FIRST THOUGHT: Being Happy in Your Own Skin
When you are bedridden with the flu, don’t you think, “I need to appreciate my health more”? When you groggily open your eyes after a wild night out, don’t you think, “Never again”? But, of course, we often don’t appreciate our sick-free days or say no to that fourth gin and tonic.
We can’t all be perfectly grateful people who have rock-solid judgment skills. We’ll slip up and make bad choices from time to time. But at the end of the day, we’re all human, and we’re doing the best we can. Take some time today to appreciate the positive choices you’ve made in your life and accept yourself for the beautiful person you are.
WOMEN IN NUMBERS: 33 Percent
Ladies, do you hate your job? Maybe the work isn’t exactly up your alley, or your co-workers or boss are just bumming you out? Perhaps it’s time to make a career change and land a job that truly makes you happy.
According to a recent Gallup poll, only 33 percent of women said they are engaged employees, meaning they care about their job and their company, and that work isn’t just about a paycheck to them.
Engagement makes people, male and female, feel more satisfied and happy with their work. And that’s a win-win for employees and employers. In fact, according to a study by the University of Warwick in England, employee happiness leads to a 12 percent increase in productivity.
WOMAN TO WATCH: Jenn Lim, CEO and Chief Happiness Officer of Delivering Happiness
Today’s Woman to Watch is going to get you thinking about turning your company culture in a positive and happier direction, whether you’re in the corner office or a humble cubicle. And On The Dot is excited to hear her speak live today at the National Association of Women Business Owners Conference.
Jenn Lim has been a consultant for online shopping giant Zappos since 2003. Considering it’s now about a $2 billion business, that’s really saying something. Zappos is known for having an unusual company culture, and Jenn’s a big part of that. She’s the creator of the Zappos Culture Book, a symbol of how companies can use happiness as a business model to increase productivity and profitability. The Zappos culture is collaborative and focused on giving employees the tools to be their own leaders, which means there is no traditional top-down structure. Pretty crazy, huh? The thing is this Zappos strategy is working and other companies are wondering why.
With that different culture in mind, Jenn, along with Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, co-founded a company called Delivering Happiness. In 2010, Tony’s bestselling book, Delivering Happiness, was published, and Jenn led the launch and management of the book. The book’s message, that happiness should be a core value of any company, evolved into a movement.
As Delivering Happiness’ CEO and chief happiness officer, Jenn travels the world, delivering speeches about corporate happiness to major companies like Southwest Airlines, Toms and Facebook.
This jetsetter has traveled to more than 30 countries to share practical ways to implement Delivering Happiness’ message. At the heart of that message is this: Companies that have happy employees have happy customers, and companies with happy customers are successful companies.
Delivering Happiness’ work is rooted in research by the Hay Group, Gallup and the University of California, Berkeley. And after years of focus on the subject, Jenn has a keen understanding that businesses can be more profitable when they start implementing happiness strategies into their company culture. We’re happy Jenn is paving the way. After all, we could all use a little more smiling and laughing at the office, right?
QUITE THE QUOTE
With happy thoughts in mind, consider this quote from British business mogul Richard Branson, who said:
“When you are positive, it rubs off on people and you help to create a more positive atmosphere.”
That’s all for now. Be sure to share this so more women can have a voice! Thanks for getting ready with us.
To learn more about our conversation, check us out at OnTheDotWoman.com and talk to us @OnTheDotWoman on Twitter and Instagram. We’d love to hear your voice.