Making Positive Psychology Work

Lindsay Oades is the director and an associate professor at The Center for Positive Psychology at The University of Melbourne, where he oversees the masters of applied psychology program. Lindsey's study and application of wellbeing ranges from individuals, mental health systems, educational institutions, workplaces and liveable cities. He has published over 100 journal articles and books chapters on these topics. He is the co-editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard University.

In this conversation, you will hear Lindsay shares some of the latest findings on how wellbeing practices can improve organizational performance. He also explains why focusing on improving individual wellbeing alone is not enough, and why we need to also address wellbeing at the team and organizational level and how we can approach this in workplaces.

Connect with Lindsay Oades:

LindsayOades.com Wiley.com education.unimelb.edu.au/cpp

• [02:38] - Lindsay shares why he believes organizations are struggling to capitalize on the growing evidence about how wellbeing practices impact workplaces.
• [03:59] - Lindsay talks about the individual approaches for applying positive psychology at work.
• [06:09] - Lindsay explains why cultivating happy workers is overstated.
• [08:03] - Lindsay shares the importance of improving wellbeing at team levels and how this can be addressed.
• [14:30] - Lindsay talks about how organizational practices and policies and enable or restrict workplace wellbeing.
• [16:27] - Lindsay shares the advice he is currently giving to leaders about improving wellbeing at a systemic level.
• [20:33] - Lindsey explains why wellbeing literacy matters in workplaces.
• [22:22] - The Lightning Round with Lindsay Oades.

• Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace - Christine Porath
• Eat Move Sleep: How Small Changes Lead to Big Changes - Tom Rath

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care!

Lindsay Oades is the director and an associate professor at The Center for Positive Psychology at The University of Melbourne, where he oversees the masters of applied psychology program.  Lindsey’s study and application of wellbeing ranges from individuals, mental health systems, educational institutions, workplaces and liveable cities. He has published over 100 journal articles and books chapters on these topics.  He is the co-editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at the Institute of Coaching at Harvard University.

In this conversation, you will hear Lindsay shares some of the latest findings on how wellbeing practices can improve organizational performance.  He also explains why focusing on improving individual wellbeing alone is not enough, and why we need to also address wellbeing at the team and organizational level and how we can approach this in workplaces. 

Connect with Lindsay Oades:

LindsayOades.com  
Wiley.com  
education.unimelb.edu.au/cpp

• [02:38] - Lindsay shares why he believes organizations are struggling to capitalize on the growing evidence about how wellbeing practices impact workplaces.
• [03:59] - Lindsay talks about the individual approaches for applying positive psychology at work.
• [06:09] - Lindsay explains why cultivating happy workers is overstated.
• [08:03] - Lindsay shares the importance of improving wellbeing at team levels and how this can be addressed.
• [14:30] - Lindsay talks about how organizational practices and policies and enable or restrict workplace wellbeing.
• [16:27] - Lindsay shares the advice he is currently giving to leaders about improving wellbeing at a systemic level.
• [20:33] - Lindsey explains why wellbeing literacy matters in workplaces.
• [22:22] - The Lightning Round with Lindsay Oades.

• Mastering Civility: A Manifesto for the Workplace - Christine Porath
• Eat Move Sleep: How Small Changes Lead to Big Changes - Tom Rath

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.  

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care!

Emilia Lahti is a researcher and social activist whose life mission is to be a catalyst for human connection, compassion, and nonviolence. She has given talks at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Tedx, as well as at Singularity University at NASA Ames, where she studied futurism and exponential technology. Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Business Insider, and Forbes, among others.

In this conversation, Emilia shares her research on sisu,an ancient Finnish construct that describes what enables you to endure the toughest of life's situations and take extraordinary action against seemingly impossible odds. Emilia explains how we might be able to cultivate more sisu and why it can help us to exceed our own expectations and discover what we're really capable of.

Connect with Emilia Lahti:

Website: http://emilialahti.com

http://sisunotsilence.com

You'll Learn:

• [02:01] - Emilia explains that sisu is a latent inner-power and the difference between sisu, resilience and grit.
• [05:49] - Emilia addresses the question if sisu is something we are born with or is cultivated.
• [06:52] - Emila explains what an action mindset is and how it relates to sisu.
• [08:33] - Emila talks about what she is learning about our latent power to exceed our own expectations.
• [13:51] - Emilia shares why sisu is not a solo endeavor.
• [17:29] - Emilia explains her "Sisu Not Silence" movement and how she hopes to run the length of New Zealand to end the silence on interpersonal violence.
• [21:39] - Emilia defines the dark sisu zone and what to do if you find yourself there.

Your Resources:

• Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant
• The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession - Paulo Coelho

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Thank you Emilia.

Until next time, take care!

Emilia Lahti is a researcher and social activist whose life mission is to be a catalyst for human connection, compassion, and nonviolence.  She has given talks at Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Tedx, as well as at Singularity University at NASA Ames, where she studied futurism and exponential technology.  Her work has been featured in the New Yorker, Business Insider, and Forbes, among others.

In this conversation, Emilia shares her research on sisu,an ancient Finnish construct that describes what enables you to endure the toughest of life’s situations and take extraordinary action against seemingly impossible odds.  Emilia explains how we might be able to cultivate more sisu and why it can help us to exceed our own expectations and discover what we're really capable of.

Connect with Emilia Lahti:

Website: http://emilialahti.com

http://sisunotsilence.com

You’ll Learn:

• [02:01] - Emilia explains that sisu is a latent inner-power and the difference between sisu, resilience and grit.
• [05:49] - Emilia addresses the question if sisu is something we are born with or is cultivated.
• [06:52] - Emila explains what an action mindset is and how it relates to sisu.  
• [08:33] - Emila talks about what she is learning about our latent power to exceed our own expectations.
• [13:51] - Emilia shares why sisu is not a solo endeavor.
• [17:29] - Emilia explains her “Sisu Not Silence” movement and how she hopes to run the length of New Zealand to end the silence on interpersonal violence.
• [21:39] - Emilia defines the dark sisu zone and what to do if you find yourself there.

Your Resources:

• Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success - Adam Grant
• The Zahir: A Novel of Obsession - Paulo Coelho

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.  

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing. Thank you Emilia.

Until next time, take care!

Mathew White is an award-winning educator who brings a unique combination of a deep academic background in well-being with executive level leadership experience across education, public, and social sectors. Mathew is the Director of Wellbeing and Positive Education at St. Peter's College. He is an Associate Professor in the graduate school of education at the University of Melbourne.

In this conversation, you will hear Mathew talk about the new book he recently edited, "Future Directions In Wellbeing" and the ground-breaking ways positive psychology can be applied in workplaces and schools. He also shares some of the gaps he encourages all wellbeing researchers and practitioners to be thinking about.

Connect with Matthew White:

Website: http://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/display/person174409#tab-overview

Twitter: @Mathew_WhitePhD

You'll Learn:

• [01:45] -Mathew shares the three big a-ha moments for him as he reviewed the essays on the future on wellbeing for the book.
• [04:19] - Mathew discusses the idea of well-being models in schools and parenting.
• [07:13] - Mathew talks about how organizations can improve wellbeing.
• [09:32] - Mathew shares how positive psychology is being integrated into the human resource practices at St. Peter's College.
• [11:18] - Mathew explains how St. Peter's College is maintaining the momentum of wellbeing practices after seven years of implementation.
• [13:46] - Mathew talks about wellbeing literacy in workplaces.
• [16:03] - Mathew lists a few gaps in the field of wellbeing.
• [18:00] - The Lightning Round with Mathew White

Your Resources:

• Future Directions in Well-Being: Education, Organizations and Policy - Matthew A White and Gavin R Slemp
• The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish - Lea Waters
• Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined - Scott Barry Kaufman
• Scott Barry Kaufman TedX
• I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care!

Mathew White is an award-winning educator who brings a unique combination of a deep academic background in well-being with executive level leadership experience across education, public, and social sectors.  Mathew is the Director of Wellbeing and Positive Education at St. Peter’s College. He is an Associate Professor in the graduate school of education at the University of Melbourne.

In this conversation, you will hear Mathew talk about the new book he recently edited, "Future Directions In Wellbeing" and the ground-breaking ways positive psychology can be applied in workplaces and schools.  He also shares some of the gaps he encourages all wellbeing researchers and practitioners to be thinking about.

Connect with Matthew White:

Website: http://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/display/person174409#tab-overview

Twitter: @Mathew_WhitePhD

You’ll Learn:

• [01:45] -Mathew shares the three big a-ha moments for him as he reviewed the essays on the future on wellbeing for the book.
• [04:19] - Mathew discusses the idea of well-being models in schools and parenting.
• [07:13] - Mathew talks about how organizations can improve wellbeing.
• [09:32] - Mathew shares how positive psychology is being integrated into the human resource practices at St. Peter’s College.
• [11:18] - Mathew explains how St. Peter’s College is maintaining the momentum of wellbeing practices after seven years of implementation.
• [13:46] - Mathew talks about wellbeing literacy in workplaces.  
• [16:03] - Mathew lists a few gaps in the field of wellbeing.
• [18:00] - The Lightning Round with Mathew White

Your Resources:

• Future Directions in Well-Being: Education, Organizations and Policy - Matthew A White and Gavin R Slemp
• The Strength Switch: How The New Science of Strength-Based Parenting Can Help Your Child and Your Teen to Flourish - Lea Waters
• Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined - Scott Barry Kaufman
• Scott Barry Kaufman TedX
• I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.  

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care!

Dr. Ryan Niemiec is a leading figure in the education, research, and practice of character strengths that are found in all human beings. He is Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character, a global, nonprofit organization. He is an award-winning psychologist and adjunct professor at Xavier University, an annual instructor at The University of Pennsylvania. He is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on positive psychology topics around the world. His latest book is Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners.

In this conversation, you will hear Ryan talk about how your character strengths are the fuel that makes our other strengths rise. Ryan talks about ways to identify and develop your strengths at work each day and the behavioral traps that can bring your strengths unstuck.

Connect with Ryan:

Websites: http://www.ryanniemiec.com and http://viacharacter.org

You'll Learn:

• [02:12] - Ryan starts the conversation by explaining what a strength is.
• [03:36] - Over 5 million people have measured their strengths by using the wonderful VIA Character Survey.
• [04:24] - Ryan talks about The Power Zone of Strengths.
• [07:35] - Ryan explains what he has found around subsets of our character strengths.
• [10:39] - Ryan discusses the idea of taking middle strengths and moving them up.
• [14:38] - Ryan selects three of his favorite strengths and interventions from his latest book. He talks about subtract signature strength, appreciation, and alignment.
• [21:00] - In his book, Ryan shares behavioral traps around developing our strengths. He shares some words of caution. He talks about trying to immediately apply a concept and the need to be flexible in this work.
• [23:35] - The Lightning Round with Ryan Niemiec.

Your Resources:

• Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners - Ryan Niemiec
• The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It - Kelly McGonigal

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care! Thanks for joining us today Ryan!

Dr. Ryan Niemiec is a leading figure in the education, research, and practice of character strengths that are found in all human beings. He is Education Director of the VIA Institute on Character, a global, nonprofit organization.  He is an award-winning psychologist and adjunct professor at Xavier University, an annual instructor at The University of Pennsylvania.  He is a frequent speaker and workshop leader on positive psychology topics around the world. His latest book is Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners.

In this conversation, you will hear Ryan talk about how your character strengths are the fuel that makes our other strengths rise. Ryan talks about ways to identify and develop your strengths at work each day and the behavioral traps that can bring your strengths unstuck.

Connect with Ryan:

Websites:  http://www.ryanniemiec.com and http://viacharacter.org

You’ll Learn:

• [02:12] - Ryan starts the conversation by explaining what a strength is.
• [03:36] - Over 5 million people have measured their strengths by using the wonderful VIA Character Survey.
• [04:24] - Ryan talks about The Power Zone of Strengths.
• [07:35] - Ryan explains what he has found around subsets of our character strengths.  
• [10:39] - Ryan discusses the idea of taking middle strengths and moving them up.  
• [14:38] - Ryan selects three of his favorite strengths and interventions from his latest book.  He talks about subtract signature strength, appreciation, and alignment.
• [21:00] - In his book, Ryan shares behavioral traps around developing our strengths.  He shares some words of caution. He talks about trying to immediately apply a concept and the need to be flexible in this work.
• [23:35] - The Lightning Round with Ryan Niemiec.

Your Resources:

• Character Strengths Interventions: A Field Guide for Practitioners - Ryan Niemiec
• The Upside of Stress: Why Stress is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It - Kelly McGonigal

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.  

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through stitcher. No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care! Thanks for joining us today Ryan!

Elise Morris is a positive psychology practitioner, and Director of People and Culture at Swisse Wellness, who were recently recognized by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business as a global example of excellence for their work in whole person wellness. Elise believes wholeheartedly that other people matter, and when we live and lead from this perspective, we can unlock ours and others ability to thrive and flourish. .

Would you like to implement a comprehensive wellbeing program to take people from functioning to flourishing in your organization? Elise explains the programs and initiatives Swisse Wellness are implementing as part of their whole person wellness program. These come under three pillars – movement, nutrition and mindfulness. Hear about the successes, and her hopes for further integrating the program within the organization.

Connect with Elise Morris:

Website - StillNorth.com.au

You'll Learn:

• [02:08] - Elise shares why Swiss Wellness won an award at the 2017 Positive Business Project Conference.
• [04:40] - Elise explains the growing business case to improve wellbeing at work.
• [06:56] - Elise talks about getting past our own biases and understanding where someone else is coming from.
• [08:23] - Elise shares the tools and practices in their program.
• [10:20] - Elise explains how they are considering how to take a more systems perspective.
• [13:04] - Elise discusses performance and contribution.
• [14:17] - Elise shares how they measure the impact of their program.
• [15:49] - Elise talks about gender and buy-in with the practices.
• [17:31] - Elise shares a challenge they have faced with rolling out this program.
• [19:18] - Elise provides advice to others who are thinking about rolling out a similar program.
• [20:23] - Elise talks about scaling this program for working across multiple markets.
• [22:55] - The Lightning Round with Elise Morris

Your Resources:

• Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness - Ilona Boniwell
• Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience - Pim van Lommell
• Authentic: How to be yourself and why it matters - Stephen Joseph
• Positive Business Conference

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And don't forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It's free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through Stitcher.

No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care!

Elise Morris is a positive psychology practitioner, and Director of People and Culture at Swisse Wellness, who were recently recognized by the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business as a global example of excellence for their work in whole person wellness.  Elise believes wholeheartedly that other people matter, and when we live and lead from this perspective, we can unlock ours and others ability to thrive and flourish.  . 

Would you like to implement a comprehensive wellbeing program to take people from functioning to flourishing in your organization?  Elise explains the programs and initiatives Swisse Wellness are implementing as part of their whole person wellness program. These come under three pillars – movement, nutrition and mindfulness.  Hear about the successes, and her hopes for further integrating the program within the organization.

Connect with Elise Morris: 

Website - StillNorth.com.au

You’ll Learn:

• [02:08] - Elise shares why Swiss Wellness won an award at the 2017 Positive Business Project Conference.
• [04:40] - Elise explains the growing business case to improve wellbeing at work.
• [06:56] - Elise talks about getting past our own biases and understanding where someone else is coming from.
• [08:23] - Elise shares the tools and practices in their program.
• [10:20] - Elise explains how they are considering how to take a more systems perspective.
• [13:04] - Elise discusses performance and contribution.
• [14:17] - Elise shares how they measure the impact of their program.
• [15:49] - Elise talks about gender and buy-in with the practices.
• [17:31] - Elise shares a challenge they have faced with rolling out this program.
• [19:18] - Elise provides advice to others who are thinking about rolling out a similar program.
• [20:23] - Elise talks about scaling this program for working across multiple markets.
• [22:55] - The Lightning Round with Elise Morris

Your Resources:

• Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness - Ilona Boniwell
• Consciousness Beyond Life: The Science of the Near-Death Experience - Pim van Lommell
• Authentic: How to be yourself and why it matters - Stephen Joseph
• Positive Business Conference

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.  

Please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them.  And don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

You can also listen to all the episodes of Making Positive Psychology Work streamed directly to your smartphone or iPad through Stitcher.

No need for downloading or syncing.

Until next time, take care!