When she first took on the role she thought being a manager was all about being firm and setting rules, but she found that this wasn’t the case. She enabled her team to take on the onboarding and recruitment process for her company themselves, fully on their own, which had great results.

“They feel like it’s… that ‘ownership’. I think of that project as theirs and I think that has had, like, a little bit of a ripple effect to other teams. And they say, ‘oh, well they’re doing that,’ and it echoes across the organisation.”

Another thing that Helen felt initially felt as a manager, was that she needed to have all the answers. Over time, she realised that she needed to instead empower her employees and trust them to make their own decisions and find their own solutions.

“Even though sometimes it’s quicker, and it can feel more efficient, just to go ‘I just know the answer, let’s do this’, actually being able to go ‘let’s work through this together. What do you think?’ – to go through that sort of coaching style – really has an impact.”

This has helped her team work to their strengths and feel trusted and empowered to find their own solutions – resulting in them working harder at the things they felt that they could do well.

Find out more about building trust in the workplace

Helen featured on episode 35 of The Happy Manifesto podcast. Check it out at Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts – or on The Happy Manifesto website.

At Happy, we have a large number of different Leadership and Management programmes that can help you learn tips to help your team thrive under your leadership.

“I am loving this course. It is so positive, interesting and engaging. Everyone on the course is bonding well thanks to Nicky’s techniques and we are all learning to listen, understand and value each others opinion,” said Julia Smilie, BSE Southern Counties about our Happy Leadership Programme.

We’ve seen a lot of results from new leaders like Helen looking to ease some of the challenges of being a manager and also from seasoned managers who want to look at management from a new angle or find a new system for their team. Happy also has more targeted courses aimed at specific issues that managers might face in the workplace and supporting them to be the best that they can be in their role.

Related Blogs

• Let Your People Choose Their Manager – Because it Works — This blog shares why people choose their managers and how it helps.
• What Makes a Great Manager? — Claire’s blog post takes a look at the attributes to a good manager and why they are important in the workplace.
• How to Build Trust and Credibility in the Workplace — In Paul’s blog post, he talks about how to build up trust within your team, no matter their generation.

The post How embracing trust can build a happy learning culture in your organisation appeared first on Happy.

At Happy, we focus on getting people to work to their strengths from the start. Every member of staff takes the Gallup StrengthsFinder survey to find out their 5 best strengths, and we have team job descriptions so that teams can delegate tasks to who it best suits. This results in greater productivity as well as more joy at work for our people.

For example, one of Henry’s key strengths is ‘WOO’, or Winning Over Others. He enjoys working at trade shows and meeting new people – but when back in the office, he’s not as good at following up any leads and business cards. Instead, this task is now delegated to someone else at Happy with a key strength like ‘Relator’, who enjoys building relationships with new clients.

What are your key strengths and the strengths of the people you work alongside? How could you get your people to do more of what they are great at?

If you’d like to learn more about how you can enable a workplace where you work to your strengths, this is a key part of Happy’s leadership and management programmes such as the Happy Leadership Programme, and our apprenticeship programmes like the Level 7 Senior Leaders Programme.

“Your Level 7 Senior Leadership apprenticeship is absolutely brilliant,” says Jason Michell of TypeFi. “One of the best things I’ve done in the last decade. It’s the best money I’ve never spent.

“For me, I think up until recently I thought a good manager was someone who got a lot of things done. Now I think a good manager is someone whose team gets a lot of things done… I’m spending more time doing things that I’m passionate about, and letting others do the jobs I wasn’t passionate about.”

One example is somebody interested in project management. “This person is really passionate about it. It shows the difference between someone taking on a responsibility when they’re really passionate about it, versus someone taking on a responsibility when they know it needs to be done and it’s important.

“There’s a huge difference there. The quality of work that she produces, if I’m being honest, I would never be able to do that. [I don’t have the passion] to put that extra 10% in like she does. I know the clients like it. I can see the difference immediately.”

Related resources

• Download The Happy Manifesto — Download Henry Stewart’s book The Happy Manifesto for free to learn the 10 core principles of creating a happy workplace.
• Join the Happy Workplaces Round Table — Sign up to the next free weekly session, just 45 minutes at 9am every Wednesday, to discuss how you can create happy workplaces.
• How TypeFi is Creating a Happy Workplace with the Level 7 Programme — Hear more from Jason at Typefi and more about his experience on the Level 7 programme in this blog.
• What Would Your Team Be Like if Everyone Was Working to Their Strengths? — In this short video, Cathy Busani, Happy’s Managing Director, explains the benefits of working to your strengths.
• Happy Workplaces are More Productive and More Profitable — New research has backed up one of the core principles at Happy. A happy workplace – where employees feel valued and satisfied, leads to better performance and better results.

The post How Can You Get Your People To Do What They Are Great At? appeared first on Happy.

“At Bayer in the past, it was very difficult to get stuff done. For clinical trials, every level of hierarchy had to have layers of different reviews. There might be 800 documents, purely for internal purposes,” explains Henry.
But following a review, they streamlined the process and worked out what was really needed.

“They lost most of those 800 documents, and instead got good quality, but also great speed. They went from an organisation where you get very little done, to one where you can get lots done.”

Henry explains two different methods of decision making that you could use in your organisation to reduce hierarchy and let your people get stuff done.

As a manager, could you stop making decisions? How could it improve your organisation’s workflow?

Learn more on Happy’s leadership programmes

Workplaces based on trusting your people and coaching them to make their own decisions is a key principle of Happy’s leadership programmes.

Our Happy Leadership Programme is aimed at managers who have direct reports and want to learn how to enable more innovation, productivity and joy at work for their people. You will gain personal insight and develop practical leadership skills to create a high-performing team.

Our Level 7 Senior Leadership Programme is a 24 month course for Senior Leaders who want a cultural transformation of their workplace. To apply, you must be ready to apply the concepts you learn within your organisation, and be ready to create a workplace based on trust and freedom for your people.

Related resources

• Download The Happy Manifesto— Download Henry Stewart’s book The Happy Manifesto for free to learn the 10 core principles of creating a happy workplace.
• Join the Happy Workplaces Round Table— Sign up to the next free weekly session, just 45 minutes at 9am every Wednesday, to discuss how you can create happy workplaces.
• How Can You Get Your People to do What They Are Great At? – in this short video, Henry gives examples about how Happy and other organisations have gotten people to work to their strengths.
• 6 Years With No Decisions at Happy – it’s now six years since Henry stopped making decisions at Happy. Decisions are made by those responsible, or, if across the whole company, by everybody.
• David Marquet’s Ask Me Anything at HW21 – As Commander of a nuclear submarine, Darvid Marquet was determined to make no decisions and instead to coach his staff to be their best. The Santa Fe subsequently became the best performing submarine in US Navy history. Find out more about it in this video.

The post How can you ensure decisions are made by frontline staff, rather than managers? appeared first on Happy.

During the session, Henry gave attendees the space to coach each other. This exercise really highlighted how effective coaching is, with attendees saying “I love to be listened to and have space to explore new ideas” and “it’s always great to have the opportunity to get your mind heard out loud.”

Does your organisation have a coaching culture? Or is it more hierarchical, with managers telling staff what to do?

Learn coaching skills in Happy’s programmes

Happy offers a range of coaching programmes. Whether you want to become a better leader and begin coaching your direct reports, or already incorporate coaching into your daily life and want to learn more tools and techniques, we have a programme to suit you.

In our one-hour introductory session on 5th March, you will learn the benefits of coaching your people, experience our interactive and engaging facilitation style, and which of our programmes are right for you.

Happy’s leadership programmes also incorporate coaching your people to find their own solutions, as one of our key principles of being a great leader.

Claire, who is currently attending our Level 7 Senior Leadership Programme, couldn’t recommend it enough.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” she says. “The little support network we’ve created and the things that we’re learning and yes, just the development, is honestly the best thing I’ve done. It’s the best part of my month, especially when we get to come to Happy as well.

“Usually the monthly sessions are online, but every three months we come to Happy. We’ve just had one at Happy and I haven’t laughed so much in a very long time. It really is amazing.”

Related resources

• Download The Happy Manifesto — Download Henry Stewart’s book The Happy Manifesto for free to learn the 10 core principles of creating a happy workplace.
• Happy Leadership Programme — Gain personal insight and develop practical leadership and management skills to create a high performing team in our flagship leadership programme.
• Revealed: The Most Important Management Behaviour — In this blog Henry explains the findings of Project Oxygen in more detail and why coaching is so important for managers.

The post Does Your Organisation Have a Coaching Culture? appeared first on Happy.

He has recently completed a global survey of talent management for ARK UK and is writing a book on C21st learning leadership. In this talk, Nigel focuses on key insights onto what organisations should be focused on, to make the biggest impact and ensure that their resources are used best for this impact. 

Nigel dives into the importance of trust within organisations, ensuring that managers have the right resources to make promises and empowering your employees. This talk contains a lot of examples of learnings that Nigel has had, through his personal experience within companies he’s worked for.

What you will learn in this video:

• The importance of working on meaningful tasks and focusing on them. 
• What to focus on instead of perfection when it comes to releasing or launching something. 
• How perspectives and wording can empower employees to better try at tasks.
• How to change your team in a positive way for the better good of the company.

Related resources:

• How Embracing a Learning Culture Cultivates a Happy Workplace with Nigel Paine – This podcast deep dives into Happy Workplaces, with Nigel Paine himself.
• Nigel Paine: Why a Positive Culture is the Key Ingredient of Success – This talk, also by Nigel, dives into why Positive Culture can make your business successful. 
• How to Build Trust and Credibility in the Workplace – This blog post breaks down how to build up trust within your workplace, through small changes that can be implemented in your company. 
• Are you Really Listening and Valuing your Team? – This blog post breaks down learnings from team and talks about how they could work better together with a manager. 

The post Nigel Paine at Creating Happy Workplaces Conference 2013 appeared first on Happy.

But now, there is a new, fresh face in the workforce–Generation Z, also dubbed ‘Zoomers’, is known to prioritise mental health over other factors when choosing a job. Also sensitive to well-being and the social impact of their employers, Gen Z is undoubtedly leaving a mark in their workplaces with their affinity to novel technologies and active engagement on social media. Now, companies must champion a new brand of happy work culture that explicitly embraces mental health problems and fosters internal dialogue to address them.

There is already a broad spectrum of research done on Gen Z, presumably coupled with the concern about the pandemic’s toll on the career prospects and mental health of young people. Deloitte, Gallup, and EY are among many organisations that have released reports on Gen Z that shed light on their characteristics in the workplace. The EY survey found that Gen Z is tech-savvy, more likely to engage on social media, more interested in a company’s social impact, and more likely to prefer independent, outcome-focused work. Respondents picked real-life work (59%) and professional mentorship (57%) as the main tools for promoting better work, underlining employers’ need for active interaction. Despite the pandemic and economic downturns, Gen Z is still optimistic about job prospects, with 82% of respondents stating that they feel hopeful about finding work and addressing global challenges in 2030, and 78% feel positive about the emerging trends shaping the future of work. Additionally, 53% of Gen Z respondents replied that they look to corporations and large businesses to prepare them for the new norms of the post-pandemic world. The report concludes by stressing the need for firms to build more profound and meaningful connections with Gen Z employees to address their needs and play a more active role in their careers.

A survey by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), which interviewed 9,000 Gen Z respondents worldwide, further highlights Gen Z’s preference for happy workplaces that are sensitive to mental health problems and communication. 51% of respondents cited personal well-being and mental health as a significant concern. The survey suggests that workplaces that prioritise employee mental health will have a leg up in recruiting Gen Z. A participant noted that “This is a generation that had expected to inherit a stable work environment with record unemployment. But instead what’s happened during a very formative stage of their careers is an international catastrophe, the kind of crisis that none of the previous generations that are actively working today have faced. So, they will definitely be stressed and scared.”

Many companies have been quick to adapt to these changes, demonstrating their commitment to employee well-being. Nike offers extensive mental health benefits, including 20 free therapy and coaching sessions for employees and their families. Nike also encourages employees to take short leaves to recharge during a dedicated Well-Being week in August. Microsoft, on the other hand, integrates technology with mental health, using social media and podcasts to foster discussions on well-being. The executives of Microsoft were also quick to adapt, releasing a series of honest testimonials about dealing with their mental health problems, aimed to foster a culture of open discussion within the company circles.

While many companies’ efforts are commendable, the work is not over. One in three Gen Z now report that they have experienced mental health problems, a significant rise from one in four at the turn of the millennium. Furthermore, the generous welfare benefits for employees are predominantly limited to big corporations. It is vital that smaller businesses also up their game in supporting their young employees. As Gen Z navigate through the pressures of recession, pandemics, and socio-political instability, it is crucial for employers to continue their commitment to addressing mental health to support their employees and create a happy workplace for all generations.

Sources:

• Dennison, Kara. “Why Companies Should Prioritize Employee Health and Happiness in 2024.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 26 Oct. 2023
• Golden, Ryan. “Global Gen Z Workers Optimistic about Job Prospects despite Downturn.” HR Dive, 29 Apr. 2021
• Lester, P.B., Stewart, E.P., Vie, L.L. et al. Happy Soldiers are Highest Performers. J Happiness Stud 23, 1099–1120 (2022)
• Lyon, Jamie. “Ground-Breakers: Gen Z and The Future of Accountancy.” ACCA Global, 5 May 2021
• Trapper, James. “What’s up with Generation Z?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Mar. 2024

The post What Companies Are Doing to Make Gen Z Happy in the Workplace appeared first on Happy.

In a traditional job interview, applicants will be asked questions about the role. But at Happy’s interviews, they are asked to show that they can do the role instead. Not everyone who is good at the role is good at answering questions.

For example, one of the qualities Happy looks for in facilitators is that they are positive and supportive of others, and that they can be coached. So each interview is conducted in groups of six, where each candidate delivers a session then receives feedback from their fellow candidates. They then have to deliver the same session again, taking this feedback into account.

“We used to ask them what would be a great trainer, and they’d all answer with the great kind of stuff,” says Henry. “But then when we put them in the room, they’d do something completely different. So we don’t ask questions of these people, we just get them to do the job.”

Do you get your people to do the job in the interview? How could you get people to demonstrate the attitude you are looking for?

Related resources

• Download The Happy Manifesto — Download Henry Stewart’s book The Happy Manifesto for free to learn the 10 core principles of creating a happy workplace.
• Join the Happy Workplaces Round Table — Sign up to the next free weekly session, just 45 minutes at 9am every Wednesday, to discuss how you can create happy workplaces.
• Level 7 Senior Leadership Programme — This 24-month Level 7 programme is for Senior Leaders who want a cultural transformation of their workplace.
• Happy Leadership Programme — Gain personal insight and develop practical leadership and management skills to create a high performing team in our flagship leadership programme.
• Why We Should Stop Asking For Degrees in Recruitment — Maybe graduate schemes should be changed to simply employ the brightest and the best, whether or not they have a degree, says Henry Stewart.
• Five Successful Organisations That Recruit for Attitude — At Happy, we ‘recruit for attitude, train for skill’ when hiring new people, and we’re not the only ones. In this blog, Billy reveals five successful organisations that use this method for their recruitment.

The post Do Your People Get to Do the Job in the Interview? appeared first on Happy.

Pre-Approval is the system of approving a solution to a problem, before you know what the solution is. You give clear guidelines, such as budget and shareholders that need to be consulted, and then let your people come up with the solution. Whatever they come up with is what is used going forward.

For example, at Happy’s previous training centre, a 19-year-old was managing the café area, where our learners have their breaks and lunch while on a course. She wanted to make improvements to the space, making it more welcoming to visitors. She was given a budget, given information on Happy’s values, and told she could do whatever she thought was best. The first time that Henry saw these changes was in the morning when he arrived at the centre.

Pre-Approval is covered in more detail on Happy’s leadership programmes and our apprenticeship programmes.

“It’s the best money I’ve never spent,” says Jason Mitchell of the Level 7 Senior Leadership Programme. “It really is a phenomenal programme. The tuition and the sessions with Happy are exceptional, really strong, really make you rethink and challenge your management style and how you can improve… One of the best things I’ve done in the last decade, I’d say.”

In this 30-minute video, Henry gives more examples from Happy and from Netflix about how Pre-Approval has been used in practice. He also hears from people attending and how Pre-Approval could work in their organisation, and what the barriers are to using it.

If you are a manager, what could you Pre-Approve? Or if you’re an individual (without direct reports), what could you be Pre-Approved for?

Related resources

• Download The Happy Manifesto — Download Henry Stewart’s book The Happy Manifesto for free to learn the 10 core principles of creating a happy workplace.
• Join the Happy Workplaces Round Table — Sign up to the next free weekly session, just 45 minutes at 9am every Wednesday, to discuss how you can create happy workplaces.
• Level 7 Senior Leadership Programme — This 24-month Level 7 programme is for Senior Leaders who want a cultural transformation of their workplace.
• Happy Leadership Programme — Gain personal insight and develop practical leadership and management skills to create a high performing team in our flagship leadership programme.
• Pre-Approval in Practice at TLC: Talk, Listen, Change — Michelle Hill talks about how the charity TLC: Talk, Listen, Change has used Pre-Approval in practice in this two-minute video.

The post How You Can Create a Culture of Trust in Your Workplace by Using Pre-Approval appeared first on Happy.

As well as The Happy Manifesto it means reading books like Reinventing Organisations by Frederick Laloux, Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan and Multipliers by Liz Wiseman.

It means hearing speakers like Lisa Gill, Helen Sanderson, Luke Kyte and Femi Otitoju. It means exploring organisations like Buurtzorg who have 15,000 staff and no managers.

We have run three programmes so far and the results have been impressive.

Morten Holm of Orsted says: “It has opened my eyes to a different type of people focused leadership, in line with my own inner values. It’s giving me the courage to challenge the status quo, not just for the sake of challenging, but because it feels right.”

Susan Radford of Metrosafety explains that: “After only being on the Level 7 apprenticeship programme for 6 months, I have already seen big impacts in both the ways I am working, and also changes within my organisation. I have been energised, enthused and impressed with the quality of the course.”

David Shaw of Bilborough College says: “Organisations will be changed for the good of their staff, service users, stakeholders and communities for generations to come.”

Melanie Cohen of Bluebird Care states: “We work in a heavily regulated sector, where historically a top-down approach is an integral part of the expected way of operating. On the Happy MBA there is guidance for how to move away from this whilst remaining compliant and meeting the inspection criteria to be awarded an outstanding rating.

“We are now in the early days of a real transition – we have a lot less of a hierarchical structure, people are being encouraged and given more responsibility, there are more guidelines and less processes to give people more opportunity to take ownership and drive change.”

Amy Eleftheriades of Alpha Inclusion explains: “We are already, three months in, part of the way there: I feel like a weight has been lifted. I am no longer feel everybody is my responsibility. I treat them like adults, rather than looking after them.

“The effect on them is that they are making decisions, and just getting on with it.

“I have also heard more people’s voices in last couple of months than before. We are especially hearing the quieter ones stepping up. The louder ones didn’t realise before that they were stopping others speaking, didn’t realise their power.

“They are no longer coming to me for answers so much. They are coming up with answers themselves. What I am having are good, open conversations.”

Join our next Level 7 programme

The cost of the Level 7 Senior Leadership Apprenticeship Programme is £14,000. But, if you are in England, it can be paid for out of your Apprenticeship Levy. Or, if you don’t pay the Levy, it is just £700 for a two year senior leadership programme.

The great thing about this is that, by the structure of the programme, you get to put the ideas into practice. If you learn how to coach, for instance, you have to put that coaching into practice and then, for your e-portfolio, report back on how it went.

The next Level 7 Senior Leadership Programme starts in September. Are you ready to transform the culture of your organisation?

• You need to be at a senior level
• You must be ready to apply the concepts you learn in your organisation, and be ready to create a workplace based on trust and freedom for your people
• You must be prepared to spend 20% of your work time on the programme, over the two years, including putting it into practice

Learn more about our Level 7 programme, ask questions and experience the style and interactive approach of the programme with our free 1 hour taster session. The next taster is 6th March, held over Zoom. RSVP now to save your place.

I would be more than happy to have a Zoom chat if you would prefer, or connect you to one of the existing participants. Email me on henry@happy.co.uk.

The post Our Next Level 7 Programme for Senior Leaders Starts in September appeared first on Happy.