Can You Thrive At Work? with Gretchen Spreitzer

08/05/16 • 23 min

Gretchen Spreitzer is the faculty director for the Center of Positive Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

In this interview, you will hear Gretchen talk about enabling sustainable performance. There are several factors that make it quite easy to get burned out at work and organizations need to implement certain things to promote sustainable performance and allow individuals to thrive. Gretchen gives practical ways for organizations to do this through her four levers to promote sustainability. Gretchen also shares some basic and easily implemented tactics for individuals to thrive.

Gretchen Spreitzer’s website: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/spreitzer/home

You’ll Learn:

● [1:43] - In today’s world, it is easy to get burned out and we need to make performance sustainable. ● [3:44] - Gretchen shares the four levers organizations can use to promote sustainability. ● [7:42] - Gretchen talks about the balance of responsibility between organizations and individuals in regards to employee growth and sustainability. ● [8:40] - What can individuals do when their organization doesn’t promote growth and sustainability? ● [12:05] - Gretchen discusses about her findings that co-working spaces lead to higher mean scores of thriving. ● [15:47] - Gretchen talks about resilience for people in difficult situations. Thriving is not about bouncing back, it’s about bouncing better. ● [17:43] - Thriving and growing proactively, when there isn’t a difficulty or challenge. ● [19:13] - Should organizations expect and encourage an approach of thriving when someone is struggling, personally? ● [20:04] - The lightning round with Gretchen Spreitzer

Your Resources:

Reflected Best Self Exercise - http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/cpo-tools/reflected- best-self-exercise-2nd- edition/

How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact - Jane E. Dutton and Gretchen M. Spreitzer - https://amzn.com/1626560285

The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs - Robert E Quinn - https://amzn.com/1626565627

Finding Purpose: Environmental Stewardship as a Personal Calling - Andrew J. Hoffman - https://amzn.com/1783533722

Positive Business Conference - http://positivebusinessconference.com

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

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Special thanks to Gretchen for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Gretchen Spreitzer is the faculty director for the Center of Positive Organizations at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Gretchen Spreitzer’s website: https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/spreitzer/home

You’ll Learn:

Your Resources:

Reflected Best Self Exercise - http://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/cpo-tools/reflected- best-self-exercise-2nd- edition/

How to Be a Positive Leader: Small Actions, Big Impact - Jane E. Dutton and Gretchen M. Spreitzer - https://amzn.com/1626560285

The Positive Organization: Breaking Free from Conventional Cultures, Constraints, and Beliefs - Robert E Quinn - https://amzn.com/1626565627

Finding Purpose: Environmental Stewardship as a Personal Calling - Andrew J. Hoffman - https://amzn.com/1783533722

Positive Business Conference - http://positivebusinessconference.com

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

Special thanks to Gretchen for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Previous Episode

How To Boost Your Vitality with Emiliya Zhivotovskaya

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya is the founder of The Flourishing Center of Benefit Corporation. She is the creator of the Certification in Applied Positive Psychology. Emiliya talks about the connection of mind and body, specifically in regards to vitality.

Our bodies affect our thoughts and vice versa. So how do we bring that vitality into our lives? It’s not through major interventions, but rather through daily life hacks. Emiliya shares a few that you can implement into your life.

You will learn about the importance of our digestive system in this conversation. Emiliya talks about how our gut is our “second brain.” She describes its effect on our our mind body health and lists ways for us to keep the second brain healthy. This is a conversation with a lot of practical and easily implemented tips and exercises.

Emiliya Zhivotovskaya’s website

You’ll Learn:

[2:06] - Emiliya shares her model of vitality.
[6:28] - Why do many researchers teach the mind and body are separate components?
[7:10] - Emiliya talks about why we move our bodies. It’s not to meet an exercise goal, but our cells have inherent wisdom to move.
[8:28] - The enteric nervous system tells us our gut is “the second brain.”
[10:45] - Daily hacks are a way to bring vitality into our lives.
[14:02] - Emiliya talks about the importance of probiotics and prebiotics in our diets.
[15:29] - In modern times, we don’t squat enough. Squatting also helps with healthy bowel movements.
[17:33] - Sleep is the foundation of all vitality.
[19:35] - The lightning round with Emiliya Zhivotovskaya

Your Resources:

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari - https://amzn.com/0062316095

Certificate in Positive Psychology - http://getcertifiedinpospsych.com

The Canadian Positive Psychology Association - http://cppa.ca

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

Special thanks to Emiliya for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!

Next Episode

Making Positive Psychology Real with Ilona Boniwell

Ilona Boniwell is the program leader for the first Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology in Europe at Angila Ruskin University. She is also the CEO of Positran.

In this interview, you will hear Ilona share her insights on making Positive Psychology real and tangible, and practical for people to integrate into their lives. She also talks about the role of Positive Psychology in the workplace, including how it can be integrated through play, the current state of these practices in Europe, and the terminology she avoids when proposing these changes to organizations.

Ilona Boniwell’s website: https://lifelabs.psychologies.co.uk/users/579-dr-ilona-boniwell

You’ll Learn:

● [2:00] - Ilona talks about her goal of making Positive Psychology “real and tangible.” ● [3:17] - Making strengths real by taking them from a questionnaire and knowing what to do with them. ● [4:52] - Ilona describes The Happiness Dashboard. ● [7:35] - Ilona talks about using the available tools to build our skills and maintain changes. ● [9:04] - The importance of play and it’s role in corporate workplaces. ● [10:55] - Ilona talks about how organizations in Europe are embracing Positive Psychology practices. ● [12:20] - Ilona talks about how she frames this discussion to get organizations on board with these practices. ● [13:40] - Is there a time when positive psychology is not the right solution? ● [15:28] - The Lightning Round with Ilona Boniwell!

Your Resources:

“Positive Psychology in a Nutshell: The Science of Happiness” - Ilona Boniwell

“Oxford Handbook of Happiness”

“Building a Better Business Using the Lego Serious Play Method” - Per Kristiansen, Robert Rasmussen

“Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul” - Stuart Brown, Christopher Vaughn

The European Conference on Positive Psychology

The Positive Psychology Program

Thanks for listening!

Thanks so much for joining me again this week. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.

And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free!

Special thanks to Ilona for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!