My first three months as part of the Soundboard team have been a whirlwind of an introduction to the consulting field. I have been exposed to varying degrees of workplace success and the different types of business owners that create profitable enterprises. Like most people, I associate success with happiness – the greater the perceived level of success the happier the individual. The equation seems simplistic in nature, but few professionals can claim they are truly happy.

In fact, many talented people are absolutely miserable. Despite company level, skill set, income, or industry people are not getting a sense of satisfaction from their work. Unhappy employees create an unhappy environment, drastically reducing productivity in the workplace. Profitability decreases and work becomes a chore or overwhelming or a combination of the both. How can we get a sense of accomplishment and productivity back into the workplace? First we have to understand the type of work that creates a space in which employees can be most functional.

The psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, defines “work happiness” as an elevated state of emotion and concentration, coupled with task immersion. In short term: flow. Flow occurs when the work at hand is challenging to the individual but still achievable with proper method and tools. The goal or process can be accomplished alone or in tandem with a co-worker, but there is always a strong feeling of success at the end of the task. An office in flow is a healthy environment in which it’s employees feel successful, gratified, and in sync. Of course this strong sense of flow is not an easy concept to grasp or achieve without support and a small shift in perspective.

Over the course of my first two months I witnessed my colleagues experience flow as they coached clients to create their own workplace happiness. They gave their clients the tools and techniques to streamline their communication, productivity, cope with adversity, or celebrate victories. A happy AND successful workplace is possible Let us help you change your perspective and get back in the flow of things.

I look forward to getting to know each of you personally as we continue to grow.

With your success in mind,

Catharine