Build Workplaces With Thriving People + Extraordinary Outcomes
The purpose of the Center for Positive Organizations is very inclusive. I do not know anyone who doesn’t want to have a high-performing workplace with thriving people! Sadly, many people experience workplaces that are anything but positive. Indeed, a meta study by Christine Porath found that 98% of us have experienced incivility in the workplace. … Read moreThe First Step in Turning Around Organizational Culture
Picture a fast flowing, deep river winding through a steep bank in a forest. There are many twists and turns. The water is raging and churning, yet it stays within the confines of the river banks. How do you get the water to flow where you want it to go? Think about the behavioral dynamics … Read moreLeadership in Turbulent Times
It’s time for a difficult conversation with a colleague or employee. A project just finished and didn’t go as anyone had hoped. You are dreading raising it directly. You are worried about how he or she will respond. So you are procrastinating and reading this article. Good timing. I estimate that at least 80% of … Read moreDon’t Give Feedback Until You Read This
Teamwork does not mean doing everything together. Think of your favorite team sport. Mine is soccer. I call it Real Football. Great teamwork is beautiful to watch on a football field. It is the balance between great interplay, and moments of individual brilliance. For the football fanatics, here are two short clips from the same … Read moreWhat Teamwork is Not
Many things stand in the way of creating a culture conducive to giving and receiving feedback. Sometimes, these challenges seem so insurmountable that we stop trying. We simply opt not to take the psychological and relational risk involved with these difficult conversations. We just say nothing. Or, even worse, we default to destructive, passive-aggressive communication. … Read moreThree Steps for a Feedback Culture
Having a positive organizational culture is most important when things are not going according to plan. This is somewhat paradoxical. Many people expect that those workplaces with strong, positive cultures somehow have things go perfectly well all the time. Or if things do go wrong, that the situations get glossed over or diminished in importance. … Read morePositive Organizing in Tough Times
Creating organizational culture change can be hard. We may not initially have the skills we need. We have to sustain our energy and commitment to the change process, while continuing to fulfill our other job responsibilities well. We have to persist even through skepticism and resistance along the way. Oftentimes, we believe such change efforts … Read more4 Efficient Steps To a Positive Culture
An interview with the awesome Michelle McQuaid. Originally at www.michellemcquaid.com Do you lack the authority to create the kind of positive changes you’d love to see in your workplace? Have you tried to get leaders on board and had no luck? What if there was a formula that helped you fly under-the-radar and create the … Read moreCan You Create Change From the Bottom Up?
Walking down the street is a hazardous experience these days. People have their heads down, eyes glued to their smartphones, while walking full speed ahead (or unconsciously zigzagging), oblivious to people walking in the other direction. From time to time, collisions occur and people and gadgets come crashing down in a heap. Other times, those … Read moreCreating a Healthy Relationship with Technology
Leadership experts make it sound easy: “Follow these simple steps and you will have amazing results!” The typical format is somewhat formulaic. With poise and pithy quotes, we deliver our sticky stories. We boil down thousands of hours of research and experience into a set of snazzy slides and talking points. When they go well, … Read moreIn Defense of Doers