Top reading : How to Be a Positive Leader, by Shawn Achor

Jennifer Thomas
9 oct. 2018
3 min de lecture

Drawing on the most recent discoveries in neuroscience and his experience as a teacher of happiness, Shawn Achor offers a compelling book to become an infectious optimist on the spot.

What is it about ?

To the question Does happiness affect my work? The answer is YES.

The ripple effect from these quick and easy tasks is incredibly powerful. “The reason this research is creating a revolution in society is it’s saying happiness and access to joy is a possibility for all of us and allowing us to use more of our brain,” Shawn explains. “We have higher levels of intelligence, it triples our level of creativity, and increases our ability to solve problems when the brain it positive.”

And on the personal level , which is connected to professional work. Because we are just humans. It is more enjoyable to live this way. And actually in my opinion you are doing much more and it goes in a virtuous circle. The winners are ourselves and our families, friends, colleagues, clients.

For one, most people believe that success precedes happiness. “Once I get a promotion, I’ll be happy,” they think. Or, “Once I hit my sales target, I’ll feel great.” But because success is a moving target—as soon as you hit your target, you raise it again—the happiness that results from success is fleeting.

In fact, it works the other way around: People who cultivate a positive mind-set perform better in the face of challenge.

Another common misconception is that our genetics, our environment, or a combination of the two determines how happy we are. To be sure, both factors have an impact. But one’s general sense of well-being is surprisingly malleable. The habits you cultivate, the way you interact with coworkers, how you think about stress—all these can be managed to increase your happiness and your chances of success.

Why did I like it ?

I am interested when talking about leadership. Because management is key in companies. And this a skill that I want to develop and be good at.

Leadership is far less about what you are doing, than about who you are being. If you think about the people who have influenced you most over the course of your career and life, it’s likely that what impacted you most was not what they did, but about who they were being while doing it.

Genuine. Honest. Courageous. Resilient. Real.

I also loved the fact, that it is not definitive. We can develop new habits.

Training our brain to be positive is not so different from training your muscles at the gym. Recent research on neuroplasticity—the ability of the brain to change even in adulthood—reveals that as you develop new habits, you rewire the brain. How cool is that !

It can help change relationship to stress.

Stress is an inevitable part of work (and life in general). The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, try this exercise: Make a list of the stresses you’re under. Place them into two groups—the ones you can control (like a project or your in-box) and those you can’t (the stock market, housing prices). Choose one stress that you can control and come up with a small, concrete step you can take to reduce it. In this way you can nudge your brain back to a positive—and productive—mind-set. It’s clear that increasing your happiness improves your chances of success. Developing new habits, nurturing your coworkers, and thinking positively about stress are good ways to start.

Shawn Achor is New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and Before Happiness. His TED talk is one of the most popular, with over 11 million views. He has lectured or researched at over a third of the Fortune 100 and in 50 countries, as well as for the NFL, Pentagon and White House. Shawn is leading a series of courses on “21 Days To Inspire Positive Change” with the Oprah Winfrey Network.