Failure is one of life’s most common traumas, yet people’s responses to it vary widely. Some bounce back after a brief period of malaise; others descend into depression and a paralysing fear of the future. As Dr Martin Seligman, the “father of positive psychology”, describes optimism is the key.
In the late 1960s Seligman was part of a team of psychologists that discovered learned helplessness. His studies found that about a third of the animals or people that encountered noise or shock that they couldn’t escape from and couldn’t control did not descend into learned helplessness. They recovered and even experienced growth after the negative experience rather than slipping into despondency and hopelessness. Seligman learned that it is optimism that makes the difference between those with an “all is lost” mentality and those with a “this will pass-can do” mentality.
It is this finding that prompted Seligman to develop a number of programs in positive psychology and resilience training. He says the building blocks of growth and resilience can be found in the acronym PERMA: positive emotion, engagement, relationships/social connections, meaning and accomplishment.
Positive psychology now has decades of clinical trials behind it and resilience training programs are now implemented in organisations as diverse as Toyota, the United States Army (which aims to make soldiers as fit psychologically as they are physically), BP and numerous schools worldwide.
Enlightened organisations are starting to realise that resilience is a key determinant of good mental health. Research has found that positivity also increases creativity and combats stress. Happiness at work can increase profits, customer and employee loyalty and workplace safety.
Building resilience means building emotional intelligence skills, building relationship skills, and recognising and utilising core strengths. Identifying a person’s core strengths is essential for employee engagement. The most successful companies are those in which workers feel they get to practice what they’re best at. We’re not just talking about hard skills here: character matters. If you place people with emotional intelligence, optimism and a sense of purpose in positions where they influence others; you’ll see changes throughout your employees.
Resilience training can also increase wellbeing at work by helping employees to amplify positive emotions and dispel catastrophic destructive and unrealistic thinking. It also helps in terms of communication and connections with others.
Seligman’s work in resilience and positive psychology is already having an impact on young people here in Australia. His brand of positive education forms the guiding principles of the innovative Handbury Centre for Wellbeing at Geelong Grammar School, Victoria, the result of years of direct and ongoing consultation with Seligman*.
Follow this link to learn more about how En Masse’s suite of workplace mental health and wellbeing education and training programs can help you build a more resilient workplace culture. Or contact Helen Rimington at En Masse to discuss how we can tailor a mental health and resilience training program to your business.
Ph: (03) 9827 1388
Email: Helen.rimington@enmasse.com.au
* To learn more about Dr Martin Seligman’s work on Positive Psychology go to his official page: http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/default.aspx
