We often talk about growth, money, politics, and the like; but how often do we talk about happiness. You may be thinking, “but how does this apply to leadership?”, and you would not be alone. Leadership and happiness have a very close link that we often look over.

Happy, content people perform better. If they are in a supportive environment and are genuinely happy they are more creative, driven, successful, and committed compared to those who are unhappy. This makes a happy team a high priority for many leaders. The real question is how do you become a catalyst for happiness?

Enduring Levels of Happiness

Enduring levels of happiness were created by Martin Seligman, Ph.D., who spent years studying the effects of happiness and what makes people happy. While we would think wealth, money, and the materialistic thing would be high up on the list, they only made up 10% of your happiness level. Here is a breakdown:

1. 50% - Base Line/ Mindset – Your mindset is powerful. How you look at life contributes to 50% or half of your happiness. So, getting yours or your team's minds right is crucial.
2. 10% - Conditions of Living – Your conditions of living, your wealth, and your environment only contribute to 10% of your overall happiness level.
3. 40% - Voluntary Activities – What you choose to do every day makes up 40% of your happiness level.

Some key elements here are that you are in charge of your happiness! This means you cannot create someone’s happiness, but you can create an environment in which happiness is natural.

How to Create a Happy Environment

Creating an environment and support system that promotes a happy life is vital to having a happy team. Here are a few key elements:

• What do you feel when you walk in? – What you feel when you walk into the building directly affects your mood and mindset. Is your office welcoming, inviting, and friendly?
• How innovative is the company? – people love being challenged. Create an innovative environment where everyone is always pushing to do better.
• How inclusive are you? – Allowing someone to feel included and accepted is a crucial part of their happiness. Spend the time to make sure everyone feels welcome and included.
• What do you choose to do? – What choices do you make in your business? What do you allow people to choose from? Choices make up a large part of your happiness.
• How do you motivate people? – Money is short-lived. Find what speaks to your team and motivate each individual to do their best.

Leaders MUST Understand Psychology

Leaders who succeed understand what motivates and what makes people happy. Spend the time to learn and understand psychology to better understand your team, what motivates them, their purposes, their meaning, and what makes them happy.

At the end of the day, leaders create culture.