Success Is The Most Misunderstood Driver Of Performance

We cannot let our work and living conditions limit our success, we must take control of the situations in our lives. As much as we have all heard it, we need to keep a positive attitude and mindset, or at least try to. This is probably the easiest way to take control of the situations you are in; keeping a positive attitude has been known to increase your physical and mental health, which can really only benefit you. In a study performed by the University of California, Riverside, in which productivity, happiness, and overall physical and mental well-being were analyzed in working individuals, it was concluded that a positive attitude and outlook has a great effect on one’s life. Generally positive, or “happy people,” were found to be more satisfied with their jobs, to perform tasks better, and less likely to be unemployed and more likely to be physically healthier and live longer than their less happy peers (Joy). Positive people being less likely to be unemployed allows these individuals to accumulate more money, which makes the general public happier nowadays, and this ultimately makes the dream of having success more easily attainable. Happy individuals being found to be healthier and to therefore live longer than less happy individuals gives these happy individuals more time to attain the “American Dream” as well. Keeping

Increasing productivity and sparking motivation in employees, are challenges that managers, businesses, and organizations have struggled with for centuries. While there are many beliefs about which method(s) yield the best results, and what is considered to be the desired result, a ‘one-size-fits-all’ management technique still does not exist. The current movement in psychology, called Positive Psychology, focuses on what is “right” in an individual, and not on their faults. This basic concept is starting to extend its influences into the workplace, making it seem that Positive Psychology may become the key ingredient corporate culture, and all places of employment alike, have needed to promote success and satisfaction in their lines of work.

The challenges of an organization can influence the performance of an organization from a satisfaction with pay (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, 2016, p. 296). The employee salary within an organization is a huge cause for turnover of employees (p. 296). First, the topic of employee salary is of great importance for the current and potential workforce (Lee & Lin, 2014, p. 1577). In addition, employees that have the perception on receiving lower compensation that others within their market will lack in performance and have a desire to leave the organization (p. 1577). In retrospect, the regular evaluation of compensation within the organization is vital to the reduction of employee turnover (p. 1577).

In the article, Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says, “Researchers such as Cummins et al. (2009) go as far as to suggest that individuals are happier when whole society’s functions better” (Flynn and MacLeod 452). This shows that without happiness, people could not work well together. It is why so many people work together, and keeping the economy well. In the article Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says, “It is well known in the positive psychology literature that increased happiness is related to multiple benefits including better mental and physical health, (see Lyubomirsky et al. 2005)” (Flynn and MacLeod 452). This is why people that are happier have a better life in their jobs and schools. It also shows that people have better eating habits if they are happy. In the article Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students, it says that, “The individual benefits can pale in comparison to the potential societal gains of having a population comprised of such happy and therefore “successful” individuals” (Flynn and MacLeod 453). This is why people who like their job are better at their job. People that are fortunate are ones who usually like their job. People are happier if what they are doing is what they like, and it helps them to be happier than they

Authored by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, “Happiness Revisited” is a study on happiness and creativity. Csikszentmihalyi defines happiness in terms of how we achieve it. He suggests that people achieve happiness “not by trying to look for it directly” (609) but by looking for it directly. He also added that by “achieving control over the contents of our consciousness” (609), a circuitous path begins, thus the beginning of achieving happiness. Further, Csikszentmihalyi stated that just like happiness, success is not to be pursued but ensued. This statement is ideally illustrated by Viktor Frankl’s book on Man’s Search for meaning: “Don’t aim at success - the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it”(609).

Achor utilizes a meta-analysis, or the combination of different findings, of over 200 scientific studies to prove his overall theory that happiness leads to success in almost every aspect of life from family to friends to careers and businesses. He does not rely solely on the data or information from a few relevant case studies, but instead relies upon experimental research to support his claim. He utilizes his findings to create “The Seven Principles”, which are “patterns that predict success and achievement” (Achor, 17), which is headed by “The Happiness Advantage.” He utilizes the concept of positive psychology and neurological activity to showcase the point that we can “retrain our brains to

A recent survey conducted by Mercer Consulting Firm found that salary is the reward component most profoundly appreciated by employees; however, just 55 percent are happy with what they earn. When employees believe, they are being paid short of what

Some people argue that happiness helps make good decisions because happy people strive for the best result. David states, “[Positive emotions] help build vital social, physical, and cognitive resources that lead to positive outcomes and affiliations” (124). David points out that with the right amount of positivity, people make good judgments. The author acknowledges that happiness can have benefits, but she states that too much happiness could hurt human development because the mind does not consider the consequences of an action. Julie Norem, a psychology professor, points out, “’If you’re a pessimist who really thinks through in detail what might go wrong, that’s a strategy that’s likely to work very well for you’” (qtd. in Wallis). She explains

Happiness on the job is closely related to contentment of values. In fact, happiness could just be

There are five major components of job satisfaction, one being monetary benefits (Ghillyer 2010). According to Ghillyer (2012) an employee’s behavior towards their pay may affect their work performance. The issue that arises with employee motivation is that management is unable to satisfy all (Ghillyer 2010). This becomes an even larger problem when employees being joining unions, resigning and being frequently absent (Ghillyer 2010).

According to the article, “the happiness that results from success is fleeting. Happiness comes from within one’s mind which is why being positive and surrounding yourself with a positive environment is so important. Because being positive deals with the mind, it's key to be consistent and determine to see major improvements in all areas of your

Another vastly used concept in management theory and practice i.e. the positive psychology pursues organisational virtues and social responsibility. Positive psychology is applied in contemporary management to facilitate social relation between a leader and his subordinates to develop a sense of security and create positive emotional states of the individuals. With smaller sized team and more freedom in work,Google Inc. keeps the employees working towards a set purpose besides instilling high levels of self- motivation and work empowerment within them. Google Inc. focuses on noble tasks and convince their employees of their significance in bringing changes and peace to the world by organising the world’s information and making life better for individuals and the society(Cook 2012).Hence,it can be observed that through positive psychology,high employee satisfaction and achievement can be gained through self-motivation,self-improvement and self-inspiration by incorporating passion in their work and align them with the organization’s own’s values.This in turns improves the company’s productivity and innovation ability which will then elevate the corporation’s social and economic status.

The productivity of any organization depends on the satisfaction of the employees, as happier employees also make more profit as they work faster and harder.

From an optimistic Grandmother 's encouragement over the holiday dinner table to famous motivational speakers, we are often told: dream big, imagine yourself frolicking on a sandy beach, taste and smell that elegant burgundy wine; all of these are in the grasp of your hand, if you just dream big and work hard. A general and well-accepted assumption is that positive thinking boosts one 's morale to somehow make one leap into action in rapid pursuit of a goal.

Attitudes and emotions in the workplace are extremely important because they dictate job performance. The emotions that people go through are something that cannot be avoided; however, they can be manipulated. Managers, leaders, CEO’S of companies learn to do this by experience and training. They manipulate employee’s emotions with the purpose of achieving better performance and satisfy an organization’s goals. Although people have always had different emotions, the notion that managers need to care for employee’s satisfaction and happiness is newly implemented in the workplace. In this paper, I will be explaining the impact of attitudes in the workplace, how mood, emotions, attitudes and behavior affect job performance and I will implement the point of view of the CEO of the Defense Commissary Agency, Mr. Joseph Jeu.