Half full, half empty?
Positive thinking can be a powerful force in the workplace, says psychologist Tom Rath.
Tom Rath, The New York Times best-selling author, says he knows precisely how to rejuvenate the workforce and—be still my professional heart—become an inspiring power to all around you.
The core of Rath’s advice is rooted in positive psychology—the study of what is right with people. It’s the key topic of his latest book and final collaboration with his grandfather, the late Donald
O. Clifton, known as the grandfather of positive psychology. Titled How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies For Work And Life, it has been praised by Deepak Chopra for its quietly revolutionary insights into the world we live and work in.
“Individuals have spent a lot of time over the past 100 years studying what’s wrong with people, particularly in psychology,” says Rath. “There are thousands of books that discuss mental disorders, but there have been relatively few studies of what’s right with people or covering their strengths.
“What we’ve found in much of our research is not only do people feel better and have greater satisfaction of what’s right in their lives, but that positive feeling is also good for business. When we studied the top 10% of salespeople in a corporate office in Washington, DC, we discovered that with extra time invested in development, the company experienced $5 million in gains. When you look at the potential for growth—in terms of sales and elsewhere—the best place to invest development time is in areas where the company is already strong.”
Bucket and dipper
The metaphor at the center of Rath and Clifton’s book is the “bucket theory,” whereby everyone has an invisible dipper and bucket. “The bucket is constantly being emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us,” says Rath. “When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful.”
In any situation, he explains, “There’s an opportunity to add something to the bucket—or take something away.” The more you add, the more it lifts your spirits. One of the main strategies for spreading positive reinforcement—filling your own bucket—is to fill someone else’s bucket.
“If you study what happens when someone does a kind act for another person, the person who helps the other actually raises his own level of well-being more than the recipient,” says Rath.
At the opposite end of this metaphor, the second option is to use our dipper to take away from other people’s buckets. On the job, constant dipping from
others’ buckets frequently results in a decrease in productivity. The Gallup Organization estimates that unmotivated workers cost the US an average of $250 to $300 billion per year in lost productivity. Yet positive managers can have the effect of reviving not only their own office, but sometimes a global network of businesses as well.
Strategies for success
“Traditionally, when a manager sits down with an employee for a performance review, he might take five or 10 minutes to talk about the employee’s successes or victories,” says Rath. “Unfortunately, usually the majority of time is spent discussing which areas are ripe for improvement.”
Rath insists that focusing on someone’s weaknesses can undermine the very purpose of a performance review, serving to sap the energy needed to perform at an optimal level in the workplace.
And many experts agree. According to positive psychology researcher Barbara Frederickson, positivity can buffer and protect against the damage of negative interactions. Positive reinforcement builds a layer of resistance and diffuses the sting of unpleasant events; it also paves the way to greater success. In the workplace, positive reinforcement smothers the effect of sharp words, so that employees can better navigate their way through day-today challenges.
Corporate culture is evolving to realize a deeper wisdom: that maximum productivity is not just the result of individual hard work, but thrives in a climate that fosters individual strengths. But this feel-good approach doesn’t mean managers should build positive support based on thin air. Giving half-hearted praise can do as much damage, if not more, as a round of straightforward criticism or not saying anything at all. As Rath points out: “Even a three-year-old can tell whether someone is being honest or not.”
How to start filling buckets
Underappreciated workers and other sad sloths—what the Gallup Organization calls the “actively disengaged”—can blaze inroads of negativity throughout the office. The good news is that, as with wilting houseplants, managers can revive employees simply by investing a little time and attention.
Stop nodding “Hey, you” to co-workers you see each day. If you work in a large corporation, take the time to get to know people’s names (including the correct pronunciation). Building a personal bond is a further step in the right direction, so make it a point to ask about individual interests and family life. Whether you’re a manager or an entry-level employee, taking an interest in someone’s background will give you the power to offer them recognition and support.
Rath also recommends asking employees to name the most meaningful form of recognition they’ve received. While some will be thrilled to receive a physical award, many others will report greater satisfaction in a one-on-one affirmative conversation. By providing positive reinforcement that is “individualized, specific and deserved,” a manager can create moments that leave a profound impression with employees.
Getting on track
Are you predisposed to filling buckets or are you dipping energy out? “We all start at very different baselines but thankfully there’s always room for improvement,” says Rath. “It’s down to a combination of disposition and life experience.” There are 20,000 moments in any given day, an idea that was first put forward by Nobel prizewinning scientist Daniel Kahneman. In the big picture, that means everyone has more than enough time in the day to concentrate on “filling” buckets.
Gallup research indicates that it takes three positive moments to undo the work of one negative moment. Rath suggests you keep a log of each positive moment you create in a day, and also note how many negative moments you create in the day. From this log, you can appreciate the day’s triumphs and aspire to a higher ratio of positive to negative moments.
“In each opportunity, you can add something or take something away,” he says. “But the more you add, the more it will boost your spirits.”
Finally, make sure you recognize the areas where you and your co-workers are finding success in the office. “Slowly, start to see the strengths and decide how you can call attention to them,” says Rath. “It’s amazing how people have such little awareness of their own strengths. It really takes someone to hold up a mirror for them to show them what they’re doing right.”
Words by Annie Wilner