In the October 2022 Newsletter
  Joy at Work / Radish News / Events

Joy at Work

A joyful attitude is contagious. It inspires people to engage more fully. Joy brings health which stimulates productivity. What can you do to bring more joy into your personal and professional life?

My Example

I remember when I interviewed with Governor-elect Polis in December 2018 for the State of Colorado Chief Information Officer position. I learned of his leadership approach: be bold, be consistent, don’t make unforced errors, and be joyous! WOW! It made me so excited to work as CIO in such an environment. I had the tremendous opportunity to make a meaningful difference for Colorado — by working with other cabinet members and my Office of Information Technology staff — to keep all systems operating, information flowing, and technology advancing. I determined I would lead in a joyful way and help everyone have joy along the way. Weekly during my 2-minute update for the Governor and then for my OIT Executive Team check-in, I started Monday morning with the message, “Have a joyous week.”

Why Joy Is Important

Joy is defined by Merriam Webster as “a state of happiness or felicity, a source or cause of delight, and the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune. It is a feeling of great pleasure.”

There are health benefits of feeling more joy:

	Promotes a healthier lifestyle
	Boosts the immune system
	Fights stress and pain
	Supports longevity

“Being happy doesn’t just make us feel better, it improves our health. It helps us eat healthier, be more active and sleep better. Because happiness leads to healthier behaviors, it helps stave off high blood pressure and excess body fat, resulting in lower risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, said psychiatrist Dr. Francoise Adan, Director of the Connor Integrative Health Network of University Hospitals in Cleveland.

There are productivity benefits from more joy. “You probably aren’t surprised to learn that employee health directly correlates with productivity. Employees who are physically, mentally, socially, and financially healthy — and doing well in other dimensions of well-being — are more likely to do their best work than employees who are struggling in these areas.”

Practical Pointers for Bringing More Joy into Your Life

	SMILE. According to Diana Samuel, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, “Smiling can trick your brain by elevating your mood, lowering your heart rate, and reducing your stress. The smile doesn’t have to be based on real emotion because faking it works as well.”
	BE OPTIMISTIC. Carry a hopeful, upbeat disposition and believe that good prevails. My research study, Pursuit of Passionate Purpose, concluded that passionate pursuers, those who find and fulfill their dreams, strengthen their SUNFLOWER traits. They look to the sunny side and have the sunflower trait of “O” for optimism. Other research has linked an optimistic mindset to lower risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as a lower risk of death. The 2019 review, published in JAMA Network Open, suggested that promoting an optimistic mindset could be good preventive medicine.
	EXERCISE. Diana Samuel says that exercise “can help ease depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins and other natural brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that enhance your sense of well-being. Exercise can also take your mind off worries and negative thoughts that may feed depression and anxiety.”

Practical Pointers for Leaders to Bring More Joy into Work

	SET THE INTENTION. Just like Governor Polis advised, be joyous in your leadership. Set a goal of having more joy in the work environment. Hire optimistic people.
	TAKE ACTION TO IMPACT EMPLOYEE HEALTH. Employers can lead by example to offer more leave options, make healthcare more affordable, reduce stress in the work environment, and provide well-being programs.
	VALUE AND PROMOTE WELLNESS. More than 90 percent of business leaders say that promoting wellness can affect employee productivity and performance, according to survey results from the nonprofit Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO).

Summary

What can you do to bring more joy into your personal and professional life? Be optimistic, smile, and exercise. At work, set the intention to lead with joy and create a joyous environment. Take steps to value and promote wellness.

A New “Passion and Purpose” Podcast by Theresa

Listen and Subscribe. On Athena Alliance and all major podcast platforms. Thank you, Athena!

Joyful Radish News

Automated phone systems, such as Interactive Voice Response (IVR), can be frustrating. They hinder satisfaction in doing business with your firm. They take time and create stress. They are often painful for customers to use. What to do about it? Ease the pain! Bring more joy to your customer interactions. Phone calls are not going away. So improve them by adding visual menus and visual responses. “Now I see what you’re talking about!”™. Learn more.

Selected Events

November 2, 2022. 50/50 Women on Boards. Participate in a Global Conversation with seven stock exchange leaders from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico, India, South Africa, and Japan, who will share their candid perspectives on advancing diversity on boards. 10:00 AM MT. Virtual and in-person. Register.

November 24-28, 2022. Meet Theresa in Chicago. Contact her to schedule a visit.

Theresa M. Szczurek, Ph.D.
C-Level Executive, Corporate Director, Consultant, and Colorado CIO of the Year

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