I am reading more and more research that provides evidence of the importance of creating an environment in which people can thrive, and the impact that this has on performance and well-being. It is becoming increasingly clear to me that this needs to become a focus for leaders and organisations in order to be successful and sustainable. This goes beyond engagement surveys and superficial well-being programmes - it is about putting thriving at the heart of leadership and management practices.
Gallup's analysis (Employee Wellbeing Starts at Work (gallup.com)) has shown that career wellbeing - liking what you do every day - has the strongest impact on overall wellbeing. People with high career wellbeing are more than twice as likely to be thriving in their life overall.
Gallup has identified five elements of wellbeing:
- Career wellbeing: You like what you do every day.
- Social wellbeing: You have meaningful friendships in your life.
- Financial wellbeing: You manage your money well.
- Physical wellbeing: You have energy to get things done.
- Community wellbeing: You like where you live.
Gallup's research found that career wellbeing is the foundation of 'the best possible life'.
When you like what you do, you do more of it, get better at it and increasingly reap the rewards of your labour. It's a virtuous cycle of personal growth and professional development: a journey as rewarding as the destination. That doesn't mean that work isn't hard, but it does mean that the hard work feels worth it.
This also ties very closely with Marcus Buckingham's recent work on Love+Work. He argues that : "The smartest organisations will recognize that if they can redesign work with love at its core, they will be able to make new and more genuine commitments to their workers and over time will become magnets for talent. They will truly deserve the best people."
I am building this focus more into my work leaders, teams and organisations - it is challenges a lot of 'traditional' approaches to management, and requires unlearning and rethinking. If you would like to explore how you can increase levels of thriving, get in touch for a chat.
