Srikumar Raos Happiness at Work - Admission/Application Essay Example

Srikumar Rao’s Happiness at Work Whether at home or work, almost everyone experiences life problems. The lack of solutions to these problems often cause stress and in some cases depression of individuals. In these situations, people are hardly happy. Happiness at a work is a blue print of the best ways to resilience and a happy life regardless of what life offers. Srikumar Rao suggests that avoidance of self-obsession, shunning of any attachment to outcomes and thoughts of how things could have been different is the way to happiness. Rao’s approach to happiness is Buddhist and serves as a great style for those in a business environment to emulate. The book argues that the cultural embedment and sanctioning of positive thinking in response to life’s problems is just but a partial solution. Rao contends that taking up positive thinking essentially sets up the dualism of negative and positive thoughts. However, for individuals to be happy, they should embrace positive thoughts only. This would entail disregarding negative thoughts, which takes energy and creates stress. Individuals often fail to successfully press down the negative thoughts. As a result, it remains a struggle of individuals’ own making. “You need to think positive when a bad thing happens….” (16). Rao’s argument poses the question, “what if individuals do not brand thoughts as negative or bad in the first place?” The text explains that in the absence of negative thoughts, there would be neither dualism to overcome nor self-made struggle by which to waste energy (Rao, 16). Furthermore, Rao explains the need for individuals to develop extreme resilience as he puts it, “with extreme resilience, you recover so fast that, to an outside observer, it does not seem as if you were laid low at all” (20). Happiness at work restructures Buddhist ideas in discussing ways of being happier at home or work place. Organizations are social organs that combine science, technology, people, and humanity. Qualified personnel design and implement techniques for desirable results in organizations. Human behavior is unpredictable due to people’s diverse needs and value systems. Nevertheless, the framework of behavioral management helps in partially understanding human behavior. There is no ardent solution to organizational challenges. However, increasing skills and understanding of personnel problems and needs can enhance human relations at work. Organizational behavior investigates the effect of structure, individuals, and groups on behavior within an organization. It covers the core topics of leadership behavior and power, motivation, interpersonal communication, attitude development and perception, and job design and work stress. Happiness at Work: Transforming Organizations through Inspiring Leadership Many people think that they might not achieve their goals or they are missing something. Rao attributes this view to different factors inherent in many people. First, the psychological conversation creates negative brands or pessimistic insights that hamper reward. Secondly, individuals hold concepts on how to live a successful life. These beliefs may not be correct (Happiness at Work). Good management brings out the best in people. True leadership leads to motivation and productivity of individuals. Leadership has many influences in the activities of an organization. Many individuals feel that by being successful at what they do then they will be happy. However, people should reverse this scenario. It is important for people to become happy, which will then aid them to be successful. As Shawn Achor, the CEO of Good Think puts it, “a positive and engaged workforce is the greatest competitive advantage for organizations” he further defines happiness as the “joy we feel striving after our potential” (From the Front Lines). This definition of happiness is significant for leaders. Without a clear understanding of happiness, many people would be irrational optimists. Contrary to Rao’s argument, Achor suggests that individuals should take a realistic assessment of current issues, both the good and the bad, while maintaining belief that behavior is important. Achor says that, “Rose-colored glasses will not help, but an optimistic brain will aid your team overcome the biggest problems” (From the Front Lines). Social responsibility is a measure of success. Individuals can also achieve their potential by comprehending the role of social responsibility. The primary concern is acknowledging that giving support is better than receiving it. Achor argues that, “we need to stop lamenting how little social support we feel from coworkers, managers, and friends. We should instead focus on how much support we give others in our live.” According to Achor, social support is the utmost predictor of happiness at work. Therefore, people should focus their brain resources in extending support to others, which increases social support and ultimately brings success in our lives (From the Front Lines). In the paper Thriving at Work, Gretchen Spreitzer and her co-authors posit that thriving and happiness are similar in that both involve the experience of positive feelings. Spreitzer and her co-authors emphasize on energy as a specific type of emotion. They argue that an individual who is thriving is lively at work. The paper explains that such individual’s work literally fuels them with energy. Furthermore, the paper suggests that an individual is thriving when they are having positive thrust or making progress rather than deteriorating (From the Front Lines). Rao’s proposes disregarding the labeling of thoughts as good or bad to avoid wasting energy in trying to find a solution for the duality problem (Happiness at Work). In a different way, thriving requires people to adopt a lifestyle that saves energy such as having enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and taking breaks during work time. Effective communication at the work place and good engagement amongst workers leads to higher levels of thriving. Spreitzer says that, “the problem is for people to craft their work so that they have more chances to try new things, more rational connections and can see more impact in what they do” (From the Front Lines). The practical value of the book is that people need to invest in the process rather than in the outcome of activities. Rao’s argument that nothing brings happiness is liberating. It reminds that enduring satisfaction comes from within. Therefore, individuals should avoid linking emotions to outcome of what they are striving. Instead, people need to be consciously aware of who they are as they strive for anything. In conclusion, the research proposes that leaders can create a workplace where people can thrive and progress. Leaders can achieve this through providing people with room for decision-making, sharing information about the organization’s strategies and competitors, setting customs that promote social responsibility, and offering performance feedbacks to people. When leaders create such working framework, individuals feel like they can progress and thrive in their work. Totally engaged, thriving workers leave the workplace not exhausted but with energy for hobbies, communal service, and family life. From a managerial point of view, I would not recommend Rao’s book to others because its analysis is narrow and centers on labeling of thoughts as bad or good as a determinant of happiness at work. The book does not discuss the impact of Organizational issues such as social corporate responsibility, effective communication, social influence, and workplace environment on happiness or thriving of people. Work Cited "From the Front Lines." Leadership Journal-Free Sample Article: Leader to Leader Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. . "Happiness at Work, by Dr. Srikumar Rao." Law of Attraction and your Momentum. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. . Rao, Srikumar S. Happiness at work be resilient, motivated, and successful--no matter what. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print. Read More