This article comes from the WeChat public account: Chaotic University (ID: hundun-university) , author: Taylor Ben – Shahar, Angus Ridgeway, title figure from: vision China
Whether the employees in an organization are happy, capable, and energetic is crucial for the company. If an organization is full of passionate employees with a common vision, then this is a leadership organization that will firmly focus on fulfilling its mission and achieving its goals.
Organizations that try to reset the old order and pursue control, standardization, and obedience are bound to isolate the innovation opportunities created by people in today’s rapidly changing world. Such organizations are doomed to failure.
At present, the “Leadership” (Leadership) is more and more mentioned, and its connotation is that it is fully within the scope of jurisdiction Make full use of manpower and objective conditions to accomplish the required things with the minimum cost, and improve the ability of the entire group to work efficiently.
Whether for individuals or teams, leadership is no longer just an important feature of middle management. For an organization to be successful, most, if not all, employees must have leadership to some degree.
However, many people have some outdated wrong views on leadership. Today, let us correct these wrong views together in order to become an effective leader.
Myth 1: To be successful, you must be perfect
We probably all haveAfter the moment of issuing transcripts or performance evaluations, the teacher or manager will let us sit down and talk about a bunch of things we need to improve. It seems that this is the most important thing. This is a traditional way of thinking that people should be committed to correcting shortcomings in their lives and workplaces and make continuous progress.
Through these years of observation and more and more research, we found that although everyone should not ignore their shortcomings, personal energy is always limited, and it is not wise to invest too much energy to fix defects. It’s like throwing you into a deep hole that you can hardly crawl out again, and sometimes even the opposite.
Many well-known thought leaders do not think that the best way to grow is to overcome their shortcomings. Peter Drucker once said: “Because it is impossible for a person to perform well on shortcomings, so simply let them be what they are. Only when you take full advantage of you can you create real excellence. . ”
A large number of behavioral studies and surveys support the idea that when people concentrate on what they are good at and enjoy, their performance will be better. They will also be more creative, agile, and adaptable; at the same time, they will be more confident, more satisfied, and can find more meaning in the work process, so as to grow and develop more quickly.
In 2009, Gallup Consulting conducted a survey of more than 1,000 American employees and found that in the work, when employees use their advantages to complete their goals, they will feel more engaged, and overall will feel happier and Energetic, the body will be healthier; those managers who focus on using the advantages of team members will also get better team performance and greater success.
Misunderstanding 2: If you want to be healthy, you must eliminate all stress
Everyone feels that they fully understand what stress means, but scientists have spent a lot of time to find a decent explanation for stress, while also using a series of methods to measure the impact of stress on the body and mind.
Endocrinologist Hans Selly (Hans Selye) is the first scientist to define “stress”, he believes that stress is the body’s “Non-specific” response to any demand attached to it. Our definition has evolved on this basis. We believe that stress is a demand that exceeds the body’s natural ability to regulate. The effects of stress are often very specific, and changes in neurochemistry can stimulate certain abilities in people.
In short, Stress is how the body responds to challenges . Sudden stress is usually considered to be the reason for triggering a “fight or flight” reaction mechanism, which is the body’s natural response to threats: pulse acceleration, increased breathing rate, fat and oxygen are released into the blood Coping with sudden impulses; dilated pupils, dilated blood vessels, narrowed sight. This is the first stage of the three-stage model proposed by Selly, which he calls general adaptation syndrome. In the final stage of the model, Selly believes that it will be one of the following two situations: either recovery, the body’s compensation function enables people to overcome the threat; or exhaustion, the physical resources are exhausted in the continuing threat.
There are also some less well-known studies that show that temporary, moderate levels of stress can have a beneficial effect on the body and mind , after all, the “fight or escape” reaction mechanism is ultimately to protect ourselves. In 1975, Selly proposed a model that divides stress into positive stress and negative stress. The former can improve mental and physiological functions, while the latter can lead to anxiety, withdrawal, or other disorders. American folk tales are full of “superhuman” legends, many of which are actually well documented.
In these legends, when people encounter emergencies, the hormone secretion of “fight or escape” increases sharply, and “superhuman” erupts. At this time, people can even lift overweight objects, such as cars. I believe no one would think that this experience is good for health, but research also shows that short-term, low and medium levels of stress can indeed stimulate the brain to produce chemicals, even new brain cells. This can increase efficiency and concentration, increase the body’s immune response, help people succeed, and make people more resilient in the long run.
In addition, decades of research and demonstrations have also provided many effective stress recovery strategies. For example, cultivate a positive perspective and personal confidence, seek social support, rest, and engage in physical activity, meditation and thinking training. These are all good for relieving stress and keeping it within the beneficial range.
Misunderstanding 3: Peak experience is extremely rare
Maslow defined the term “peak experience” as “The peak moment of humanity is an extremely happy and ecstatic experience” . When people are asked when the most recent “peak experience” was, they often mentioned the moment when they were deeply moved by a work of art, and were struck by creative inspiration in life or work Moment.
For most people, the peak experiences are rare and extraordinary moments. But Maslow believes that for self-actualizers, the peak experience happens every day in the daily environment. Maybe it’s while waiting for the train, maybe it’s when making dinner, maybe it’s when working in the office.
Research shows that we are fully able to create more similar experiences in our daily lives and enjoy these experiences. Among them, the psychologist Mihari Hiszantmihai put forward the concept of “flow” (flow) When you work hard with a clear goal, you are presented with a concentrated state of mind that you can achieve without effort. In this “best experience”, people can feel “powerful, alert, easy to control, natural, and always at the peak of their ability”.
This peak experience is full of accomplishment, and Hiszantmihai said: “When we act freely,The behavior itself is more attractive than any other external motivation. He wrote in the book: “When we choose a goal and devote ourselves to it, we will enjoy whatever we do. Once we have enjoyed the joy of enjoyment, we will redouble our efforts to get that sense of pleasure again. This is the process of self-growth. ”
Myth # 4: Leaders must play “Game of Thrones”
The institutional basis of power has been weakened in many organizations. For today’s world, the decision-making style of command and control is too slow and too inflexible. A person who uses power and control to control his subordinates is only persecuting people, not leaders.
More and more organizational studies point out that this leadership style often becomes a stumbling block for the company’s development. Ohio State University ’s organizational psychologist Bennett Teper (Bennett J. Tepper) once assessed that abuse of regulatory power would make American companies About 23.8 billion dollars are wasted every year. Other researchers also pointed out that authoritarian leadership styles have a direct impact on job performance indicators, such as absenteeism and turnover rates. Even this leadership style is the main reason for employees to make some potential damage or boycotts.
Many researchers have also verified the impact of destructive leadership on employees, that is, they will increase employee pressure, become more and more bored with work, exhausted, and so on. When employees go home with unhappiness, they can even hurt their family relationships.
On the other hand, democratic, sincere, ethical, and innovative leadership models have more interaction with employees and are more able to rely on the advantages of relationships, and the benefits they bring are alsoIt is fully confirmed.
These benefits are everywhere in today’s world. On June 1, 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs attended the (Rancho Palos Verdes) in Palos Verde, California The D8 digital conference (D: All Things Digital conference) . In an interview after the meeting, Steve Jobs said that Apple’s organizational form is more like a startup company. He and his employees find time every day to discuss together, and everyone puts forward ideas and solves problems.
Jobs said: “Our arguments are very valuable. If you want to hire good people to work for you, then you must let them make a lot of decisions, and your company must also operate by mind, not by rank System. Good ideas must be adopted, otherwise talent will be lost. ”
Myth 5: Finding an ideal job makes life meaningful
Pursuing the meaning of life means that we have to spend a lot of time and energy to realize ourselves and achieve the ultimate goal and ultimate mission. In the workplace environment, this is equivalent to looking for a dream job. Once we find this ideal job, it seems that we can achieve what we want, and we will be happy forever.
American psychologist Julian Rote (Julian Rotter) proposed a “control point” (locus of control) , he divides personality into internal control type and external control type . People with internal control personality believe that they can Control your own life; people with external control personality think that life and choice are determined by chance, luck and the external environment, and have nothing to do with yourself.
If you are waiting for an employer to design an ideal job for you, so that you can have a meaningful life and a clear ultimate mission, then you have set yourself as a person with an external control personality, you may have to Wait a long time. And when a person with an internal control personality is looking for a job, he is actively looking for the meaning and purpose of life for himself. He is looking for, discovering, not waiting. The difference between these two methods is very obvious, it is possible to completely change your life and career.
Therefore, What is important is not what kind of job you are looking for, but what kind of person you are. It is crucial to understand this.
“Why do you have to work?” Why do you get up from bed every morning to go to work? It is not easy to find the reason behind it. It is even easier to find meaning and goals from those entry-level jobs or mechanical repetitive jobs. However, most of the work content will somehow provide a meaningful growth path for people through a greater sense of mission.
Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Yale University School of Management, Amy Wrysnicki (Amy Wrzesniewski) , discussed in a 1997 research paper The difference between the following two points of view is to regard the job as a job or a strong need. People who regard work as a strong need will work harder and have more perseverance, because work itself is a reward or reward for them.
This view is based on cognitive reconstruction, which is a psychological technique that can identify people ’s negative views on a certain point of view and events and reshape these views in a positive way. It can allow people to have a better life Experience and more happiness. Resnsky also worked with many other histology researchers on a job called “job shaping” (job crafting) various possibilities and effects of the method. Using the method of “work shaping”, employers and employees can work together to design meaningful and purposeful jobs.
Research shows that methods such as “work shaping” can enable people to discover and pursue a greater sense of meaning and mission in their work, enhance personal work performance, strengthen the emotional connection between individuals and organizations, and make employees more More satisfaction and happiness.
Myth # 6: Only success will make you happy
When Taylor taught positive psychology at Harvard, he did an informal study among undergraduates. Taylor asked the students if they were very happy or even ecstatic on the day they received the admission letter from Harvard University. The answer given by most students is yes.
Taylor then asked the students if they believed that the moment they received the admission letter was happier than they were in their lives, at least than at any time before that. Most students answered “yes” again. After all, for most of them, entering Harvard is a dream come true. They may not have really enjoyed school life before that, because they have always been under pressure to keep their grades ahead, to win in various school affairs or club leader elections, and to try their best to stay on the school sports team. pressure. All these hardships are only a goal, this goal may be able to ensure their lifetime achievements and the happiness that follows. The students have been told repeatedly, and they themselves firmly believe that as long as they enter this world-renowned prestigious school, they are ready for life. Once this goal is achieved, their pressure and struggle will vanish immediately.
The final question for Taylor is whether they are happy now. This time most of the students’ answer is no. In other words, like most of us, students are not accurateI foresee that the true impact of success will not be as they had imagined before.
Harvard University social psychologist Professor Daniel Gilbert (Daniel Gilbert) pointed out in “Bumping into Happiness” that when people are When thinking about the future state of happiness, there is often a systematic misunderstanding . Professor Gilbert asked the assistant professors who are participating in the evaluation of tenure in the study if they find that they have obtained the tenure of life. Unsurprisingly, these colleagues have expressed that they will be very happy if they can get a tenure for life. However, the questionnaire survey 6 months after the end of the teaching evaluation showed that the happiness of those who obtained life teaching and those who did not received life teaching did not differ much from before. In addition to their expectations for the future, they have all returned to their original level of happiness. Professor Gilbert finally concluded: The impact of success and failure on people ’s happiness is temporary.
The above studies, combined with most of our observations, interactions, and personal experiences, have confirmed the fact that “success (reason) Can bring happiness (Result) “This view that everyone thinks is common sense is actually wrong. In fact, this causal relationship should be described in reverse: happiness (reason) leads to success (Result) . Psychologist Sonia Lyubomirsky (Sonja Lyubomirsky) and others are constantly clarifying how happiness brings more harmonious relationships, A more harmonious marriage, a richer income, better performance, a higher level of adaptability, and a healthier body and mind.
This is not a completely new point of view, and can be seen everywhere in the writings and teachings of Eastern and Western thinkers. Vietnamese monks and scholars release a line of Zen master (Thich Nhat Hanh) repeatedly advocated the “art of mindful life” in the world tour (the art of mindful living) < / span>, he proposed to people: “There is no way to happiness, because happiness itself is the road underfoot.”
This article comes from the WeChat public account: Chaotic University (ID: hundun-university) , author: Taylor Ben – Shahar, Angus Ridgeway