In an engaging session entitled “The science of possibilities: positive psychology for the organisational and individual growth”, Prof Dr Michaela Brohm-Badry described how workplaces need to create a positive environment for people.
It was not only good for mental health, it was good for business. She went further and said that when she recruited people for her teams, she valued a positive attitude over knowledge: knowledge can be increased, but a negative person in the team reduces performance and well-being. Of course, if we can find both knowledge and a positive attitude, so much the better!
With a mix of humour and hard science, she reminded the audience of the human tendency to see the negatives first, a trait which has kept us alive but which is detrimental to growth and relationships. We default to the bad and have to train ourselves to find the good and so organisations need to focus on the positives to create a healthy environment. A leader who lacks a positive attitude and motivation will not inspire people.
The audience was asked ‘what are you grateful for?’ It was notable that as people shared their answers with their neighbours, the energy went up in the room. It was a quick demonstration of how emotions are infectious and we are responsible for creating our environment.
Finally, she stressed the importance of goals to motivate people. These can be any goals over any period, but it is best if they are stretching to keep our interest. This was nothing new and many of us set goals around the New Year but she stressed that goals need to be achieved in order to release the happiness neurotransmitter–Serotonin. We need to stop at the end of any successful activity and reflect on it. Too often, projects roll into each other and it is important to find the end and have milestones along the way to celebrate the success.
Overall, this was an informative and enjoyable event which reminded people to ‘always look on the bright side of life.’
