| Humor at Work |
ISSUE 822 - May 13, 2020 |
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Opting for an Optimistic Outlook |
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For those of you who attended one of my Leading and Laughing During Turbulent Times webinars, you'll recall I touched on the importance of reframing the 3 Ps of pessimism, based on the work of Martin Seligman, author of Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness. Seligman's research shows that people who are inclined to think pessimistically
tend to view setbacks or problems through the following lens: It's permanent (this is going to last forever), pervasive (my entire life is ruined), and it's highly personal (this is all about me and no one else). If you have teenagers at home, you may be familiar with this mindset!
During this up and down ride on the corona-coaster I think it's important that we consciously adjust the focus on the outlook lens, to shift to a more optimistic (but still realistic) view:
Permanence: Although it could be a long time until we're back to "normal," we know this isn't permanent. We will get through this and we need to continually remind the people around us of this!
Pervasive: Pessimists focus on how EVERYTHING is bad or affected in their lives. As far-reaching as this experience feels, we need to intentionally focus on the positives and on the parts of our lives we still have 100% control over and that remain completely unaffected. It's important to keep doing the things that bring you joy, that you have control over, and that create a sense of normalcy in your life.
Personal: Pessimists take setbacks as being highly personal in nature, as though anything bad that happens is happening only to them or that it's a personal failure on their part. We need to embrace the fact that we are all in this together, even when we are apart. And we need to reach out to people on our teams that might feel particularly alone right now to make sure they still feel connected.
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Mike's Fun at Work Tip |
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A simple way to add some fun to your next virtual video meeting: Hold an "Ugliest Shirt" meeting, where everyone gets to show off their ugliest duds. Hold a vote (you can even use the anonymous polling option available on most platforms) and
award a small prize to the winner who bravely donned something that no family member would let them wear in public.
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Quote of the Week |
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“Make sure you brighten a room when you arrive, not when you leave.” Daniel Saintjean
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It's a Wacky World |
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I love collecting funny slogans that tie to people's work or businesses, in fact, I challenge you to come up with a tagline or slogan that would fit for your job or business, such as:
- Massage therapist: "I rub people the right way!"
- Tree Surgeon: "We go out on a limb for you!"
- Plumber: "I fix what your husband broke!"
- Tire shop: "A great place to have a leak!"
- Pastry shop: "Get your buns in here!!"
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Leading and Laughing During Turbulent Times Webinar I'll be hosting another webinar Thursday, May 14, at 1:00 pm EST/11:00 am MST. This webinar is being generously sponsored by Hillcrest Financial Services, so to register you'll need to drop them an email to get the Zoom link: info@hillcrest-financial.com
Putting Humor to Work for Less Stress May is official Mental Health Month, so I've posted a new video (15 min.) on why we need to embrace our bad hair days and how we can tap into three simple Rs to manage our stress with a bit of humor and laughter: Putting Humor to Work For Less
Stress and More Success
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mike@mikekerr.com
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