Coaching for Leaders

601: Gallup’s Insights on Addressing Unhappiness, with Jon Clifton


Listen Later

Jon Clifton: Blind Spot

Jon Clifton is the CEO of Gallup. His mission is to help 7 billion citizens be heard on their most pressing work and life issues through the Gallup World Poll, a 100-year initiative spanning over 150 countries. He is a nonresident senior fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and serves on the boards of directors for Gallup and Young Professionals in Foreign Policy.

Jon has been interviewed on BBC News, Axios, C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” and Al-Jazeera, and he has testified in front of the U.S. Congress on the state of American small business and entrepreneurship. He is a frequent contributor on Gallup.com and has written for The Hill, The Diplomatic Courier, and The Global Action Report. He is the author of Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It.

In this conversation, Jon and I discuss why many objective numbers like GDP appear positive and yet don’t correlate to wellbeing and happiness. We examine how to think about more subjective measures and ways for leaders and organizations to gain insight. Plus, we dialogue about what managers can do to help make genuine connections in the workplace.

Key Points
  • While objective trends worldwide such as GDP and the Human Development Index have been positive for decades, people are angrier, sadder, and more worried than ever.
  • There’s a key distinction between how someone sees their life and how someone lives their life.
  • Money does not buy happiness, but it is hard to be happy without it.
  • Frequent conversations, listening, and framing work around strengths are key actions managers can take to address unhappiness with employees.
  • Examples of questions/survey topics to ask of customers to gain insight into emotional attachment:

    Company always delivers on what they promise.

    I feel proud to be a Company customer.

    Company is the perfect company for people like me.

    Examples of questions/survey topics to ask of suppliers to to gain insight into emotional attachment:

    Company always treats me with respect.

    Company is easy to do business with.

    Company always does what they say they will do.

    Resources Mentioned
    • Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It* by Jon Clifton
    • CliftonStrengths (formerly StrengthsFinder) assessment
    • Interview Notes

      Download my interview notes in PDF format (free membership required).

      Related Episodes
      • These Coaching Questions Get Results, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 237)
      • How Teams Use StrengthsFinder Results, with Lisa Cummings (episode 293)
      • How to Help People Thrive, with Jim Harter (episode 532)
      • Discover More

        Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store

        Coaching for LeadersBy Dave Stachowiak

        • 4.8
        • 4.8
        • 4.8
        • 4.8
        • 4.8

        4.8

        1,393 ratings


        More shows like Coaching for Leaders

        View all
        The Look & Sound of Leadership by Essential Communications - Tom Henschel

        The Look & Sound of Leadership

        1,165 Listeners

        The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk by Ryan Hawk

        The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk

        1,336 Listeners

        Teaching in Higher Ed by Bonni Stachowiak

        Teaching in Higher Ed

        371 Listeners

        HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

        HBR IdeaCast

        169 Listeners

        Negotiate Anything by Kwame Christian Esq., M.A.

        Negotiate Anything

        722 Listeners

        How to Be Awesome at Your Job by How to be Awesome at Your Job

        How to Be Awesome at Your Job

        1,036 Listeners

        Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

        Worklife with Adam Grant

        9,122 Listeners

        Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style by Laura Camacho

        Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

        94 Listeners

        Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast by John Maxwell

        Maxwell Leadership Executive Podcast

        385 Listeners

        Inside the Strategy Room by McKinsey & Company

        Inside the Strategy Room

        176 Listeners

        No Bullsh!t Leadership by Martin G Moore

        No Bullsh!t Leadership

        127 Listeners

        The Anxious Achiever by Morra Aarons-Mele

        The Anxious Achiever

        574 Listeners

        Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques by Matt Abrahams, Think Fast Talk Smart

        Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques

        826 Listeners

        A Bit of Optimism by Simon Sinek

        A Bit of Optimism

        2,244 Listeners

        Coaching Real Leaders by Harvard Business Review / Muriel Wilkins

        Coaching Real Leaders

        671 Listeners

        HBR On Leadership by Harvard Business Review

        HBR On Leadership

        172 Listeners