The Uplift Podcast

January 30, 2023

In this episode you’ll hear…

[0:08] I want you to Love Your Job Again! And I want you to help your teams love theirs. Come learn how to love your job by uncovering the secret to joy at work. Join me for the final version of Love Your Job Again this Wednesday, February 1, at noon central.

[3:08] How Theresa Amabile and Stephen Kramer conducted the large research project that yielded the findings and reveal the secret to joy at work for ourselves and for our teams at work.

[11:59] The big secret to joy at work: understanding your team’s inner work lives.

[13:26] Why inclusion is essential to creating joy at work.

[16:00] The second secret to joy at work: using the progress principle, catalysts, and nourishers to engage and energize your team.

[28:46] Unlocking your own secret to joy for your colleagues (and for you as well), mad-lib style.

The Secret to Joy at Work

Research shows that employees can have a rich, deep, and joyful inner worklife even when the external circumstances of their job are tough. The secret to joy at work through a strong inner work life? Receiving consistent feedback on meaningful work.

Amabile and Kramer detail what they learned by asking members of 7 different teams, across sectors and industries, to respond to a simple email prompt at the end of their workdays. From all that data they learned, in particular, what managers can do — either through their own words and actions, or how they structure people’s work — to provide consistent feedback on meaningful work. This boils down to following the progress principle, using catalysts to spark joy, and nourishers to strengthen affiliations.

I first learned about this work nearly a decade ago and I’ve infused into my own leadership as well as the professional development I lead since then. This spring I’ve created a single workshop and a full course dedicate to helping women leaders in higher ed unlock the secret to joy at work, using these principles, for themselves and their teams.

Resources

As a quick reference for today’s episode, grab this quick guide to the progress principle and how to write your own actionable leadership mad-lib.

I’d love to see you in my final offering of the workshop “Love Your Job Again:” Wednesday February 1 at noon central.

If you’re looking for leadership development, sign up for my course designed exclusively for women leaders in higher ed: Leading Through Clarity. Discounts are available for women serving historically excluded populations, women early in their leadership career, and for teams who register from the same institution. Two full scholarships are available as well.