Uta Langley has been training and coaching for 20 years helping people to be more effective and happier managers, communicators and presenters.
Here’s what I discovered from her webinar:
- Identify the specific areas that you can control and influence to increase your Happiness at Work.
- Gain clarity if you need to move up, sideways or out.
- Define an action plan to increase your happiness at work in the short and long term.
- Form relationships by seeing what you can do to help staff or potential further clients. Recognition is important; if you are a manager remember to use this tool. Do it in specific terms – this can help people to know what to do well next time.
- Concentrate on your happy self. It’s hard to be happy at work if you are feeling miserable all of the time. Uta is a self confessed pessimist but knows from experience that this can be changed. She recommended Martin Seiglman’s book called Learned Optimism (one that is on my reading list!).
- Gratitude around work – you have a job, that’s a start! Have a good look around and think of 3 things you are grateful for. This can be tough if you really aren’t enjoying your work so start simple; there are always chocolate biscuits in the staff room!
Uta then went on to describe 5 strategies to find happiness at work:
- Move down – this could be an option if you become a manager but really miss the technical side of what you used to do. Not everyone needs to be a manager so if the technical work is what you love then concentrate your efforts there.
- Move sideways – if you want more variety in your work or there is a personality clash that can’t be resolved then consider a sideways move.
- Move up – if up is where you want to be then you need a good career development plan to develop skills you need for that move.
- Move out – self employment could be for you! If this is your preferred option then you will need a plan to look at skills that you need. Take a look at previous articles on Nick Williams and Valerie Young if this is your option for some great information.
- Make a shift – stay where you are but start tweaking things e.g. your job role, the way you relate to people or your perspective.
I think the most important learning experience from listening to Uta was a reminder that there are always choices; even if you can’t see them initially. It took me a lot of self discovery to realise that choices had been with me all along but I was so focussed on the wrong areas that I failed to notice the choices.
