? Do they feel a sense of team and understand what constitutes a win? Are you giving people the opportunity to feel excited about what they do? As rabid as fans are for their sports teams, imagine if you could create that same excitement for their work team?
Pleasure
Experiencing pleasure is simply doing what we love to do. People described pleasure coming from performing their hobbies, to spending time at a favorite location, to experiencing a high in their occupation. Nailing a speech, closing a deal, being recognized for an outstanding performance are all ways people experience pleasure in the workplace.
What opportunities are you creating for your employees to truly feel pleasure from their employment? What culture have you established in your work environment that encourages and fuels the opportunities for people to experience pleasure from a job they love to do?
Anticipation
For children, anticipation is huge the day before Christmas, before a birthday, just before entering into Disney for the first time. For adults anticipation is the same: the preamble to excitement. The preparation for a wonderful time is a type of high energy people enjoy just before “going for it.” It’s why players are jumping around just before storming the football field. It’s the racing of the heart as the speaker is being introduced, it’s the thrill of what positive moment is about to happen.
Great leaders are eager to get to work and get the excitement started. Top attorneys can’t wait to get in the court room to perform, and employees who love what they do are eager to get to the jobs they find exciting. How excited are your employees to get to work? How much positive anticipation do you feel on Sunday night getting prepared for your Monday morning? What model are you demonstrating?
Contentment
Overwhelmingly, people described contentment as something they experienced at the conclusion of a good day. Many tasks accomplished, success achieved, family tucked warm in bed, and a reflection on the positive accomplishments of the day.
What are your final thoughts before sleeping? Are you going over the positives of the day or are you watching televised news about all the negative things going on? Are you recapping your smiles from the day, or are you rehashing that argument you had in the morning meeting? Contentment is a choice we make. It’s also a choice leaders can influence in his or her staff. What last thoughts of the day are you choosing to have? What choices are you encouraging in your employees?
Invigorated
Almost every response to the question of what makes a person feel invigorated came from a physical activity. A gym workout, bike ride, a swim, working in the garden, weekend projects, doing something that makes a person sweat and gets the heart rate up were common in the physical exertion of energy.
As our employment becomes more office, white collar type of jobs, we are not experiencing the physical exertion of labor. (Although we all feel tired at the end of the day, don’t we?) Do you have a workout facility on your grounds? Do you encourage people to take a workout lunch break? Does your wellness program promote some type of invigorating activity during the work day? An invigorated employee doesn’t get the afternoon sleepies and is alive and alert throughout the day. How are you invigorating your employees?
The next blog on Friday will cover the next six positive emotions people experience. True leaders will recognize the benefits to having a consistency of these behaviors in the workplace, and work to find ways to create that type of positive working atmosphere. Give your employees the opportunity experience these emotions while working for you. They will be appreciative and you will benefit as well from the improved results.
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