Shawn Murphy - The optimistic workplace : creating an environment that energizes everyone

THE BEST PLACES TO WORK HAVE IT. THE HIGHEST-PERFORMING teams benefit from it. Because of it, individuals thrive professionally and personallyand teams and organizations flourish in our new economy.

The it Im referring to?

The climate of your workplace. The feeling. The mood. It is the chemistry of how you, your team, and your organization work together.

The way your workplace feels has a tremendous influence on peoples experience, morale, and performance. People thrive in a climate where they feel valued, where they know their contributions are meaningful, and where their core values are closely aligned with the values and character of their employer. Where they dont feel valued, meaningful, and aligned... they just do their jobs. And today, in a world where opportunities to stand out are everywhere and the next killer idea can come from anywhere, just doing our jobs isnt good enough.

They need more. And we, as leaders, need more.

It is the leaders, however, that must take the first step.

First, we need to start thinking of our people as human beings eager to make a difference in the world, not as mere human capital. Next, we must set out to make sure every individual, team, department, product, and service center knows they are directly contributing to the mission. Along the way, we must serve as shepherds of our culture. And finally: We must create an environment that energizes every member of our team.

In short: We must deliberately create an optimistic workplace.

Yes, some of us have lost the fire in our bellies for such bold thinking. Some of us are ready to just ride out the rest of our careers, satisfied with just doing our jobs.

I believe, though, that the fire isnt lost. Its just forgotten. Or perhaps buried in Industrial Age thinking where creativity was buried under piles of conformity.

Often, we dont even remember what it feels like to be inspired. To be part of the solution. To serve others. To simultaneously do good work and do the right thing. Weve grown accustomed to ignoring the human side of business. So we tolerate the status quo. Each day, we metaphorically clock inand then proceed to plod along doing unremarkable things for eight, ten, twelve hours per day. And, soon, without even realizing it, we accept that in a workplace that steals our mojo, theres no room for breakthrough ideas, invigorating relationships, or aha moments.

And so it goes for too many organizations.

Work environments have become modern-day factories that focus exclusively on production cycles, meeting quotas, and making sure the quarterly report pleases, or at least appeases, the shareholders and stakeholders. Where the work gets done, but only as requiredand without any magic, without any soul.

The workplace requires reinvention.

We must become human again. We must give ourselves permission to not only enjoy our work, but bring our souls along with us.

Some companies are already taking this bold step. And in this thought-provoking book by Shawn Murphy, we get to see the impact the leaders of those organizations are having on their workplace environments. Shawn profiles people like Mark Bertolini of Aetna and Mark Fernandes of Luck Companies as well as organizations like Zingermans, Google, and HopeLab. All of them are doing amazing work by motivating peoplethe right wayto achieve stellar business results.

Through his research on workplaces that have deliberately created optimistic cultures (and those that should), Shawn has developed principles that successful leaders can employ right now to create a genuinely optimistic workplace.

And his timing couldnt be better.

Our workplaces desperately need a healthy dose of optimism.

As Shawn has laid before us in the pages that follow, workplace optimism is a transformative influence. How your workplace feels (climate) and acts (culture) can, and does, motivate us to build great teamsand do great things. He shows us that collective optimism is not just a way to stand out, its a core element of the human side of business. And when you bring people together around a common cause, it doesnt just impact your workplace: It can begin to change our communitiesand our world.

As you read the pages of this book, I challenge you to think about your role.

How will you personally embrace the power an optimistic workplace wields? How will you make a real difference for your organization? More profoundly, how will you turn the heads and awaken the hearts of those you lead? How will you change their mindsand lives?

As you read The Optimistic Workplace