How safe do you feel at work? A trio of happenings has prompted me to ask, one of which was a thoughtful chap (who looked disconcertingly like Derren Brown) thanking me for creating a ‘very safe learning environment’ last week. Although we were 16 storeys up in a room with floor to ceiling glass overlooking the City, he was of course talking about psychological safety. I’d enabled him to talk out ideas among peers.

Six flourishing feelings at work

Feeling secure is a key part of a productive professional life and my coaching colleague, Jen Rolfe, founder of Practically Positive, has developed a tool with London Metropolitan University for measuring the extent to which we’re flourishing at work. Her research points to six key feelings that are present when we are. Being the bright, curious mind that you are, I thought you’d find value in reflecting upon these for a few minutes this week. If you’re currently out of the workplace I hope you’ll agree there’s merit in considering how these feelings apply to you in other domains.

1. Feeling VALUABLE - What are the 3 biggest things you’ve had impact on at work in the last month? Put another way, what wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been there?

2. Feeling AUTONOMOUS - Fast forward 1 year from today. Assuming everything is going as well as it can be, what will a great day at work look like for you? What will you be in charge of? Responsible for? What will the environment be like?

3. Feeling PASSIONATE
If you won the lottery, what would you be doing with your time? What aspects of that are similar to your current role?

4. Feeling CHALLENGED
What’s your signature strength? If you had a ‘work’ superpower, what would it be?

5. Feeling SAFE
If you were to give an award to the person who had helped you most at work recently, who would you give it to and why?

6. Feeling CONNECTED
Out of your colleagues/network, who would you like to know better and could take for a coffee? Why that person? What would you ask them to get to know them better?

If you’d like to take your reflections one step further, Jen has given me a code for three people to access the online Flourish at Work tool for free (standard price £16.80). Drop me a line by July 1st if you’d like to use it and I’ll draw names at random.

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