No workplace is without a ’Negative Nellie’. You all either work with, or have worked with, that guy (or girl) that’s always complaining or trying to sabotage a good days work – or just plain toxic both in speech and/or behaviour!
Evidence is actually coming forth from brain science research suggesting that a person’s negativity not only diminishes the benefits of someone else’s positive flow … it can counteract it altogether. Our brain determines what we think, what we feel, what we say, and what we do. To ensure survival, our brain evolved a negativity bias, described by Dr. Rick Hanson in his book “Hardwiring Happiness”, as “making it like Velcro for bad experiences but Teflon for good ones.”
The good news is — every one of us has the ability to re-wire (through the neuroplasticity of our brain) for positive thought habits … and even better – unlike most everything else as we age — our ability to do this, if we have a healthy mind, does not diminish with age!
So, when we are in a positive flow of energy …. It is then that we are able to really connect and mesh within our self, and with others. What’s more, the more time we spend in a positive flow, the greater our capacity for achieving peak performance, for building and maintaining good relationships, for experiencing good health.
With the enormous advances over the last decade in neuro-imaging technology (watching the electro-magnetic activity in our brain) …. research in the field of neuroscience has exploded. Neuroscientists looking at cognitive functioning and behavior have suggested, simply put:
- We can assess our personal energy flow through our feelings.
- Feelings such as happiness and optimism can be linked to a positive energy flow, and feelings such as anger and frustration can be linked to a negative energy flow.
- We can change our feelings with our thoughts.
- It is through our thought process that we choose how to behave.
- And the bottom line is …. the measurable result of a person’s energy flow is reflected by one’s choice of behavior. Your behavior is in fact the physical manifestation of your energy flow.
Learning the skill of Positive Presence (an innate ability within each of you) is mostly a matter of self-awareness. Using the skill of Positive Presence you are able to consciously move yourself to a positive mindset that is necessary for a collaborative and productive workforce.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.