The Greater Good Science Center. Here is how they describe themselves. “The Greater Good Science Center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being, and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. Not only do we sponsor groundbreaking scientific research into social and emotional well‐being, we help people apply this research to their personal and professional lives.”
Here is how they describe their work with leaders: “For competitive businesses or hard-pressed nonprofits or public agencies, focusing on employees’ happiness can feel like a luxury. Yet research suggests fostering social and emotional well-being in a workplace leads to less turnover, fewer sick days, more productivity, and greater overall job satisfaction. Practicing skills like compassion, gratitude, empathy, and cooperation, in other words, is good for the bottom line. The GGSC tries to help leaders at every level of an organization put this research into practice.”
For more information go to: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu
The Jim Collins research and website – www.jimcollins.com – has information that is research based and proven regarding how to have a positive impact through who you are as a leader and person. The reason that Jim has published multiple international business and leadership bestsellers and materials on his website on successful positive impact strategies and leadership excellence is defined on his website with the following statement:
“IT’S IN THE RESEARCH: The foundation of all ideas generated by Jim and the team is supported by years of research.”
I realize that many readers of this article will be familiar with his books. If you have not spent time reading his thoughts contained on his website, I would encourage you to do so. What follows is one reason. “Executives should read fewer management books. I don’t mean that reading is a waste of their time; on the contrary, they should read more. The question is what to read. My own view is that only one book in 20 should be a business book.” He then goes on to outline important non-business books including The Plague by Albert Camus (I am not making this up) and Winston Churchill’s The Second World War which he says, “Is the best book on leadership I’ve read.” Fascinating guy and an impactful teacher.
What follows is a brief summary of the valuable research-based materials available from these two resources that help individuals, teams and organizations move toward greatness.
1.The Greater Good Science Center offers numerous resources that help individuals, as stated in their website description above, develop skills that help foster a compassionate society, which fits into all we have been talking about in this series of articles on positive impact.
There are many free QUIZZES on their website that help individuals and leaders receive information about behaviors that foster success. Here are a few:
Empathy Quiz
How well do you feel and understand what others are feeling?
Social Capital Quiz
How strong are your social connections, online and off?
Compassionate Organization Quiz
Does your organization foster compassion or callousness?
Relationship Trust Quiz
Are your relationships defined by honesty and dependability—or suspicion and betrayal?
There are dozens of ARTICLES that focus on being successful at work including:
-Six Ways to Grow Social Connections on the Job
-Do This in the Morning for a Better Workday
-Five Ways for Workplaces to Support Employee Happiness
Their free PODCAST is called The Science of Happiness. In that podcast you learn research-tested strategies for a happier, more meaningful life. A sample of the 50+ podcasts include:
-How to let go of anger
-Facing your fears
-How to get your priorities straight…What do you want to do with our life? – both of which relate directly to the topic of finding your purpose which was the focus of the first article I wrote in this series of articles on Having Positive Impact.
-How to find your silver linings…Notice the good in your life – both of which relate directly to lessening the stress in your life which was the topic of the fourth article in this series of articles on Having Positive Impact.
They also have FREE NEWSLETTERS on the topics that follow:
Greater Good Magazine (2x weekly) Don’t miss a single article, video, podcast, or monthly happiness calendar
Greater Good Education (monthly) Articles, events, and resources for educators.
Greater Good Parenting (monthly) News and articles for moms, dads, and caregivers.
Greater Good Workplaces (monthly) Science-based practices to make work better.
A THREE COURSE PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE SERIES: The Science of Happiness at Work” is a professional certificate series that teaches you the what, why, and how of increasing happiness at work, enabling you to boost engagement, teamwork, and productivity in your organization.
2. Jim Collin is one of the most respected researchers on the topic of leadership and the author of the international bestseller Good to Great. He wrote the monograph built from his work in education, healthcare, social ventures and cause-driven nonprofits titled Good to Great and the Social Sectors which I have used extensively in presentations I do for leaders in the nonprofit and education sectors.
His website is a rich resource built over his 3 decades of research into what makes good organizations great. His thoughts are extremely relevant for our work together on having a positive impact during uncertain times. One of the multiple reasons is that his research has found that the most effective leader, what he calls the Level 5 leader,
“Builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical combination of personal humility plus professional will…They were self-effacing individuals who displayed the fierce resolve to do whatever needed to be done to make the company great. While Level 5 leaders can come in many personality packages, they are often quiet, reserved and even shy… Every good-to-great transition in our research began with a Level 5 leader who motivated the enterprise more with inspired standards than inspiring personality.”
Individuals like those described as Level 5 fit my positive impact focus on benefiting a community and not just helping a select few.
For those who are interested in further study regarding leadership and the Collins level 5 model will find a FREE Where Are You on Your Journey from Good to Great: The Good to Great Diagnostic Tool on the Collins website.
Collins has made available on his website valuable thoughts on the history of leadership and resources that current leaders would benefit from reading.
One of the articles on his site outlines 9 Business Classics. Here are 2 of them:
Igniting Creativity Within Your Company: Creativity in Business by Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers (1986)
Setting Down the Bible of Management Thinking: The Practice of Management by Peter F. Drucker (1954)
“Drucker stands as the most significant management thinker of the 20th century. Enlightened and, above all, effective management is to him the central skill needed in all parts of a free society. Effective management dispersed throughout society—in business, in nonprofits, in education, in local government—made the triumph of the free world and the end of the Cold War possible and is the only workable alternative to a resurgence of tyranny or dictatorship. Drucker’s goal is to make society more productive and more humane. He strives to lift us to a higher standard, not merely to help us be successful or amass wealth…
“I’ve excluded books published in the past 10 years. ‘Classic’ status requires that a book has stood the test of time…
“Reflecting on the nine classics on the list, I noticed three dominant themes. First, the path to progress often involves doing less, not more: getting out of the way and letting people work; eliminating barriers; managing better, not more; removing the need for control. Second, virtually every classic recognizes the complexity, unpredictability, and randomness inherent in human affairs, and each book provides a framework or theory to guide our decisions in the face of that complexity. Third, management is not science. The timeless classics rest not on “hard science”—management and organization are not analogous to physics and chemistry—but on understanding and releasing the capabilities of human beings…
“Executives should read fewer management books. I don’t mean that reading is a waste of their time; on the contrary, they should read more. The question is what to read. My own view is that only one book in 20 should be a business book.”
He then provides a list of important books to read separate from the Classic business books. This fascinating list includes and is not limited to:
“-Chimpanzee Politics, by Frans de Waal…
–The Guns of August, by Barbara W. Tuchman…
–Influence, by Robert B. Cialdini and the Psychology of Attitude Change and Social Influence, by Philip B. Zimbardo. I don’t see how anyone can hope to be an effective manager without having a basic understanding of social psychology-the forces of human influence and the dynamics of social behavior…
–The Second World War, by Winston S. Churchill. This 5,000 page, six-volume autobiography and chronicle of the years 1919 is the best book on leadership I’ve read…
–The Plague, by Albert Camus. In this novel Camus wrestles with the question, how do we find meaning in a seemingly meaningless – and certainly brutal and alienating – world? His answer: we must create our own meaning by infusing our tasks with a sense of purpose and by seeking human connection. What does that have to do with management and leadership? Everything.”
I hope you have enjoyed what I have shared about these two important leadership and personal development resources that focus on personal and organizational greatness. The next article in this series on Positive Impact Strategies will be about how to have successful difficult conversations. Peak performers and those who are successful in their personal and professional lives have had to develop the ability to engage in difficult conversations that allow them to move effectively toward their goals.
The Amazon #1 International Bestseller, “Have a Positive Impact During Uncertain Times” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732793808 – and website – www.havepositiveimpact.com – provide links to hundreds of additional resources designed to help individuals identify jobs of interest and ways to be successful and have a positive impact in all you do personally and professionally.