The Positive Energy Workplace

Did you know: 21% of the global workforce considers themself actively engaged in their work right now (loyal, passionate, positive, enjoying their work.) 38% are actively disengaged (meaning they're complaining, bringing morale down, looking for another job, etc.) And the remaining 41% aren't sure where they stand. Wow.

Does that suprise you? Suprised me, but then not too much because I've watched chaos, schedules, technology, travel and the demand for instant results and response increase dramatically over the years. We are busy! We can get ahold of each other in ways now that can make one dizzy. Technology in many cases is replacing face to face contact. Travel on Sunday for a Monday morning meeting is becoming quite the norm. So it doesn't suprise me that the following things are some of the challenges we're bumping up against.

What does failure have to do with action?

I wrote an article on daring to celebrate failure. I spoke about the learning and growth and opportunities that we can find when we allow ourselves to really celebrate and learn from our failures.

A couple of months later, I'm curious how that's settled for readers. Curious what that article, the exercise provided, and the invitation to truly celebrate failure may have brought up for you. Resistance? Permission? A sigh of relief? Just notice. Whatever it brought up, it's just perfect. Failure's a big topic, right? Fear of failure, even bigger. Here is what I notice with people and failure.

I notice that the perspectives we hold about situations, design our pain levels. Failure is truly a place where lots of pain can lie for an individual - but what's an even greater pain, is the time before the failure spent "making up", imagining, believing, envisioning that failure.

How do you keep your team engaged? How do you personally stay engaged? In your work? At home? In your personal life? In your fitness regime? It’s easy to “check out”…especially with so many competing demands. So how do you stay “fully engaged?”

Have you ever had any of these experiences?

~ You drive home from work and then don't remember how you got there.

~ You sit through a meeting and can't account for what happened in the meeting, the outcome or the details.

~ You read a book to your child or grandchild and can't recall what the book was about.

~ You workout and have so much mind chatter that you're not even sure what muscles you were working.

~ You have a conversation with a colleague and miss the important undercurrents of that conversation because you're mind was elsewhere.

Stressed out about the economy right now? Politics? Housing? Business expenses? Taxes?
Waiting, hoping, praying it will all just go away?

Colluding with friends, family and co-workers about how bad it is? Regurgitating stories? Gathering evidence? Again, waiting for someone else to do something about it?

Things are uncertain right now. No doubt. The economy is down. Things we care about are certainly taking a hit. It can be easy to get fixated on fear, frustration and hurt. It can be easy to find what's not working and speculate on how much worse it's going to get.

Despite a positive attitude, even the most optimistic can be challenged during times like this.