Culture Change There are three types of happiness:

1. Pleasure – this is a kind of “rock star” happiness in which you chase the next high
2. Passion – this is also known as “being in your flow” doing what you really like to do
3. Higher Purpose – this is about being part of something bigger than yourself that has meaning to you

So says the Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Their research shows that people generally live their lives chasing after the pleasure type of happiness and think that once they have attained sustainable pleasure they will then worry about their passions an higher purpose. The research shows, however, that a more effective way to maximize your happiness is to figure out and pursue your higher passion first, then layer passion happiness and pleasure happiness on top of that. This is because higher passion appears to be the longest lasting form of happiness.

Now look at what research has found about long-term successful companies. The findings show that hierarchy here is:

1. Profit – drives successful companies in the short term
2. Passion – drives successful companies in the medium to long term
3. Purpose – drives successful companies in the long and very long term

What conclusions can you draw from this new research? We are not sure yet, but there seems to be some kind of correlation between the level and type of individual happiness and the level and type of organizational success. More research is needed here but it seems to be a promising field.

So here is the HR Tip for today: take a look at the Positive Psychology web site at the University Pennsylvania at http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/ and learn more about the science of happiness—it just might provide some insights into new approaches to achieving long term organizational success.

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Quote of the Day

Leaders need to be optimists. Their vision is beyond the present. ~ Rudy Giuliani