Neuroscientist Glen Fox has spent his entire adult life studying gratitude. He is convinced that  “grateful people tend to recover faster from trauma and injury, tend to have better and closer personal relationships and may even have improved health overall.”

The study of gratitude is a relatively recent phenomenon, and emerged from the field of positive psychology. Yet the practice of gratitude has consistently been shown to lower stress, reduce pain, boost immunity, and improve blood pressure and heart function. 

To find out, Fox did an experiment using brain-imaging scans to map which circuits in the brain become active when we feel grateful. “We saw that the participants’ ratings of gratitude correlated with activity in a set of brain regions associated with interpersonal bonding and with relief from stress,” he said.

To up your conscious gratitude, Fox suggests keeping a gratitude journal. On a regular basis, write down what you are grateful for, even if those things seem mundane. The positive effect is cumulative so it’s a good idea to make this a habit. He also suggests writing letters of gratitude to those who have helped you along your way. 

Says Fox, “I think that gratitude can be much more like a muscle, like a trained response or a skill that we can develop over time as we’ve learned to recognize abundance and gifts and things that we didn’t previously notice as being important,” he said. “And that itself is its own skill that can be practiced and manifested over time.”

When was the last time you actively expressed gratitude, and how did it make you feel? And what experience have you had when people shared gratitude with you? To join the conversation, click on "comments" below.

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Gen Z can take criticism, but if you deliver it the wrong way, they might leave to find a workplace that connects with them better.

Gen Z, the generation born between 1997 and 2012, is not composed of the sensitive “snowflakes” some say it is. Writing in The Washington Post, technology reporter Danielle April says, “Your youngest colleagues may be the newest to the workplace, but they have clear expectations about how they would like to receive feedback: It should be timely, collaborative, empathetic and balanced.”

Experts who study the multigenerational workforce say things go awry when managers critique younger workers in ways that unintentionally alienate or discourage them. For example, it is often counterproductive to focus solely on what went wrong, fix their mistakes without a conversation, or deny them a chance to explain. Used to getting information with the speed of a click, a critique without explanation is likely to create self-doubt and engender the kind of burnout that increases turnover.

Gen Zers who spoke to The Washington Post said they view work differently from other generations. They want to be themselves at work, feel that their voice matters, and that their managers are empathetic and will invest in relationships with them.

Gen Z is only going to become a larger part of the workforce — they’re expected to comprise more than 32 percent by 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And they’re asking employers to respect them.

Have you noticed a difference in the attitudes and preferences of Gen Z workers, and how do you approach them to raise sensitive issues? To join the conversation, click "comments" below.

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Do you want to come off as evasive and arrogant in a job interview?  If not, there are two words to avoid.

Most job  interviews these days include some of what are known as ”behavioral questions.”  These usually begin with phrases like, “Tell me about a time when…" or "Give me an example of…". These are designed to probe your past work experiences. Given the format, most replies job-seekers give will necessarily involve some version of the phrase "I did."

What you want to avoid, conversely, is using the words “you should.” 

Writing In Forbes, Mark Murphy, the New York Times bestselling author whose latest book is Never Say These Words in a Job Interview, says responding with the words "you should," diverges from the personal to the impersonal, shifting the focus from your own experiences to general advice. And giving advice obscures the unique insights into your capabilities and personality that interviewers seek.

Research backs this up. Murphy’s Leadership IQ study found that interview answers rated poorly by hiring managers use the word "you" almost 400% more than good interview answers. Bad interview answers also contain significantly more present and future tense verbs.

Remember, the interviewer wants to learn about you and your past experience, specifically. Veering into generalities and pontifications can make your answers less relevant and less impressive.

Did you ever say something you regretted  in a job interview? To join the conversation, click "comments" below.
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​Being an introvert in an extroverted world can be stressful, but these 5 actions are game-changers at work. 
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Thirty-eight percent of people say they are either completely introverted (9%) or mostly introverted (29%). And 31% report they are an equal mix of introversion and extroversion, according to a survey by YouGov.  Writing in Forbes, Tracy Bower, PhD, a senior contributor, offers this advice...
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• Be Yourself: Play to your strengths. People view introverts as quiet, shy, and reserved—but 45% of people also see introverts as calm; 35% see them as thoughtful; and 17% view them as loyal.
• Embrace Teamwork: Work can be a great place to create connections. And for introverts, higher levels of engagement also result in greater self-esteem. Try to get to know others gradually by being a solid thought partner at work.
• Leverage Informal Interactions: Too much time alone can be damaging for “even the most committed introverts.” Just chatting with someone in a coffee line or exchanging pleasantries on the elevator or at the start of a video call can have a significant impact on fulfillment, happiness and wellbeing.
• Do Work You Love: Find responsibilities that match your preferences. There are plenty of roles in most industries and sectors that feature jobs that are more likely to match introverts’ preferences.
• Choose Your Boundaries: Block out your calendar for focused time and, if allowed, work from home occasionally. Be transparent with your team about the work you are doing and aspects that demand less distraction.

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If you are an introvert, what about your work do you find most gratifying and what strategies have worked for you to connect with colleagues? To join the conversation, click "comments" below.

Learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication with our online learning courses awarded International Gold for Best Hybrid Learning of 2022.

At work, comparisons are everywhere: Jealousy of a colleague’s successes, or work schedule, or relationships with leadership. But what if your boss is jealous of you? 

Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Ruchi Sinha, PhD, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of South Australia, says, “You may need to manage their emotions to manage your career.”

 Here are 4 ways to manage your boss's emotions: 

• Understand the psychology: Your boss is human and if you are outshining them they may feel threatened. It is up to them to manage their feelings, but check to ensure you are not doing anything to inflame the situation.
• Manage their reactions with humility: Inevitably, when we succeed, we credit our own drive, skills, and abilities. Although that might be true, we need to acknowledge “the exceptional circumstances and fortunate opportunities we may have received along the way.”
• Use your success to empower your manager and peers: When prospering, you may become more self focused. But it’s crucial to pause and find ways to use your influence to help others around you to succeed.
• Proactively diffuse the power struggles: If your manager feels threatened, they may assert their power and influence during public meetings and in front of stakeholders. Do NOT reciprocate in the struggle for power and status. Instead, validate your boss by acknowledging their expertise and authority. Remind them that you value their support.

Have you experienced a jealous manager, and how did you handle them? To join the conversation, click on  "comments" below.  We would really like to hear about your experiences!

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Have you heard that stress and pressure can push people to perform more, better, and faster? A large and growing body of research reveals a very different picture.

Not only is a cut-throat environment harmful to productivity over time, but a positive, collaborative culture leads to dramatic benefits for employers, employees, and the bottom line.

Our own research has long maintained that communication is the freeway to culture.
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Writing in The Harvard Business Review, Emma Seppala, of the Yale School of Management, and Kim Cameron, of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, agree. They suggest four pathways for leaders to create a more positive culture within their organization:

• Foster social connections: Caring for, being interested in, and maintaining personal relationships with colleagues produce extremely desirable results, including faster learning and better health. 
• Show empathy: Leaders who demonstrate compassion toward their employees foster individual and collective resilience in challenging times.
• Go out of your way to help: If you ever had a manager or mentor who took time and effort to help you when they did not have to, odds are you have remained loyal to that person to this day. Employees of self sacrificing leaders are more cooperative with their team.
• ​Encourage people to talk to you – especially about problems: Not surprisingly, trusting that your leader has your best interests at heart improves an employee’s performance. Feeling safe allows people to think creatively and innovate.

What have you done recently to instill a more positive culture in your workplace? To join the conversation, click "comments" below.

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