C A N A Q U E S T I O N CHANGE YOUR LIFE:

LIFES WAKE UP CALL

When it comes to navigating life are you generally more focused on the questions that
need asking or the tasks that need to be done? I have to confess Ive spent most of my
life so focused on getting sh*t done, I was barely even aware of the questions I should
have been asking.
As a result, in 2007 I found myself living in New York with my beautiful family, in a job
that paid me more money than I could spend and I was in good health, but each
morning I was finding it harder and harder to get out of bed.
Unfortunately my story is not unique. Studies suggest that less than 30% of people
around the world describe themselves as flourishing, and instead most of us report that
were struggling or even suffering as we face the day ahead1.
As I lay there in our New York apartment thinking perhaps this is just how life is, I finally
started asking: If I was truly flourishing what would my life and the world around me
actually look like? A year later this question led me to a Masters In Positive Psychology
to see what science was uncovering about the secrets to human flourishing.
It was 8.30 a.m. on a Friday morning when Professor David Cooperrider quietly and
unassumingly took his place at the front of our classroom. Now looking at him back then
youd have no idea that this was a man sought out by the worlds political, business and
religious leaders to help them create lasting change in the world.
Until he spoke.
Every action we take is preceded by a question, he said.
Think about it. Every action we take is preceded by a question. How did you wind up
reading this book? Perhaps you asked yourself: What will I learn? Who is this woman?
How long will this take?
And chances are like most of us myself included you were so focused on what you
needed to get done you werent even aware of the questions you were asking. For me
this was like being struck by lightning as I vowed to start paying real attention to the
questions shaping my life.
Then David spoke again.
Questions that look for the true, the good and the possible are what enable us and
others to consistently flourish, he said.
I sat there thinking of all the times Id looked for the broken and in need of fixing in my
life like: not stressing so much about my job; not eating so many bad foods; and not
shouting so often at my kids. And not surprisingly none of these changes had stuck.

But I couldnt find one example where Id tried to build upon joyful work experiences,
healthy and delicious eating alternatives or blissful parenting moments. The truth is our
brains arent wired to look for the true, the good and the possible without a little training.
Lightning struck me twice that day as I finally understood how to start creating the
changes I was craving.
To help us train our brains David gave us four simple questions to practice and this
eBook is designed to help you explore and apply these questions in your life and in your
work. Weve also shared ways you can use these questions with teams and whole
organizations to create lasting positive change in the world. And for the geeks amongst
you yes, that would be me weve included some of the science behind why this
approach works.
Is it worth reading? To date the simple steps David taught me which are shared in an
easy- to-apply format in this eBook have helped to:

Grow the United Nations Global Compact for sustainability from 1500 to over
8000 of the worlds largest organizations.

Improve energy efficiency across Massachusetts delivering nearly nine billion

dollars in benefits for residents and businesses.

Bring together the worlds religious leaders to unite more than seven million
people of different faiths.2

For me they remain the foundation of taking all the wonderful practices emerging from
the science of positive psychology and finding practical, busy-proof ways I can
consistently flourish through the natural highs and lows that life brings. They continue to
enable me to create lasting change for myself, for my coaching clients and for the
organizations I work with.
Can these questions change your life? I believe they can, in ways that will positively
ripple right around the world. Its my heartfelt hope this eBook helps you do just that.
Warmest wishes

Michelle

THE FOUR QUESTIONS TO ASK

Your brain is wired with a negativity bias which makes you fabulous at spotting all the things that are not going
well and feeling an evolutionary tug of survival to fix them, but its not generally as adept at spotting the true,
the good and the possible, and finding ways to build upon whats working. As a result researchers estimate that
we spend about 80% of our time trying to fix whats not working and only 20% of our time trying to build on our
strengths.3
The challenge with this approach is that its your strengths the things youre good at and enjoy doing which
are being found to provide your best opportunities for growth and success. You see, a strength is a strength
because over time youve practiced these thoughts, feelings and actions so often theyve become welldeveloped neural pathways through your brain. As a result when you draw on your strengths to tackle a
challenge you feel more confident, engaged and happy, making it easier to stick with the changes youre
creating.4
In an effort to help people evolve from focusing primarily on deficits, David developed a strengths-orientated
approach to creating lasting, positive change in our lives and the world at large. He called this approach
Appreciative Inquiry.5
With the help of his colleagues he created and began testing a simple framework of questions to enable people
to find the true, the good and the possible that would enable them and the organizations they worked in to
consistently flourish. This framework has become known as the Appreciative Inquiry 4Ds, because as you will
see below each step begins with the letter D.

When David first introduced me to Appreciative Inquiry he gave me the most simplistic questions for each of
these steps so I could begin playing with these in my own life and see what impact they had. I decided to use
the questions to see if I could change my soulless corporate job into the opportunity to flourish in my work.
Here are the four questions he suggested starting with.

QUESTION 1
When you feel engaged, energized and enjoying living life, what is happening?
The first step in the Appreciative Inquiry framework is to Discover what is happening when something is at its
best. This question is designed to help you uncover the strengths you have to build upon in your life. As you
realize there are moments big or small, recent or distant when things have worked for you, youll find you
start to feel more confident about your ability to create the changes youre seeking.
For example, when I thought about the times Id felt engaged, energized and enjoying my work I realized that
in the moments I was flourishing it was because I was learning something new about how to bring out the best
in myself and others and finding ways to apply it. When I use my strengths of curiosity and creativity I feel alive
and authentic.

QUESTION 2
If you could do what youve just described more consistently, what might be possible as
you look ahead?
The second step in the Appreciative Inquiry framework is to Dream of whats possible. Vivid positive images
of your future pull you forward into taking positive actions because they fuel you with hope and put you on the
road to finding solutions. They help you to realize that you have the power to make things happen.
When I gave myself the space to really dream of what might be possible if I was using my strengths of curiosity
and creativity at work each day, I could imagine looking forward to going to work each day for the chance to
learn more about the science of human flourishing. I could see myself making a positive difference as I applied
these ideas for the people around me. And I could feel the quiet sense of satisfaction Id take home each night
and how this would color my family life. There was nothing grey about this vision.

QUESTION 3
How can you move from where you are right now, to where you want to be?
Appreciative Inquirys third step is to Design pathways that move you forward. You see, while 89% of us
believe tomorrow will be better than today, only 50% of us believe we can make it so.6 The difference is in
knowing how to map clear pathways and maintain your motivation towards the goals you want to achieve.
For example, I couldnt afford to quit my job, so I needed ways to move forward whilst still meeting the
expectations of my boss. So although no one was asking me I decided to use my strengths of curiosity and
creativity to start researching and testing new leadership techniques to bring out the best in myself and my
team.

QUESTION 4
If there was one action you could take, where would you be willing to start?
Appreciative Inquirys fourth and final step is to Deliver (sometimes called Deploy) your first action of change.
To make it easy to fit this into everything else already demanding your attention and energy in life David
recommends shrinking this change into tiny, busy-proof steps that allow you to start notching up success after
success. Youll find that as your confidence grows and your fear of failure withers, your progress begins to
accumulate into a positive spiral of behavior.7
For example, I committed to spending ten minutes each morning so I could fit it in on even the busiest days
reading one new scientific discovery about how to enable human flourishing and asking myself how this could be
applied for my team. At the end of the week I packaged up everything I learnt in an email to my boss. And this
tiny habit felt so good that I did it the following week and each week after that.
Nine months and 36 emails later my boss called me into his office and said clearly they werent tapping into
my full potential. He asked if Id be willing to teach these new leadership techniques more broadly across our
business and just like that my dream job was created. You see, when we choose to do what we do best each
day even for just a few minutes others have the chance to see the potential that radiates within us.
And while my story may not change the world, imagine what might be possible if each and every one of us
started to ask these simple questions and make the small changes that enable us to flourish.

WAYS TO CREATE LASTING CHANGE

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY SUMMITS

David and his colleagues originally designed the Appreciative Inquiry framework to unite
entire organizations or systems through large-scale summits that brought together 50 to
1,000 or more internal and external stakeholders to create change around a strategic
need or opportunity over several days. Like an orchestra performing, they found
organizations hit their best notes when audience, musicians and even critics were
together in the room to explore the 4D framework together.8
Appreciative Inquiry Summits have been used successfully to transform a mining
company once referred to as dune-rappers into a countrys top corporate citizen whilst
still growing their profits. To unite the dairy industry to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by 25% in two years whilst increasing farm business value by more than
$230 million. To empower local Cleveland businesses to create 25 design studios
from radical energy efficiency to urban farms to build a green economic engine that
will power the citys sustainable growth for decades to come.9
You can find a step-by-step guide in The Appreciative Inquiry Summit: A
Practitioners Guide for Leading Large-Group Change by Ludema, Whitney, Mohr
and Griffin.

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY WORKSHOPS

As a growing population experienced the magic of Appreciative Inquiry Summits,
practitioners also began to explore new applications for the 4D framework. What if you
couldnt gather a whole system in a room for several days? Could exceptional cocreation, collaboration, momentum and accountability for change still be created within
a team by applying the principle of Appreciative Inquiry and the 4D framework over
several hours? Provided the focus on the workshop and the expectations for change
are scaled to match the size of your investment, then absolutely.10
I have run Appreciative Inquiry Workshops to help schools create their strategic plans,
organizations to design their people strategies and sporting clubs to explore the best
practices of building mental toughness for their players. After one of these workshops
recently a board member observed: Thats the most impressive outcome I have ever
seen from a workshop, and far more than we could ever have wished for! Its feedback
Im used to hearing but I know the framework consistently delivers results.
You can find examples of many different Appreciative Inquiry Workshops in: Appreciative
Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions: 21 Strength Based Workshops by StrattonBerkessel.

APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY COACHING

As workplaces continually look for new ways to support their people to create positive
changes in behavior, its not surprising that coaches and managers have begun to apply
the principles of Appreciative Inquiry and the 4D framework in this setting as well.11 Ive
found integrating this with tested positive psychology interventions like the Best
Possible Self Exercise or Hope Theory a powerful combination to bring out the best
in the people Im coaching, leading or mentoring.
Having helped hundreds of clients create lasting changes in their careers, Ive seen
firsthand the power of this approach. Be it female leaders who want to feel more
confident to step up, human resource teams wanting to develop employees around their
strengths or people
perhaps just like yourself who are longing to evolve their career, improve their
wellbeing or just find new ways to live a life they love, Ive found this to be a simple,
effective and enjoyable approach to help people achieve their professional and personal
goals. As one of my coaching clients reported: This has helped challenge my beliefs,
show me what I am capable of and encourage me to make significant changes in my
life. As a result, I got the promotion I longed for, lost weight and became a better
colleague, wife and stepmother.
You can find examples of different coaching approaches in: Appreciative Coaching: A
Positive Process For Change by Orem, Binkert & Clancy.

THE HOW-TO GUIDE FOR INQUIRING

APPRECIATIVELY
Now that may all sound great but just how do you put the Appreciative Inquiry principles
and 4D framework together in these different settings to achieve these results? Heres
what I teach my students at Melbourne University:

1. DEFINE AN APPRECIATIVE TOPIC

It doesnt matter if youre coaching, facilitating a workshop or designing a Summit, the
first step in any Appreciative Inquiry experience is to get clear on what youre inquiring
about. Based on his research David believes that topic choice is fateful, as what you
focus on will determine what is seen and done.12
For example, in one organization I worked we had spent years asking: Why do our top
women leave? We found no shortage of answers, but also no easy fixes to the
fundamental challenges at the heart of the business model and as a result our best female
talent continued to leave.
It was only out of desperation that we eventually began asking: Why do our top women
stay? Suddenly we began to discover the strengths instead of just the limitations of

our business model that could be easily amplified to attract and keep the women who
flourished in our environment and finally began to reach our diversity targets.

So how do you find the best topic for the changes you want to create?
Have you ever noticed how all living systems have a tendency to move toward positive
energy and away from negative energy, or toward what is life-giving and away from
what is life-depleting? Scientists call this the heliotropic effect and its evident in the way
nature reaches for sunlight and in how people reach towards those they can trust. 13 With
this in mind your topic should be affirmative and focus on what you want to see more of
in your work or your life.
Start by thinking about:

What do you want to grow?

What do you want to see, hear, feel or do more of?

What will success look like?

A good topic should be important to you and the people you want to engage in the
change process. It should be compelling, energizing and motivating.
If you find identifying an affirmative topic difficult at first, dont despair its just that old
negativity bias at work. You can challenge this thinking and learn to see the world anew,
as Einstein suggested, by flipping the problem you want to solve into an opportunity you
have to build upon by:

Letting yourself be clear on what the problem is

Asking: What is it we really want?

Condensing this into two or three words for your affirmative topic.

For example, instead of focusing on:

Deficit Topic

Affirmative Topic

Eating Too Much

Food That Energizes

Unable To Get Fit

Joyful Exercise Moments

Unsatisfying Relationships

Happy Times Connecting

Tired And Run Down

Maintaining A Blissful Level of Busyness

Lacking Confidence

Successful Acts Of Courage

Low Morale

Electrified Engagement

Bullying

Respectful Relationships

Underperforming Teams

High Performing Teams

Absenteeism

Presenteeism

Poor Leadership

Leaders Who Inspire

While I understand at first glance focusing on the affirmative topic may feel like youre
ignoring the real problem, in my experience youll find this approach resolves the
underlying issues in ways that allow people to feel safe, confident and committed to
creating sustainable changes.
The difference Ive found lies between compliance and commitment.
If you need compliance quickly to a new behavior then start wielding the rewarding
carrots and punishing sticks to motivate people to fix whats not working. You will get
short-term results, but you will also need to be prepared that people are wired to adapt
to almost everything that happens to us. Thus the rewarding carrots will need to keep
getting larger or the punishing sticks will need to keep getting bigger in order to ensure
the undesired behavior doesnt reappear. Over time this can become an expensive and
exhausting way to ensure changes last.
If you need commitment, however, then I strongly recommend focusing on the affirmative
and finding ways to build on what people already feel confident, energized and happy to
be doing. This will allow you to tap into peoples intrinsic motivations the things theyll
do whether or not they are paid or recognized for them because they align to the
values they hold.
Once youre clear on the positive changes you want to be creating youre ready to start
designing the questions and activities that will move people through each of the 4Ds.

2. DISCOVER THE BEST OF THE PAST

Remember discovering stories of past strengths, high performance and best practices
helps to create the confidence and momentum that unleashes higher levels of
performance. Your goal is to help people discover stories of by inviting them to tell you
about their best, most memorable, most surprising or proudest moments of success in
relation to your chosen topic. As they share and savor these memories you want them
to feel respected, valued and appreciated for the strengths they bring to the journey of
change.

Questions To Use
Stories about past performance are easily elicited by using the phrase: Tell me about
... Youll uncover stories of strengths in action by using words like most ... or best ...
For example, Tell me about a time when youve felt most alive, engaged and proud of
the work that youve done for an organization.
Depending on your topic you might ask:

Tell me about your best experiences of eating well and exercising regularly.

When youve felt like you were really connecting with other people in the past,
tell me about what was happening?

Tell me about a time when youve set aside personal gain for the good of the
whole and have been grateful for having done so.

Tell me about a time when you really listened to try and understand another
person.

Tell me about a time you felt really respected, valued and appreciated at work.

Appreciative Coaching
In coaching conversations I find it helpful to complement these questions with the use of
the free, ten-minute Values In Action (VIA) Survey at www.viacharacter.org. Its a great
way to help people easily identify and name their strengths in these stories of past
success and highlights their intrinsic motivations the things theyll do whether or not
theyre paid or recognized for them.14

Workshops
In a workshop setting ask people in the group to interview each other with your chosen
discovery question or questions. To ensure people really listen to the stories theyre
hearing, ask them to introduce their partners story to the group. When everyone has
been heard ask the group to identify the common causes of success behind these
stories for the chosen topic to create a positive core of strengths that the group has to
build upon.
This process allows the group to identify: the mindsets and behaviors; cultural values;
leadership approaches; technologies, systems and processes; individual and
organizational capabilities; and possibilities for future change. It sparks a sense of
optimism as people savor and share what energizes and excites them in relation to the
topic. It also accelerates trust and a willingness to collaborate among members unlike
any team-building activity Ive ever witnessed.

Summits
Just like the workshop approach in a Summit people are paired to interview each other
around the chosen discovery questions. This is a great opportunity to introduce diverse
and even competing stakeholders to each other as the process of sharing their stories
gives them an opportunity to find respect for one another. Each persons story is then
introduced to a small group of about 8 12 people and recorded on paper. Then the
group identifies the common causes of success and picks one defining story that can be
shared into the room.
Depending on the number of Summit participants each group may be able to report to
the room. Alternatively a number of groups may be randomly called upon to share what
they discovered, with the opportunity for groups who feel they have something new to
add to the discovery being able to also volunteer.
To ensure no story is lost all written reports are gathered and used in the Summit output
documents. Each group is also invited to add their most common causes of success to

a visual montage of the positive core of strengths that have been discovered in the
room.

3. DREAM OF WHATS POSSIBLE

Remember dreaming of whats possible is how we create the positive images that pull
us into action. Your goal is to give people permission and create the space for them to
vividly imagine what success would look like if everything went as well as it possibly
could in the chosen time period. You want to get as clear as possible on how this future
would feel, what they would be doing, what they would be hearing people say and what
they would be feeling proud of achieving.

Questions To Use
Visions of the future are uncovered by using phrases like: Imagine everything went as
well as it possibly could what would ? By igniting a sense of hope and optimism youll
uncover what people really want to be doing not just what they think they should be
doing. For example, Based on the strengths youve just shared, if everything went as
well as it possibly could over the next six months what would be your proudest
achievement?
Depending on your topic you might ask:

If you were consistently maintaining the health and exercise practices you just
described, what would you have achieved 12 months from now?

Based on the kind of happy connections with others youve had in the past, if
everything went as well as it possibly could what would your relationships look
like two years from now?

Imagine were sitting down to review your performance three years from now,
what would we be hearing about the outcomes youve achieved and how
youve gone about it? What would your customers say? What would your team
say? What would you have enjoyed the most?

If you could create a work environment that would be enjoyable, stimulating

and rewarding in the ways youve just described, what would you wish for?

Imagine you fall into a deep sleep and, when you awaken, its a year from today
and you come into work to find all the best examples weve just heard of
respectful relationships being practiced. What would our workplace look like,
sound like, feel like?

Appreciative Coaching
In coaching conversations I find it helpful to give clients the space to explore what they
are truly longing for by asking them to use Professor Laura Kings best possible future
self exercise. Without overthinking, judging or editing their thoughts clients journal a
stream of consciousness for approximately 20 minutes ideally if they can for three
days in a row to explore what might be possible if everything went as well as it could
in the areas theyre seeking to make changes. Then together we review what theyve
written and the elements that fuel them with hope and excitement. Researchers have

found this exercise helps boost peoples level of optimism, clarify their goals and
improve their confidence.15

Workshops
In a workshop setting give the team space to build on the knowledge and insights of
their collective strengths to co-create a vision of success. Make this space creative,
energizing and playful so they can truly explore whats possible, what they long to be
doing together and what they would be proudest to work towards.
To help them articulate their dream set them a role-play challenge to present their idea,
like a five-minute presentation of their dream to the board, a laudatory email from the
CEO commending them for their achievements or the presentation on an industry
award for their exceptional accomplishments. In even the most serious of organizations
Ive found people are capable of the most astonishing creativity if you simply give them
permission, a tight deadline and some public accountability for delivery.
Their dream statements provide a clear window through which their intrinsic motivations
for change can be viewed and the change agenda is established.

Summits
The luxury of time in a Summit means you may want to start this step with speakers
who inspire your participants with the possibilities. Having the people your organization
impacts, thought leaders and in some case children, can prime people to truly start
imagining what might be possible.
To capture and gather peoples thoughts in a Summit groups are often asked to first
brainstorm what might be possible. As they go through this process your questions
might include prompts that encourage the group to put themselves in the shoes of
different stakeholders. For example, what would customers be raving about? Why would
employees feel proud to work here? What would have amazed governing bodies about
our ability to deliver?
Once groups have had time to explore the possibilities they are then asked to find a
creative way to share their vision with the rest of the room and convince them this is the
direction we should be taking. While guidance may be offered around the creative
interpretations for example, the front page headline and positive newspaper article on
what youve achieved, the letter from a grateful customer, a new advertising campaign
Ive found it always best to also offer: or any other creative medium through which
youd like to share your dream. In my experience most groups will take this last option
and Ive seen 50-year-old businessmen write rap songs, heard the most inspiring
poems, seen school teachers create their own choir and been left speechless by the
most beautiful drawings.
Again, depending on the number of Summit participants, each group may be able to
share their dream with the room. Alternatively a number of groups may be randomly
called upon to share (preferably those who have not yet had a chance), with the
opportunity for groups who feel they have something that shouldnt be missed to also
volunteer. My advice is to allow plenty of time at this step.
To ensure no possibility is lost all brainstorm notes are gathered and dream artifacts are
collected for use in the Summit output documents.

The most powerful way to galvanize a Summit and the change process is if leaders of
the organization can green light any of the dream elements after the dreams have been
presented. When participants feel like they truly are being given the power to create
change in the room, momentum and commitment will be intensified.

4. DESIGN WHAT MIGHT BE

Remember, designing what might be helps people find pathways that will move them
forward from where they are to where they want to be. Your goal is to help people
identify and explore the change levers that they have available to turn their dream into a
reality. You want to encourage them to rapidly prototype and prioritize potential
approaches as you move them from talking about change to making change happen.

Questions To Use
Pathways forward can be uncovered by using phrases like: What would it take to move
from where we are right now, to where we want to be? By helping people explore
different options to make their dream a reality, you ensure they are more likely to
achieve their goals rather than be thwarted at the first obstacle. For example, If we
could improve on where we are today by 5%, what are seven different steps you think
we should take?
Depending on your topic you might ask:

How can you move from where you are right now with your health and
exercises practices to where youd like to be 12 months from now?

If you were asked to create a one-year plan to transition you from the job you
have right now into the job of your dreams what would it look like?

If we were to achieve the kind of respectful relationships youve just described

what would be the three most important steps for us to prioritize?

If we were to move 5% closer to the dream youve outlined, what are seven
different ways we could start electrifying engagement across our team?

What are the most important steps you think we should now take to ensure
people want to be present, engaged and energized at work?

This step is a great place to challenge weaknesses by exploring different obstacles that
might arise asking how they could be overcome, how motivation can be maintained
and how support might be needed to ensure the goal is reached.

Appreciative Coaching
In coaching conversations I like to help clients create a practical plan for them to move
forward from these questions by using Dr. Shane Lopezs Hope Map exercise. On a page
together we map their want-to goal, the pathways they want to pursue to move from
here to there, the obstacles they may face and how they can maintain their motivation
and willpower. Other things being equal, research suggests hope is worth about an hour
a day in terms of productivity at work creating the space we need to begin making the
required changes.16

Workshops
In a workshop setting based on the dreams articulated choose the design elements that
will support and develop the levers of change for example, the strategies, leadership,
policies, systems, processes, technologies, relationships, structures, roles, behaviors,
reward, etc. Invite members to identify the projects they want to prioritize and what they
want to keep doing, what should be phased out and what new innovations can be
introduced to make the shared dream a reality.
Draft project plans can be devised from a simple template allowing peoples appetite for
commitment to become clear. As they realize their dream can become a reality a sense
of pride, confidence and empowerment grows among the members shifting their
mindsets and behaviors towards finding ways to successfully deliver action.
In my experience if there are challenges or problems the group has been previously
grappling with they will surface at this stage. The good news is by this point you have
established a strong sense of trust and optimism in the room enabling the group to deal
with these issues in constructive ways. As the group works to solve these together, the
commitment to their dream becomes even stronger.

Summits
Summit participants are invited to identify the levers of change that can be engaged
across the system. They are then given the opportunity to vote with their feet on which
change levers they want to invest their energy and resources in developing. This is a
powerful moment as you can physically see where people want to prioritize the change
effort.
Once they have selected their change lever participants are given space to brainstorm
pathways forward. These are generally written on Post-it notes and placed on large
boards so ideas can be moved around, grouped together and then prioritized for action.
Depending on timings these ideas may be fed back into the room or commented on by
other participants.
To move people beyond dialogue and dreams they are then invited to rapidly prototype
the unfolding of one of their pathways. With a focus on design thinking people are able
to use their strengths to begin immediately creating their future. Groups are then
selected to share their priorities and prototypes with the group for feedback and
discussion. Again, all brainstorming boards and prototypes are collected for use in the
Summit output documents.

5. DELIVER WHAT WILL BE

Remember, delivery is the opportunity for people to shrink the change into small actions
upon which sustainable success can be built. Your goal is to allow people the
opportunity to step up or back when it comes to taking accountability to act upon the
pathways. You want people to make a clear commitment to the changes they will create
so you can gauge what is likely to be achieved and if you have any remaining gaps.

Questions To Use
You can test peoples willingness to take on responsibility for delivering change by using
phrases like: If there was one action you could take, where would you be willing to
start? By shrinking the change you improve peoples level of comfort and confidence to
take action and realize the desired outcomes. Instead of raising the bar you want to
lower it so far you can easily step over it.
Depending on your topic you might ask:

If there was one action you could take right now to create a happy connection
with someone, where would you start?

If there was one small exercise habit you could start this week, what would you
be excited to try?

If there was one thing you could start tomorrow to begin creating respectful
relationships in this team, what would you be willing to try?

Whats the first thing youd like to do to help electrify engagement in your team?

To improve presenteeism in our team, whats the first action youd be willing to
lead?

Appreciative Coaching
In coaching conversations I help clients shrink the changes they want to create by
asking them to select an 11-minute habit for one of their pathways. MIT researchers
have found that our habits run on simple neurological loops of cue, routine and reward.
By creating simple cues that make it easy to get started, committing to at least 10
minutes of the desired behavior and ensuring they reward their efforts, this routine
quickly becomes a regular part of their day.17

Workshops
In a workshop setting this is the time to begin creating a change management plan.
Using a simple template the group can capture the steps they need to take on each of
their pathways, who will be responsible for leading and executing these changes,
additional resources or support that may be required, how they will communicate their
progress and agree when they will next meet to integrate their efforts.

Its vital as you transition from the workshop to execution to try and maintain the
environment of collaboration, co-creation and shared responsibility youve now ignited.
Encouraging, supporting and celebrating the efforts of your team as they move into
action is essential to maintain their motivation.

Summits
This is now the time to form the innovation teams that will carry the pathways forward.
People are invited to lead any innovation team on the following basis: You must believe
this is important to the organization, and you must be willing and able to make it
happen. This is not a time for recommendations. It is a call for people to commit to
carrying actions into fruition.
Team leaders are asked to prepare a ten-second outline of what they hope their team
will accomplish and participants can choose which teams they wish to join either just for
the remainder of the Summit or to have an ongoing role in this group. They are
encouraged to commit as fully as they can to make their innovation a reality.
Each team is given a simple template to complete. They are asked to detail: team
members; team communication rhythm; their goal; how this supports the dream and/or
design; what actions need to be taken; which stakeholders need to be included; who will
do what by when; what is the timing for completion; what additional resources will be
required and how they will get them; and when they will meet next.
Teams are asked to map their key milestones onto a Summit roadmap (generally a
physical space taped to the floor of the room) so the whole group can get a sense of
what is likely to happen and when and any collisions can be navigated. All change plans
are collected and copies distributed to teams as part of the Summit output process.
To finish, each participant regardless of their role in an innovation team is asked to
reflect and share one thing they can do as they leave the Summit to help bring the
dream to life. I often capture these on peoples hands or have them write them on
footprints and then place them down to create a pathway out the door and into the
future. Alternatively this can be run as an open mic session where people can share
something that has been meaningful to them during the Summit and, if they want to,
add something they are personally committing to do or something they would like to
offer to the group, be it time, space, access to data, introductions to key resources or
finances.

WHY APPRECIATIVE INQUIRY WORKS

To appreciate is to value and recognize the best in people or the world around us. And to inquire is to be
open to asking questions and being open to seeing new potentials and possibilities.18 To deliver on these
foundational premises, five important principles guided the creation and application of the 4D framework. They
included:

The constructionist principle what we believe to be true determines what we do. Thus the
questions we ask become the material out of which the future is conceived and constructed. For this
reason the purpose of inquiry should be to stimulate new ideas, stories and images that generate new
possibilities for action, whilst always remembering that our words create worlds.19
The principle of simultaneity inquiry and change are simultaneous. The way we ask a question
sets the stage for what we find. Is it life depleting or life energizing? Is it confidence building or fear
inducing? Is it siloed or collaborative? The questions you ask are moments of change interventions, so
its important to phrase them mindfully.20
The poetic principle what we focus on grows. Your topic of choice not only shapes what you learn
but the action that will follow. Is your attention and energy focused on what you want to see more of or
on what you want less of? When we place sincere effort on what we want to see and can let go of
those that do not serve or support, we have a greater chance of achieving our desired outcomes.21
Anticipatory principle what we do today is guided by our image of tomorrow. Our sense of fear or
hope about the future and what it may bring determines the way we feel and how we act. How does
this work? Just the very idea of having the rewards that come from getting something that were
hoping for is enough to kick-start a cascade of dopaminethe brains reward drugthrough key
neural pathways in our brain that have the power to move us from intention to action. Both success
and failure have been found to be strongly influenced by the images we hold.22
Positive principle momentum and sustainable change requires large amounts of positive affect and
social bonding, attitudes such as hope, inspiration and the sheer joy of creating with one another.
When we feel positive, researchers have found were more optimistic, more resilient, more open, more
accepting and more driven by purpose.23

One of the reasons I enjoy working with Appreciative Inquiry is that by following these simple principles and the
4D process I can tailor the questions and activities I use in coaching, workshops and Summits to suit the
different challenges and opportunities my clients are facing and be confident of the results they are able to
achieve. Quite simply Ive found this approach enables people to flourish throughout the change process so
they can create the lasting outcomes they want in their work and in their lives.
It is my heartfelt hope it delivers this for you also.

HOW TO MOVE FROM FUNCTIONING TO

lourishing
When it comes to your experience of work and life lately, would you describe yourself as
flourishing, just functioning or maybe even flailing? Take a moment and think about it.
Recently when youve woken up in the morning, are you looking forward to the day ahead? Are you
feeling well and doing well when it comes to the life youre living?
We all have these moments of genuine wellbeing. These moments, researchers have found, make it
possible for us to feel connected, to do what matters and to be healthier and happier as we navigate
the highs and lows we all experience.
And yet for most of us, as quickly they appear, these moments seem to pass: bright sparks in a sea of
the mundane, the ordinary and the exhausting.
I get it. Back in 2007 this was my life. Although I was living in New York with my beautiful family, in a
good job that paid me more money than I could spend and I was in good health, each day it was
getting harder and harder to find the energy to keep up with the life Id created.
Of course theres nothing unique about my story. The truth is less than 30% of people around the
world describe themselves as flourishing. That means that the rest of us fall somewhere between
functioning and flailing. In other words were just getting by.
But lets be honest, despite our best intentions the daily demands of life, our unrealistic workloads, and
our own beliefs about not being worthy, make finding the time never mind the energy to look after
ourselves challenging.
But what if it didnt have to be this hard?

You see a growing body of evidence is now finding that there are small, practical, excuse-proof steps
you can take to improve your wellbeing each day. And yes, while eating well, moving regularly and
sleeping deeply helps, did you know that spending just a few minutes genuinely connecting with
people you value, finding heart-felt reasons to laugh, and doing more of what you do best at work can
also have a significant impact?

Personally I had no idea. But after completing my Masters in Positive Psychology with the fields
founder Professor Martin Seligman I discovered that maintaining my wellbeing didnt have to be a
chore or a constant struggle to keep up. Instead, these small moments became the most joyful
parts of my day and soon restored the energy, confidence and sense of purpose that Id been missing
for so long.
As a result I went on to negotiate roles that better suited my interests, gave me opportunities to travel
the world, led to unexpected promotions and pay raises and allowed me to have every Friday free to
play with my kids. And when I was finally ready to move on, I was even allowed to write the terms for
my own exit so I could launch my own business.
Almost a decade on and despite lifes share of challenges, I truly feel like Im consistently
flourishing. And I believe you can too no matter where youre starting.
To make your journey as easy as possible this eBook features some of the tested, practical steps
researchers are finding can help to cultivate and maintain your wellbeing.
So if youre tired of dragging your feet through each day; if youre ready to connect to your sense
of purpose and take pride in the work you do; if you want to improve your relationship with
yourself and others; if, like me, you want to live a life in which youre truly flourishing, then lets get
started.

What s e being?
In its simplest form wellbeing is our ability to feel good and function effectively. It is what
provides us with the resilience to navigate the natural highs and lows we all experience in our lives,
whilst enabling us to intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically flourish.

Over the last decade researchers have discovered that people with higher levels of wellbeing are
more sociable and energetic, more charitable and cooperative, and better liked by others. They show
more flexibility and ingenuity in their thinking and are more productive in their jobs. They are better
leaders and negotiators and earn more money. They are more resilient in the face of hardship, have
stronger immune systems and are physically healthier and happier.
So how can you consistently and practically improve your wellbeing, no matter how busy you are?
Professor Marty Seligman, one of the worlds leading researchers in positive psychology and human
flourishing, suggests that wellbeing is cultivated by the presence in our lives of:
POSITIVE EMOTIONS: the right balance of heartfelt positivity to boost our resilience
ENGAGEMENT: the regular development of our strengths
RELATIONSHIPS: the creation of authentic, energizing connections MEANING: a sense of
connection to something bigger than ourselves ACCOMPLISHMENT: the belief and ability to do
things that matter most to us
This framework is often referred to as PERMA.
Other researchers also believe that the cultivation of your Health by eating well, moving regularly, and
sleeping deeply is one of the hygiene factors of wellbeing. Everything just gets easier when this is
present. So in this eBook weve added Health to Martys framework, making it PERMAH.
Now how much you require of each of these wellbeing pillars naturally varies between us depending
on the type of people we are, the resources we have available, the situations we are in and the
outcomes were trying to achieve. Knowing where to invest your energy and the tested, practical
approaches you can apply is the secret to consistently maintaining
your wellbeing.
You see researchers believe we each have a built -in range for wellbeing - and just like maintaining
our optimal weight by eating well and exercising - we can live at the peak of this range. But just like
eating one piece of broccoli wont suddenly make you healthy, the same is true when it comes to your
wellbeing. Instead youll need to invest small, but regular amounts of energy and effort into evidencebased activities that boost your ability to thrive mentally, emotionally, physically and socially.

Personally I had no idea. But after completing my Masters in Positive Psychology with the fields
founder Professor Martin Seligman I discovered that maintaining my wellbeing didnt have to be a
chore or a constant struggle to keep up. Instead, these small moments became the most joyful

parts of my day and soon restored the energy, confidence and sense of purpose that Id been missing
for so long.
As a result I went on to negotiate roles that better suited my interests, gave me opportunities to travel
the world, led to unexpected promotions and pay raises and allowed me to have every Friday free to
play with my kids. And when I was finally ready to move on, I was even allowed to write the terms for
my own exit so I could launch my own business.
Almost a decade on and despite lifes share of challenges, I truly feel like Im consistently
flourishing. And I believe you can too no matter where youre starting.
To make your journey as easy as possible this eBook features some of the tested, practical steps
researchers are finding can help to cultivate and maintain your wellbeing.
So if youre tired of dragging your feet through each day; if youre ready to connect to your sense
of purpose and take pride in the work you do; if you want to improve your relationship with
yourself and others; if, like me, you want to live a life in which youre truly flourishing, then lets get
started.

What is wellbeing?
In its simplest form wellbeing is our ability to feel good and function effectively. It is what
provides us with the resilience to navigate the natural highs and lows we all experience in our lives,
whilst enabling us to intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically flourish.
Over the last decade researchers have discovered that people with higher levels of wellbeing are
more sociable and energetic, more charitable and cooperative, and better liked by others. They show
more flexibility and ingenuity in their thinking and are more productive in their jobs. They are better
leaders and negotiators and earn more money. They are more resilient in the face of hardship, have
stronger immune systems and are physically healthier and happier.
So how can you consistently and practically improve your wellbeing, no matter how busy you are?
Professor Marty Seligman, one of the worlds leading researchers in positive psychology and human
flourishing, suggests that wellbeing is cultivated by the presence in our lives of:
POSITIVE EMOTIONS: the right balance of heartfelt positivity to boost our resilience
ENGAGEMENT: the regular development of our strengths

RELATIONSHIPS: the creation of authentic, energizing connections MEANING: a sense of

connection to something bigger than ourselves ACCOMPLISHMENT: the belief and ability to do
things that matter most to us
This framework is often referred to as PERMA.
Other researchers also believe that the cultivation of your Health by eating well, moving regularly, and
sleeping deeply is one of the hygiene factors of wellbeing. Everything just gets easier when this is
present. So in this eBook weve added Health to Martys framework, making it PERMAH.
Now how much you require of each of these wellbeing pillars naturally varies between us depending
on the type of people we are, the resources we have available, the situations we are in and the
outcomes were trying to achieve. Knowing where to invest your energy and the tested, practical
approaches you can apply is the secret to consistently maintaining
your wellbeing.
You see researchers believe we each have a built -in range for wellbeing - and just like maintaining
our optimal weight by eating well and exercising - we can live at the peak of this range. But just like
eating one piece of broccoli wont suddenly make you healthy, the same is true when it comes to your
wellbeing. Instead youll need to invest small, but regular amounts of energy and effort into evidencebased activities that boost your ability to thrive mentally, emotionally, physically and socially.

SIX STEPS TO WELLBEING

Nurture Positive Emotions
Build Engagement
Invest in Relationships
Create more moments of
Use your strengths the
Make the time to genuinely
heartfelt positivity in your day
things youre good at and
connect with other people
- spend time in nature, find a
enjoy doing to create more
express gratitude, ask
reason to laugh, take a
moments of flow to help you

appreciative questions,
break, practice mindfulness
feel more confident, enershow kindness and savor
to fuel your resilience.
gized and engaged.
the feelings of warmth and

trust that well up with others.

Cultivate Meaning
Grow Accomplishments
Maintain Your Health
Understand how what you do
Embrace a learning mindset
Choose to eat well, move
each day has a positive
and challenge your fears to
regularly, take time to
impact on others. See how
cultivate the grit you need to
recover and sleep deeply
youre connected to
achieve what matters most.
each day to ensure you have
something larger than
the energy to consistently
yourself.
flourish.

WHERE TO START?
Professor David Cooperrider, one of the worlds leading researchers when it comes to creating lasting
behavioral change, has found that every action we take is preceded by a question. When were
equipped with the right questions and the tools to pursue them, we unleash endless possibilities for
positive change.
So to clarify what positive change looks like for you when it comes to your wellbeing, we recom-mend
asking yourself the following questions:
If you could invest your energy in just one or two of these wellbeing pillars, which ones would they be?
How would it feel to be flourishing in these areas both personally and professionally?
Why would this change make a meaningful difference in your life?
Then use the PERMAH Wellbeing Wheel below to map where you are today on each of the
wellbeing pillars and where you would like to be in the coming weeks and months. Try to think big, but
act small, at least to begin with. Research shows that youre more likely to succeed at improving your
wellbeing if you concentrate on changing just one or two pillars at a time over the next four to twelve
weeks.
Place a circle on the chart to indicate your current level of wellbeing on each of the six steps with the
innermost circle representing perfect wellbeing (a score of 10) and the outmost circle representing
complete languishing (a score of 0).
Then place a star on the chart to indicate where you would like your wellbeing to be in the coming
weeks and months for each of the six steps (its fine for some steps if this is the same as where you
already are). Then you can keep revisiting this chart and adding new challenges as
you progress or life changes.
P

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NURTURE
POSITIVE EMOTIONS
THE SCIENCE
The appropriate levels of negative emotions like sadness, anger and fear can keep you grounded in
reality and help you to flourish by motivating you to improve your experiences of life. However, when
you start experiencing stress not in moments, but in hours and sometimes even in months and years,
the build-up of negative emotions can start to drag you down into the depths of helplessness,
worthlessness and disgrace, compromising your ability to live the life you want in almost every single
way.
In contrast, Barbara Fredrickson from the University of North Carolina has discovered your brain is
literally hardwired to perform at its best not when its negative or even neutral but when its
positive. Her research has repeatedly demonstrated that positivity changes the scope or boundaries of
your psyche by broadening and building you. For example, positive emotions like joy, gratitude,
serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love have been found to make you
more optimistic, more resilient, more open, more accepting, and more driven by purpose.

How do they do all of that?

Studies have found positive emotions:
Expand your field of peripheral vision, allowing you to see more than you typically do.

Flood your brain with dopamine and serotonin and enable you to make and sustain more neural
connections so you can organize new information, think more quickly and creatively, become more
skilled at complex analysis and problem solving, and see and invent new ways of doing things.
Alter how you see your connections with others so that you look past what separates you like
racial differences and think more in terms of we and less in terms of me.
Best of all as positive emotions accrue, they also build up your psychological, intellectual, social and
physical resources leaving you better equipped to face lifes challenges. By opening your heart and
mind, it appears positive emotions allow you to cultivate more open-minded mental habits, ignite
better connections with others and improve your biological markers for health so that you can lower
your blood pressure, experience less pain, have fewer colds and sleep better. Feeling good isnt just
a luxury; its a basic necessity for optimal functioning in life.

THE APPLICATION
To truly benefit from positivity you need to slow down and drink in what that gesture means and make
it heartfelt. To monitor and maintain those good feelings, you can start by:
1. TAKING THE POSITIVITY RATIO TEST
Use this free two minute survey www.positivityratio.com to measure your positivity ratio, at
roughly the same time every evening for two weeks. Take note of where your ratio sits on your best
days and think about how you can build more of these activities in your work.
2. CREATING JOLTS OF JOY
Sprinkle some Jolts of Joy moments that bring a genuine smile to your face into your day. This
might include finding a quiet place to take five minutes to recover, putting a favorite song on your iPod,
taking a quick walk outside, watching a funny clip on YouTube or calling a friend.
3. PRACTICING KINDNESS
Practicing kindness even when its unpleasant or we expect to receive nothing in return helps you
to see others more positively, feel more connected and be more grateful. Try letting others in front of
you when driving through traffic, say something nice to someone, help someone even when you dont
have to, check in on how others are doing, bring a small gift like a cup of tea or a healthy muffin
for a colleague. Youll find more ideas at www.randomactsofkindness.org.
4. BREAKING THE GRIP OF RUMINATION
When you dwell on negative thoughts, your brain struggles to see the big picture or think clearly and
creatively causing you to call to mind more and more negative thoughts, sparking a downward spiral
of increased worried, gloom and helplessness. When you find yourself ruminating use a positive
distraction like exercising, meditating, reading or talking to someone about anything else to restore
some positive emotions to your brain and leave you better equipped to deal with whats bothering you.
5. MONITORING YOUR MEDIA CONSUMPTION
Unfortunately, most of the media coverage you watch, listen to or read contains more bad news than
good news which can overload you with negative emotions. In addition, studies are finding social
media consumption can have us comparing ourselves in unhelpful ways to others. Be selective in the
media you consume and mindful of the emotions your media habits are creating.

BUILD
ENGAGEMENT
THE SCIENCE
Engagement is the feeling you have when youre one with the music, time stops and you lose
all self-consciousness because youre fully absorbed in what youre doing. You may not be
thinking or feeling anything and yet youre learning, growing, improving and advancing so that you feel
more capable, in control and satisfied afterwards.
Renowned professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, famously identified this state of engagement as the
concept of flow. His research has found when you have a clear goal that balances your strengths
those things you like doing and are good at with the complexity of the task at hand, a sense of
autonomy and regular feedback rather than feeling bored or anxious, you hit the magical experience
of flow.

Studies find employees who have a chance to do what they do best each day are up to six times
more engaged in their work making it much easier to achieve their goals. They also feel up to three
times more satisfied with life helping them to lower their levels of stress and improve their sense of
wellbeing. And in teams where most employees report they have a chance to use their strengths each
day turnover is lower (by up to 50 per cent), productivity is higher (by up to 38 per cent) and customer
satisfaction is higher (by up to 44 per cent).

How?
Science is repeatedly discovering that its our strengths, rather than our weaknesses, that are our
greatest area of growth. Developing strengths builds on neural pathways already dominant in your
brain advancing you towards the estimated 8,000 to 10,000 hours of deliberate practice required for
mastery in any domain. This doesnt mean you never fix a weakness. It does mean you should make
an informed choice when investing in your development by understanding youll get a
disproportionately larger gain and more moments of flow when you build on your strengths.

THE APPLICATION
Three of my favorite ways to boost engagement include:

1. DISCOVERING YOUR STRENGTHS

If you cant list your top 5 strengths immediately then the best places to start is to take the free VIA
Survey at www.viacharacter.org. Then think back on your best moments at work those times when
youve felt really engaged, energized and enjoying what you were doing. Try to spot which of your top
strengths were in play it may be one or more to find ways to successfully apply your strengths in
your role.
2. MEETING YOUR BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE SELF
Once youve discovered your strengths boost your levels of optimism and self-belief by imagining what
might be possible in the year ahead if everything went as well as it possibly could because you were
using your strengths each day. Journal whatever comes to mind for about 15 20 minutes a day, for
three days in a row. Try to detail what youd spend your time doing, how youd feel about coming to
work, what your colleagues or clients might say about your performance and most importantly which
strengths youd be using. Make it as vivid as possible and use these positive images to start pulling
you forward into positive actions.
3. RE-CRAFTING YOUR JOB
No matter what your job description says its possible to re-craft your job (even without your managers
permission) by making some small changes. This might involve: changing the type and number of
tasks you undertake to better suit your strengths; being more selective about who you spend time with;
or shifting how you think about your work and the meaning you take from it. These small changes can
boost your levels of engagement and help you reclaim your power, motivation and improve your
relationships. Grab a job-crafting kit at www.jobcrafting.org.

INVEST IN
RELATIONSHIPS
THE SCIENCE
According to the Harvard Grant Study, one of the longest running psychological studies of all time,
social bonds dont just predict overall happiness but also eventual career achievement,
occupational success, and income.

How?
Evolution has hard-wired you for love. You have a biological need for social support and each time
you joyfully connect with another person, the pleasure-inducing hormone oxytocin is released into your
bloodstream, immediately reducing anxiety and improving concentration and focus. It turns out each
social connection also bolsters your cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and immune systems, so the more
connections you make over time, the better you function.
In fact, other people are your best guarantee of lowering your levels of stress and improving your
wellbeing at work. Thats why research suggests having a best friend at work makes it seven times
more likely youre engaged in your job and is likely to help you produce higher quality work, improve
your wellbeing and make it less likely youll be injured on the job.
Fortunately, new research has found it takes just a micro-moment to genuinely connect with
another person. You can do this by:
Sharing one or more positive emotions between you and another;
Synchronizing your biochemistry and behaviors (by looking into their eyes, mirroring their body
language or matching their vocal tone);
Embracing the feelings of mutual care that arise.

This creates what researchers describe as positivity resonance. And its these micro-moments that
nurture better relationships at the office, by helping you open up and grow, become wiser and more
attuned, and boost your resilience, effectiveness, happiness and health.

14

THE APPLICATION
You can build stronger connections and create micro-moments by:

1. RESPONDING ACTIVELY AND CONSTRUCTIVELY

Next time someone shares their good news with you, try to respond actively and constructively by
asking positive questions that allow the other person to continue sharing and savoring their positive
feelings like: The promotion sounds so exciting, how did you find out?
2. CREATING CONNECTION RITUALS
One of the best ways to nurture your relationships at work is to create rituals, which allow you connect
with people you value on a regular basis. This might include a daily walk at lunch, a weekly coffee, or a
monthly dinner with your colleagues. Studies show when you get at least six hours of daily social time;
it increases your wellbeing and minimizes stress and worry.
3. SHOWING APPRECIATION
Practicing appreciation and gratitude is a kind of mega strategy to improve your levels of positivity and
your relationships. It opens your heart and urges you to give back to do something good in return
helping to nurture new relationships and improve existing ones. Try taking the time to genuinely thank
someone for what theyve done to help you each day before you log off and be specific about what
they did that you valued.
4. SPOTTING STRENGTHS IN OTHERS
Next time youre interacting with a colleague or a client see if you can spot their strengths. These will
be the moments where theyre more engaged, energized and enjoying what theyre talking about or
doing. Just looking for the best in others will improve your relationships. Start thinking of ways you can
help them use their strengths and be sure to give them feedback about how you value or appreciate
their strengths in action.
5. GIVING RATHER THAN TAKING
When it comes to how you interact with other people at work, are you a giver (looking for ways to help
others), a taker (trying to get as much as you can) or a matcher (seeking an even exchange of favors)?
You can see where you fall by taking the free survey at www.giveandtake.com. These attitudes and
actions shape your interactions with others and a growing body of evidence suggests they play as
much of a role in your success as hard work, talent and luck. Be a successful giver by specializing in 5

minute favors for others, volunteering at least two hours a week or launching a personal generosity
experiment.

CULTIVATE
MEANING
THE SCIENCE
Living purposefully is having a sense of connection to something bigger than yourself and
understanding why you get out of bed each day. Most of us long to be more than the sum of the tasks
we perform and yet, for many of us, finding meaningful work feels like something we just cant afford.
When a sense of meaning is found in our jobs however, a growing body of evidence shows that were
happier, more motivated, more committed, and more satisfied, which enables us to perform better. The
fact is we have a universal need to feel we matter, and that our hard work isnt futile. A sense of
meaning fuels your sense of self-worth and gives you a sense of control over your fate.
In order to experience a sense of purpose, its vital the goals you set for yourself are intrinsically
meaningful. They must be personally significant and in accordance with your own values and passions
rather than dictated by your family, friends, workplaces, society or even your boss.
Research also suggests you can find more meaning in your work by:

Using your unique strengths and talents

Finding ways to bring a sense of who you are to the office
Integrating your work with other elements that give your life meaning
Finding ways your companys mission resonates with your personal mission
Looking for ways your work serves some greater good.

You can test your sense of meaning at work at www.michaelfsteger.com. The good news is theres
plenty you can do to make your work more meaningful no matter who you work for or what your job
description says.

17

THE APPLICATION
Three different approaches researchers have explored in creating a more meaningful and purposeful
life include:
1. FINDING PURPOSE IN LITTLE TASKS
Rewrite your job description into a calling description by turning a piece of paper horizontally and on
the left-hand side writing down a job task that feels devoid of meaning. Then ask: What is the purpose
of this task? What will I accomplish? Who does it help? Draw an arrow to the right and write this
answer down. If whats written still seems unimportant, ask once more: what does this result lead to?
Draw another arrow and write it down and keep working through this process until theres a result that
is meaningful to you so its possible to see the sum of the tasks.
2. PURSUING GOALS WITH PURPOSE
When it comes to boosting your sense of meaning at work it pays to pick the right kind of goals. Try to
find your want-to goals rather than have-to goals. Simply write down all the things you can do. Out
of those, select the ones you want to do and think about how these help you give to others. Then,
reduce your choice further by zooming in on what you really want to do and what they help you give to
others. Finally, select those things that you really, really want to do and how this will benefit others
and then start spending more time on these at work.
3. FOCUSING ON YOUR CALLING
Studies suggest we can find our calling in any job, its all a matter of how we view the tasks were
undertaking. Take the tale of three men crushing stones. When asked what theyre doing the first
replies breaking big rocks into little rocks, the second says feeding my family and the third explains
building a cathedral. Simon Sinek suggests one of the simplest ways to discover your why is to try
and complete this sentence: Everything I do is to _______ so that ________.
For more on discovering your why visit www.startwithwhy.com

GROW
ACCOMPLISHMENT
THE SCIENCE
Born creatures of progress, we all need the chance to learn, grow and evolve or we risk becoming
bored, restless, frustrated and ultimately unproductive. Unfortunately studies have found while 89% of
us believe tomorrow will be better than today, only 50% believe we can make it so.
Accomplishing what matters to us most starts by igniting hope. The work of your head and your heart,
hope occurs when you use your thoughts and feelings to temper your aversion to loss and actively
pursue whats possible. A sense of hope has been found to drive your persistence, motivation, goal
setting and innovation.
Having the confidence to turn these hopeful thoughts into actions is also helped by tuning into
the beliefs you hold about your abilities and how you can improve upon them.
Professor Carol Dweck at Stanford University has found some of us believe we are born clever or
dumb, good at sports or uncoordinated, musical or tone deaf and theres not much we can do to
improve our intelligence or talents. She calls this a fixed mindset and the result is, were more likely to
avoid challenges, be unwilling to be seen to be exerting too much effort and feel threatened by negative
feedback, because we fear others will see any failures as an indication were not really good enough.
Consequently we tend to plateau and achieve less than our full potential.

On the other hand some of us believe our intelligence and talents are like muscles that can be built up
with practice (and neuroscience now support this). She calls this a growth mindset and the result is
were more willing to view obstacles as a challenge, to always try to put in our best effort and to accept
criticism, because we understand learning is the only way to keep getting better.
Consequently we tend to achieve ever-higher levels of success and cultivate grit (passion and
perseverance) to accomplish our long-term goals.

20

THE APPLICATION
Five practical and tested ideas to help boost your sense of accomplishment can include:

1. MAPPING YOUR HOPES

Create a hope map by taking a sheet of paper and folding it into thirds, then open it up again. On the
far right write the heading Goals and note down a want-to goal youre hoping to achieve. On the far
left write the heading Pathways and note down at least three pathways you could take to reach your
goal. In the middle write the heading Obstacles and for each pathway note down the obstacles that
are likely to get in your way. Then around the edges of the page note down the things you can do to
maintain your motivation and wellbeing to make the journey enjoyable, to track your progress and
celebrate your efforts and outcomes. Test your levels of hope at www.hopemonger.com.
2. CHALLENGING YOUR MINDSETS
Tune into the stories youre telling yourself when faced with challenges, criticism or failure. When these
beliefs dont serve you well ask: Is this the only explanation of what might happen next? Try to
generate as many alternative explanations as possible and choose the story that allows you to feel and
act in a growth mindset. For more on mindsets visit www.mindsetonline.com.
3. PLAYING AT WORK
By breaking your goals into small missions, setting a limited time frame, leveraging your strengths to
overcome the obstacles and developing a meaningful way of keeping score, you can turn something
overwhelming or tedious into something surprisingly motivating by making it fun and playful.
4. PRACTICING DELIBERATELY
Build your grit by deliberately practicing the skills you need to accomplish what matters most. Make
sure the challenge youre undertaking exceeds your current skills; seek immediate feedback and
repeat, repeat and repeat until you master the behavior. You can test your levels of grit at
https://sites.sas.upenn.edu/duckworth.
5. BUILDING YOUR CONFIDENCE
More important than competence is confidence when it comes to our success. Improve your
confidence by stepping outside your comfort zone and taking action at least once each day. Try to
think less when you find yourself ruminating about mistakes, failures or upsets. And be authentic by
using your strengths to show up in ways that are true to who you are. Test your

MAINTAIN
HEALTH
THE SCIENCE
No matter how healthy you are today, you can take specific actions to have more energy and live
longer. Small decisions about how you eat, move, and sleep each day count more than you think
when it comes to your ability to thrive at work.
It turns out everything from how well we sleep at night, the foods we put in our mouths, and how much
were moving particularly while were at work, has a profound effect not only on our own levels of
energy, happiness and productivity but on our colleagues as well.
For example, a study of more than 80,000 people suggests the total intake of fruits and vegetables is a
robust predictor of overall happiness. Every additional daily serving of fruits or vegetables, all the way
up to seven servings, continues to improve our wellbeing and move us toward flourishing.
And while working out regularly is a great habit because most of us spend around 9 hours a day sitting
down its essential were active throughout the day if we want to remain healthy.
Finally, while your natural tendency may be to get one hour less of sleep to tick that last thing off your
to-do list or have a little fun with friends, the exact opposite occurs when it comes to your achievement
and enjoyment. When you lose an hour of sleep, it decreases your wellbeing, productivity, health, and
ability to think.
When it comes to your physical wellbeing eating, moving and sleeping well are even easier if you
work on all three simultaneously. If you eat, move, and sleep well today, you will have more energy
tomorrow. You will treat your friends and family better. You will achieve more at work and give more to
your community.
You can create your own personal eat, move, sleep 30 day plan at www.eatmovesleep.org.

23

THE APPLICATION
Best-selling author and researcher Tom Rath suggests we start with:

1. EATING
Try to avoid fried, fatty and sugary foods. Reach for a green, red or blue fruit or vegetables instead and
buy use it or lose it foods and fewer packaged products. Set your sights on foods that are good for your
near-term energy and long-term health. If you make a decision that does more good than harm, such
as opting for water over soda, think of it as a net gain. When you pick a side of fries instead of
vegetables, think of it as a net loss. Ask yourself if what you are about to eat is a net gain or net loss. If
you develop a habit of asking this question, you will make better decisions in the moment.
2. MOVING
Every hour you spend on your rear end in a car, watching television, attending a meeting, or at your
computer saps your energy and ruins your health. The key is to stand, stretch, and increase activity
as much as possible every 20 minutes try to move for at least 2 minutes if you can. Walk to
someones office instead of calling. Park the car a block from where you need it. Grab a pedometer or
Fitbit (you can claim it back through your wellbeing reimbursement) and try to get to 10,000 steps each
day.
3. SLEEPING
Losing 90 minutes of sleep has been found to reduce your daytime alertness by nearly one-third, its no
wonder when you get less sleep you achieve less at work, skip regular exercise, and have poorer
interactions with your loved ones. To improve your sleep turn off technology an hour before you go to
bed, make sure your room is 3 to 5 degrees cooler than what you experience during the day and try to
get up at the same time each morning even on the weekend.

24

CREATING A WELLBEING HABIT

Did you know that up to 40% of our daily actions roughly 6 hours are not conscious choices, but
mere habits? Habits, researchers have found, are created on a simple loop that starts with a cue
that activates our behavior, a routine that we perform and a reward that makes us remember the
habit fondly next time the cue goes off.
The good news is that we can consciously create new wellbeing habits in just 11 minutes so you
can fit it in on even the busiest day using this formula:
30 SECONDS TO ACTIVATE. Starting is always the hardest part. To reduce the

CUE

amount of time and energy your new wellbeing habit needs try: anchoring it to
habits you already have (i.e. arriving at work) so you flow seamlessly from one to
the other; embedding it into your environment so you cant avoid falling into the
habit (i.e. sleeping in your running clothes) or prime your brain with a when/then

30 seconds

statement (i.e. when I get to work, then Ill check in with a colleague).

30 seconds

ROUTINE

10 MINUTES TO PRACTICE. Indulge your new wellbeing routine and think of it

as a gift youre giving to yourself so you can feel good and function effectively. If

10 Minutes

you can spend longer than ten minutes, even better. If you dont need ten minutes
for the routine youve chosen then thats fine as well. The important thing is to just
start doing it.

30 SECONDS TO CELEBRATE. Its time to pat yourself on the back. From

REWARD

checking it off your list, to sharing your news with a loved one or making a cup of
tea, when we celebrate our successes, the brain releases a wave of the happy
hormone dopamine, prompting us to form positive associations and accelerate
the creation of neural pathways.

FOR EXAMPLE
YOU MIGHT TRY:

Kindness
Curiosity
Gratitude
Anchor this habit to getting your
Embed building your strength of
Anchor this to your habit of packing
morning tea. When you go to get
curiosity into your environment by
up to go home each evening. As
your coffee/tea/food first spend 10
leaving a great book or article
you get ready, take the time to
minutes checking in with someone
across your computer keyboard
genuinely thank one person
on how theyre doing. Reward
when you log off. To turn your
face-to-face if possible but if not a
yourself with your coffee/tea/
computer on the next morning you
phone call or a message for how
healthy food.
will have to pick it up triggering
they made your day a little easier
your cue to spend 10 minutes
or more enjoyable. Reward yourself
reading one new idea. Reward
by going home!

yourself by sharing this idea with a

colleague or a friend.

Find Meaning in
Tuning into your Stories
Exercise
Small Tasks
Anchor this to your habit of heading
Embed the habit into your environAnchor this to your habit of planning
into work each day. Spend 10
ment by placing your alarm clock
your to-do list for the day. Find the
minutes during this time tuning into
on your running clothes and out of
task youre most dreading and
how you feel about the day ahead
reach from your bed. Once up and
spend 10-minutes completing the
and what you have to accomplish
dressed run for 10 minutes at least.
meaning activity in your playbook to
and if the stories youre telling
To reward yourself have a shower!
make this task more appealing and
yourself about this will make it
(Great App: From
less likely to be avoided. Reward
easier or more difficult to achieve.
The Couch to 5k)!
yourself once its done with being
For the stories making it more

able to do the tasks you actually like!

difficult ask: Is that true? and see

if you can find alternative explana-

tions that serve you better. Reward

yourself with a coffee or tea as you

walk into the office.

MY WELLBEING HABIT
Complete the table to record your habit and put it somewhere you can be reminded each day of the
change youre making. If you can share it with other people at work or at home, as we know social
support and accountability make sticking with our habits much more likely.
If you find yourself getting bored with your habit, its just your brains way of telling you its time to
freshen it up. Your brain is built to adapt particularly to the good things in your life but its possible to
slow down or stall this process when it comes to your wellbeing practices by spicing things up (for
example trying a different exercise or developing a different strength), reminding yourself why this
change is meaningful to you, avoiding social comparisons and practicing gratitude. Dont let a creeping
sense of boredom undermine your wellbeing.

WELLBEING PILLAR:

CUE:

ROUTINE:

THE

PERMAH
WORKPLACE
SURVEY

ESTED, PRACTICAL GUIDE TO FEELING GOOD + FUNCTIONING EFFECTIVELY AT