After spending 12 years at Harvard University, Shawn Achor has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between happiness and success. His research on mindset made the cover of Harvard Business Review, his TED talk is one of the most popular of all time with more than 13 million views, and his lecture airing on PBS has been seen by millions. Mr Achor has lectured or worked with more than a third of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as the NFL, the NBA, the Pentagon and the White House. He is the author of New York Times best-selling books The Happiness Advantage (2010) and Big Potential (2018). Mr Achor has now lectured in more than 50 countries speaking to CEOs in China, doctors in Dubai, schoolchildren in South Africa, and farmers in Zimbabwe.
Most business is done under the guideline that if you work harder you will be more successful, and then you will be happy. This formula is scientifically backward. More than a decade of research shows training your brain to be positive first actually leads to greater success at work. In fact, only 25 percent of job success is predicted by intelligence—the rest is determined by your optimism, social support network, and the ability to manage energy and stress in a positive way. Based on his book, The Happiness Advantage, and research studying top performers at Harvard and the world’s largest banks and fortune 500 companies, Mr. Achor explains what positive psychology is, how much we can change, and practical applications and strategies for reaping the happiness advantage in the midst of change and challenge.
Upon completion of this session, attendees should be able to:
Understand the importance of positivity— that brains in a positive state are more imaginative, responsive and flexible.
Recalibrate and move away from negativity, doubt and worry with practices that elevate their daily experience and maximize happiness.