Coaching

Like any business leader, I wanted to be informed of what my employees were up to, so I requested that all of us write status reports. But status reports can become boring and sometimes feel pointless. What does science tell us about making them both a joy to write and a joy to read?

I’ve shared some takeaways from the first half of Caroline Webb’s new book. I hope you can see the value that she is imparting to her readers. She goes on to talk about how to be “your smartest, wisest, most creative self” and how to have impact and influence in what you say and do.

The Positive Psychology Program has created a Positive Psychology Practitioner’s Toolkit, an online database that grants our members access to all kinds of positive psychology exercises, assessments, scales, questionnaires, and worksheets allowing any therapist, coach, or researcher to apply positive psychology tools effectively in practice.

I first encountered Fredrike Bannink when she was leading a conference. workshop on techniques for positive supervision. I was impressed by her gentleness, her realism, her practicality, and her humor. She had seen and handled all the problems that people raised. I thought, “I would love to learn from this woman. She knows how to stimulate outstanding performance.”

Now I have the chance with this wonderful resource.

Welcome to the third episode of PPND TV, an interview with executive coach and author, Margaret Greenberg.

The PPND TV interview series is an experiment inspired by TED talks. We want to bring our readers the crux of positive psychology in brief video interviews with researchers and practitioners.

What started as a casual diary in my early teens is now a daily ritual, as essential as the caffeine that accompanies it. I’m talking about writing a journal, my life enhancing way to juggle my obligations and wants. So imagine my delight when I discovered that the practice can create personal and spiritual growth. The question is, how?

As a managing director, leadership coach, and parent, I’m always open to advice that can better inform my approach, attitude and style. After all, what might start out as helpful nuggets could easily become the guiding principles in all areas of life. Here are four gems that have made a significant difference to me as a leader over the years.

Welcome to PPND TV!  This is an experiment inspired by TED talks. We want to bring our readers the crux of positive psychology in brief video interviews of researchers and…

Thinking of change efforts as experiments means that even if they don’t work, they are sources of greater self-understanding that can lead to other experiments that do work. Instead of leading to guilt that undermines the will to change, experimenting leads to new ingenuity.

When they want to feel more loved, valued, respected or connected, most people give away their power. They ask (or want) others to be different, which means someone else’s behavior determines how happy they will be.
What do happier people do?

Many people dread strategic planning sessions. But with a different mindset and framework, strategic planning can be energizing, interesting, and engaging. It could even be joyful. SOAR stands for Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results. It is a strengths-based approach to strategic thinking that has many positive impacts. SOAR capacities can also be measured.

In her keynote address at the Coaching in Leadership and Healthcare Conference, Dr. Amy Edmonson of the Harvard Business School gave us the four critical ingredients in her recipe for success: Aim High, Team-Up, Fail Well, Learn Fast. Like other successful recipes, she urges us to repeat them as often as necessary.

What do we do when truly horrible things happen in life? Most of us can dream up a long list of disasters that could happen, and sometimes they do. What can we say to clients or friends facing major difficulties in order to help them effectively manage their moods without sounding like we are downplaying the true magnitude of their sorrow?

Based both on my PhD research and on my personal experiences publishing a book with Margaret Greenberg, here are my research-based suggestions for taking incremental steps to reach important goals.

This is a ground-breaking volume of positive psychology research, and the breadth of perspectives is unparalleled. Not only are new and more specialized topics included, but even familiar topics are illustrated with up-to-date research, case studies, and examples. Clearly this is what positive psychology students and teachers need to progress the science, do high quality research, and put it out into the public domain.

There are many good reasons why we should focus more on flow as a route to well-being. Five of the best ones are highlighted here along with several tips for making flow experiences more likely.

This book helps coaches enhance their current coaching practices by applying a strengths-focus. The book does not preach. It leaves readers with a sense that they need to take what works, test it, be discriminating, and most of all be situational. The book is informative, practical, and will give all readers a wealth of ideas, approaches, thoughts, and techniques.

It’s not unusual for me to hear from my coaching clients that one of their problems is that they need to speak up more and to think on their feet. Using a strengths mindset, I ask my clients how they benefit from being quiet in meetings and the advantage of not being so outgoing. When they reply easily and with energy (and usually with a look of relief on their faces) it reveals that their quietness is their strength.

Most of us don’t realize that we have a few central narratives running through our lives because the stories we tell ourselves are so familiar that we don’t even realize they are stories. In my work with clients, I’ve found that it’s often not the events of life that allow or prevent success in love, work, and happiness. It’s the stories we tell ourselves — and we can change our stories.