The 3 critical capabilities to build positive change in the next decade

Mental health issues have been rising for years, and recent CDC research during the pandemic found that 40% of the sample reported suffering from depression or anxiety, with a higher incidence in sub-groups (youths, male, minority races and essential workers). Other research from BIMA, UK found that technology workers are highly prone to stress and from Lyra showed dramatic increases in mental health being a higher priority for organizations. In most cases mental health issues are not self – reported, spotted or treated. It’s a big problem.

It is pleasing to see organizations do more to offer support to their employees who are suffering with depression, anxiety, trauma and other mental health issues. 

I observe anxiety rooted deeply in the majority of leaders I have coached. So, even highly intelligent, skilled, successful, and resourceful leaders have issues they should work on, to build positivity for themselves and role model it for their teams. Leaders typically try to disguise the anxiety they suffer, with some mask, perhaps offset it with a distraction, or avoid certain people or situations. 

One purpose in coaching is to address the roots of anxiety and it’s form (e.g. performance, ability, relationships) with sensitivity and care. It requires courage from the coach, and some degree of vulnerability from both the employee and stakeholders.

Our brains and bodies are often stuck in the past

Such is the pressure we are dealing with in the face of disruptive change, transformation through technology, hyper-competitiveness and comparison, that most of us are hyper-stressed, and not in a state of healthy homeostasis. 

Our stress is activated by our thoughts, our thoughts become are feelings, and the hormones of stress if not checked, make us sick. We can become addicted to our negative thoughts, believing past experiences, literally living in the past, which logically inhibits us from creating a positive future.

It affects us, our families, and limits us as leaders from creating a healthy environment to innovate and adapt in complexity.

The simple truth about Positivity

It feels good! Positive thinking literally stimulates us to broaden our resourcefulness and avoid being stuck. More mindfulness and positive practice is akin to making small deposits which when repeated, build into a bank we can draw from. Others too, make deposits into our bank more frequently when they have benefited from our positivity when given without condition. I often challenge and encourage my clients to trade negative thoughts for positive ones (aim for 5:1), which has a wonderful non-linear effect. In other words, the manifestation of that ratio of positive to negative thinking, doesn’t mean we feel 5 x better – no, pay attention – it  creates a massive difference in our feelings, mental capacity, and optimism. 

The science of Positivity

Barbara Frederickson one of the principal researchers in the field of positive psychology, draws the conclusion from the meta-analysis of positivity; “regardless of whether success is measured as a satisfying marriage, a larger salary, or better health, positivity matters”. She identifies ten forms of positivity, which as coaches we can explore in developmental inquiry, and there are three that I would underline as key for technology leaders and organizations for the next decade.

Gratitude, Interest, and Hope

 Thriving Organizations cultivate positive change in culture and behavior, through listening, training, coaching and developmental programs. This requires HR to be connected deeply to the Business and Technology functions.

1: Gratitude: No matter what life throws at us we have the choice to control whether we take a positive view or not. This is more challenging if we do so, but we are in an environment where others do not. You can make a significant mental shift to the positive by counting your blessings, appreciating yourself and others, being kind. Imagine what you could transform in yourself and others, if you instil a practice of appreciating what is working well and expressing gratitude to others. Change is hard, and in my experience as a product and technology leader, if you are the “change agent” it is your duty and absolutely necessary for you to understand and recognize who is struggling, and be there to explore how you deal with it. Ignorance of this is not bliss; it inevitably ends up becoming a more deeply entrenched fear and anxiety, and doesn’t end well.

2: Interest: Building on our strengths and fostering curiosity, ups our positivity ratio and builds additional layers of perspective. Sometimes, we need a new experience to  stimulate us, and the timing is key. Emerging leaders need to feel stability in taking a risk, learning and growing; and organizations need to enable this with sensitivity and support. When you are bold and take more risks, you can learn and grow, but avoid punishing “performance” when you are adapting. Ask yourself as a leader – how can my development be stimulated with new experiences and how do I view the risk in change? What fuels my passion and develops me?

Ask yourself as a CHRO – how do we enable our leaders and emerging talent to learn from new experiences, without fear of failure, and with a longer term perspective that will payback for us, them, and our customers? 

3: Hope: You will face adversity at some point, and as you face it, you want to be able to tackle it with just the right degree of emotional self – regulation, and to recover from it in a self – determined time frame that works well for you. Your belief that things can change for the better, for self, for your family, for your team, organization, country, community and our planet, is vital inspiration.

In coaching when we just scratch the surface of issues and goals, we make a positive impact. 

When we go deeper to explore our hopes (and fears), our bigger desires and drivers, we are honest, real, and human, and can make an extraordinary impact. As leaders, we should lean into Hope and the meaning it has for us, for our team, and as Human Resources and Organization Development professionals we should cultivate the psychologically safe environment in which to have these conversations.

Which of these 3 capabilities do you feel is most critical to technology leaders and organizations for the next decade? Or would you pick something different? 

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