#67: Part II: Finding Love IN Work: (What's Love Got to Do with It?)

This is PART II in a series on finding meaning, purpose, and love in work. The research is based on the principles of Positive Organizational Psychology (POP) which explores how positive organizations can foster growth and excellence.

In my last post in this series, I asked you to write down different aspects of your job that you loved or  loathed. What we learned was that we don't need to love our jobs 100% of the time. We do, however, need to love aspects of our work at least some of the time. Those aspects of our work that we LOVE tend to energize us because they enable us to use our strengths. In this post, we will explore the relationship between using our strengths and finding love in our work.

Strength-Based Approach
Simply put, a strength is something that you are good at and that you enjoy doing (Buckingham & Goodall, 2019, p. 17-18). When you are using your strengths, you
(1) Look forward to an activity
(2) Experience flow during the activity
(3) Experience fulfillment after the activity is complete.

Using our strengths, energizes and excites us! One of the most powerful predictors of group performance is the everyday utilization of strengths. Consider your answer to this question: Do you have the opportunity to use your strengths every day at work? What a powerful question!! Now, consider this. Do your students have the opportunity to use their strengths every day? Let's a take a closer look at what the research says about the importance of using strengths on a daily basis. 

Finding Love in Work
I would like to share a story with you about a physician named Miles. He is thriving and loves his job. Sadly, when it comes to physicians, Miles is the exception rather than the rule. Recent research conducted by the Mayo Clinic concluded that physicians have the highest level (52%)of professional burnout when compared to other professions. (Teachers are other caregiving professions aren't too far behind.) In addition, 15% of physicians report experiencing symptoms of job-related PTSD. This is 4x higher than the typical worker (p. 182)! However, Miles is thriving and researchers wanted to know why.

What they discovered was that Miles didn't love all aspects of his job. In fact, he actually disliked meeting with patients. What Miles loved about his job was the technical challenge of keeping a patient "hovering between life and death" (p.190). Needless to say, this isn't what the researchers expected but his answer was very revealing. Miles was thriving because he loved aspects of his work and he was able to use his strengths at work EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Buckingham and Goodall refer to strengths as "red threads" that can be purposefully woven into our work, no matter what that job is. If you look back at your "Love It" list, I bet it is littered with your strengths. The key is identifying them and using them more often in the roles that we already serve. As for those "loathed it" items on your list, you want to limit your time spent on those activities as much as possible or try to weave your strengths into those activities by combining it with something that you do love.

Here is my key takeaway from this research: Not all of our work may be joyful, but we can find joy in the work that we do.

We all need the opportunity to use our strengths every day. Here are some practical steps to identify your own strengths and those of others, including our students!

1. At Your Best: Tell me a story about when you were at your BEST. This is one of my favorite interview questions because it reveals not only what a person values but also what they are good at. Another way to approach this is to ask the question, "what energizes you?" You can even have your students partner up and ask each other the same questions. Then, ask them to reflect on their partner's response by asking the following questions:

• What did you most admire in your partner's story? What strengths were evident?
• How did you tell your partner this, if you did?
• What surprises were there, if any, in what you learned about your partner?
• How did the storyteller feel about having their strengths highlighted?
• How did you, as the listener, feel about the storyteller?
• (Questions taken from Smart Strengths 2011 p. 85)

2. Strengths Inventory: There are a variety of different strength inventories available. I prefer the Values in Action (VIA) Inventory and the Clifton Strengths Inventory. I love these because they put a name on the strength which allows people to create a concrete connection between their strengths and their actions. In addition, knowing your individual strengths can make you a better teammate! Teams work best when multiple strengths are recognized and utilized appropriately.

You can see how I use this approach with my own team and in my own classroom by clicking here.

3. "Hunt the Good Stuff:" This helps to combat our in-born negativity bias and recognize the good that is happening in our lives. Look for the good in others and see if you can spot their unique strengths. Share with them what you see! Relationship experts believe that we need a minimum of 3 positive comments to 1 negative comment to maintain a positive relationship during a time of conflict.

4. Strength-Spotting: Ask the students to identify the strengths in others. This can be done as a whole class or in small groups. For example, after completing a group project ask each group member to identify at least one strength in each of their group members. You can choose which strengths you want them to focus on (VIA, Clifton, High5, etc) as long as the strengths are consistent.

5. Strength Walls: Ask the students to create a visual of their strengths and post them around the room! This could be a paper and marker visual that includes their names and strengths OR you could ask them to Word Clouds (individually or as a class) highlighting their strengths. Some teachers also leave room to give strength shout-outs, where students can post examples of how they see strengths being used in their everyday life.

My district's mission is for our students to "Enter with Promise. Leave with Purpose." As educators, we need to help our students find their purpose and meaning. This doesn't just mean finding them internship opportunities, offering the most rigorous classes, or even focusing on building SEL skills. It's also about teaching them how to find their strengths and love in the work that they do - even if they don't like it because, in reality, there will always be aspects of our jobs that we enjoy and those that we don't. By having honest conversations about what our strengths and passions are and celebrating our differences and the unique possibilities that they present, we are preparing our students with the skills they need to flourish even if they don't know what their purpose is, yet.

I'd love to hear how you recognize your students' strengths in your own classroom! Please comment below.

Be Well,
Cori

Last Post: Special Edition: APA TOPPS Positive Psychology Module

Next Post: Part III: Finding Love IN Work: Performance Reviews (Change'em or Chuck 'em)

Resources
Buckingham, M., & Goodall, A. (2019). Nine lies about work: A freethinking leader's guide to the real world. Harvard Business Review Press. Yeager, J. M., Fisher, S. W., & Shearon, D. N. (2011). 

Smart Strengths: A parent-teacher-coach guide to building character, resilience and relationships in Youth. Kravis.