How to – Stay Upbeat The so-called “school of positive psychology” gets extra attention during difficult economic times. People are trying to balance the continuing deluge of bad news with an optimistic outlook. Today’s economic headlines certainly test our ability to find hope.

Happiness feels better than anger or depression and there are studies that actually measure the effect an upbeat attitude can have on the bottom line. Almost ten years of research suggests that being happy at work can improve revenue, employee retention, customer loyalty and even creativity. While I don’t advocate acting as if the current downturn isn’t happening, I do think it makes sense to focus on what you CAN do, what you are good at doing, and what brings joy into your life.

Take Action
Upbeat professionals and optimistic organizational leaders behave in ways that generate positive energy. Apply some of these tactics at work when you feel things dragging you down:

• Communicate positive stories from customers. Not only are you focusing on the people who support your firm, you are providing reinforcement feedback to employees who want to know that what they are doing matters to the recipient of the goods and services of your firm.

• Acknowledge someone who made you more effective. Gratitude and attention improves productivity.

• If someone’s strengths don’t align with their job responsibilities, see if you can adjust the job. People like to “go to their strengths” and tend to solve problems faster when they are feeling capable of doing so.

• Hire for fit rather than skill. Skills can be taught but a good fit is worth more to your firm in terms of positive energy and emotional strength, both critical attributes in tough times.

• Focus outward rather than inward. Helping others can be empowering; and keeping your attention on what may be going wrong tends to drain. Complaining may be the default mode of choice, but it IS a choice. Choose to concentrate on ways you can take action or support others

• Suggest something fun. “Wacky Hat Day,” “Ugly Sweater Day,” or even a scavenger hunt won’t change the business climate; but they can create an opportunity to lighten up, have some low-cost fun, and help people focus on having a good time. Smiling can be contagious and the physical act of laughing is an exhale that relaxes the muscles.

• Take time to inspire and create. Retreats that focus the team on their work can keep them focused on how their contributions fit into the larger purpose of the organization. When things improve, you’ll be poised with new ideas, strategies and focus. You can also get the team to explore ways to save money collectively, rather than simply making a unilateral decision to cut budget or people.

Note:people may feel upbeat as a result of your positive outlook. Don’t forget however, that it’s a temporary way to address the problem of the economic downturn.

Hope can vanish if left to flourish on its own, so doing nothing at all can make the workplace a drain on people’s psyche. Your goal should be to help folks stay focused on doing what they CAN so they will be more upbeat. Since each person is unique, employees will define happiness at work differently from each other.  10:56 AM •