Book Review: The Happiness Advantage

by Lauren Dixon

There is nothing like a good book to spark a new way of thinking or creative idea!

While there is rarely a shortage of business books reflecting trends, key learnings, and perspectives on research, I discovered a book by Shawn Achor called The Happiness Advantage, that provides powerful insight into the impact of positive psychology on driving success.

Achor believes that “happiness is the precursor to success, not merely the result,” and this certainly holds true for many in today’s competitive global workforce.  Reading this book and sharing it with my colleagues and friends reinforced something I have long believed; happiness drives success, not the other way around!

What makes one person react positively to a situation or change and another negatively in the identical set of circumstances is quite interesting.  Creating a workplace that inspires and motivates employees to embrace “the positive” and resist the temptation to react negatively is key– it is up to leadership in an organization to instill a sense of empowerment so employees can manage their behavior and impact the organization in a positive manner.