Becoming a Happy Leader with Tia Graham
You could be working for several years now and holding the same position for so many years. But your job title or position doesn’t define your entire identity or potential. You are capable of so much more than what you may be currently doing or have done in the past.
In today’s episode, Adam speaks with Tia Graham about the science of happiness and how you can incorporate it into your daily life. Tia is an international keynote and TEDx speaker, best-selling author,, and leadership trainer on positive psychology, positive work cultures, and business growth. Her bestselling book, Be a Happy Leader, teaches her proprietary 8-step methodology on driving productivity and business growth through a culture of happiness.
Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:
- How she discovered the science of happiness and positive psychology
- Dealing with mom guilt and executive guilt
- Connecting to what you want
- How to find a mentor
- What is positive psychology?
- The three pillars of a happy life
- Factors that affect happiness
- Injecting positivity and happiness as a leader
Episode Highlights:
[07:51] Connecting to What You Want
In finding your direction, connect to what you want, not what society tells you to do, or your parents tell you to do, or what your friends are doing, or where you think you’ll make the most money. While it’s certainly useful to take advice and guidance from those who care about you, it’s ultimately up to you to decide what path is right for you.
When you connect with what you truly want, you’re more motivated, passionate, and engaged in your pursuits. You’ll be more likely to persevere through challenges and setbacks, and you’ll feel more fulfilled and satisfied with your life.
[25:05] What is Positive Psychology?
Positive Psychology is the study of what makes life worth living and what makes humans thrive. It’s the study of both the dark and light sides of life and it’s backed by thousands of research articles.
According to positive psychology, happiness has three pillars:
- More positive than pain in your life – we all have life, but a happy life is more positive than pain
- Having meaning and purpose in life (both in your work and personal life)
- Experiences that make you psychologically rich
[26:50] Factors that Affect Happiness
- Genetics – People are genetically predisposed to be more unhappy, or happier
- Life circumstances – Being able to focus on happiness is a privilege
- Choices – Research shows that approximately 15% to 20% of our happiness is based on our choices.
At the end of the day, you have to have the motivation to want to work on your happiness, and then have the actions supported by the science of happiness, doing the things that are good for you.
The quality of the time that we spend with people is the number one driver of our happiness. It also acts as a protector for when life is really challenging because it acts as your safety net. We’ve never been more disconnected in this connected world, as humans, and so we have to invest in that.
[34:25] How to Become a Happy Leader
Many leaders have not been taught, first, how to take care of themselves. They haven’t been shown that example. Second, they’re not taught what truly makes people happy. If you want to have a positive team, which then has fantastic business results, you have to take care of yourself first and prioritize it. Unfortunately, many leaders don’t do this because they work all the time. You must take care of yourself and then understand the emotional experience of everyone that works for you.
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