Building a positive culture in the workplace, part 4

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BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
TIPS FOR A BETTER WORKPLACE

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Martin Seligman, positive psychologist and author of the
2011 book Flourish, developed the PERMA model, which
details the five elements that must be in place for us to
experience lasting well-being.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
The five elements of the PERMA model are:
P: Positive Emotion
E: Engagement
R: (Positive) Relationships
M: Meaning
A: Accomplishment/Achievement

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
In this fourth installment of our PERMA model series,
we'll discuss the fourth element in the model, which is
Meaning.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
We all want to feel a sense of meaning and purpose in our
day-to-day work life. We want to feel that what we does
matter; that what we are contributing plays a central part in
the ‘bigger picture’. In our personal lives, we may derive a
sense of meaning from our beliefs, from our connection
with loved ones, or from supporting a specific cause.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Just as well, it’s necessary to derive a similar sense of
meaning in the workplace, which is why leaders must
empower their team members to see the deeper layers
in their work.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Understanding how your work benefits others, how it’s
valuable in the grand scheme of things, and how you are
an essential member of the team increases an
individual’s well-being and overall satisfaction with a job.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Here are 3 strategies leaders and managers can share
with their team members in order to help them find
more meaning in their work.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Know Yourself
It’s vital to understand your strengths, weaknesses, personality
traits, and preferred style of working. It’s incredible the amount of
people who are placed in a position that simply doesn’t match
their unique design as a person. As a result, it’s not long before
these workers become frustrated, underwhelmed, and
disenchanted with their job.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Know Yourself
It’s hard to be thrilled about something that’s too challenging for
you (or, too easy). As a leader, it’s crucial to lead your team
members in greater self-awareness. The better the match between
their preferences and your job requirements, the greater the
potential for job satisfaction, better work ethic, and a better grasp
of the significance of their work.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Balance
It’s important that a professional life not bleed into your personal
life. When work starts to eat into our lives, it’s easy to resent it and
lose your sense of purpose, which will then lead to major
oversights and an unwillingness to give 100% to projects. However,
when the different areas of your life are in perfect balance, it leads
to a greater sense of happiness and fulfillment.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Balance
As a leader, occasionally encourage your team members to
examine the various areas in their life via a ‘Wheel of Life.’ This
exercise offers a visual representation of any imbalances in your
life and allows you to then take action. (A quick Google search will
return a number of templates that you can use for a 'Wheel of Life'
exercise).

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Find Meaning
Even the most mundane of tasks have an underlying purpose. If an
employee is struggling to find the ‘greater good’ in their work, then it
may behoove you to revisit your company’s mission purpose and
vision statements. How does what they do relate to those statements?
As a leader, you can help your team members make a connection to a
company’s unique selling proposition, goals, and/or values.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Find Meaning
For example, the popular home retail store IKEA has the following
purpose statement: “To create a better everyday life for the many
people.” A web designer does this by creating a user-friendly
website that’s easy for customers to navigate. A customer service
representative does this by helping customers over the phone who
want more information about certain products.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Find Meaning
An on-the-floor salesperson does this by answering a customer’s
questions and helping them to decide on the best furnishings for
their lifestyle. So in what ways do each of your team members fulfill
your company’s unique vision? Getting to the heart of it may very
well be what your team needs to feel inspirited and encouraged.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
Excel in these three action steps and you’ll not only
thrive as a leader but also build a team of workers who
are finding the meaning in their daily work and deriving
well-being from it as a result.

BUILDING A POSITIVE
CULTURE
We hope you enjoyed this presentation!
Visit www.shapingchange.com.au for more resources on
leadership development, change management,
emotional intelligence, and more!

Building a positive culture in the workplace, part 4

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Building a positive culture in the workplace, part 4