Develop a competitive advantage starting WITHIN your organization.
Helping your workforce achieve their potential is the right thing to do—both morally and fiscally. Capiche helps businesses gain a competitive advantage by developing the most valuable resources they already have—their employees—to increase productivity, sales, engagement and retention. This can be done with a modest investment of time and resources, yet the returns are fantastic. Time and again, this success has been documented in businesses ranging from insurance sales to high-tech engineering to law enforcement and beyond. The theory of developing employees’ strengths towards a culture of hope, confidence, resilience, optimism and happiness makes sense, and now the benefits have been proven by scientific research.
Read Chris’s Latest Posts
The Path to Happiness May Be … Backward?
You know those days when everything seems to go wrong? When you tell yourself you are not going to trip on that extension cord, you are not going to mention that painful topic to your friend, you are not going to burn your hand on that pan you just pulled out of the oven—and then you do all three? There’s a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. Read more …
Blue Ocean Leadership: 4 Steps to Boosting Employee Engagement
There are half a trillion reasons why every American should care about employee disengagement. They’re called dollar bills, and that’s how many the US economy loses annually because of the 20% of discontented employees who undermine workplace productivity, according to Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace report. Read more …
The 5 Languages of Appreciation: Motivating Employees by Developing a Culture of Appreciation (Part 2)
The most common form of appreciation expressed in the workplace is words of affirmation, and it is especially important to practice with individuals whose primary language of appreciation is verbal praise, according to Dr. Paul E. White and Dr. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Read more …
The 5 Languages of Appreciation: Motivating Employees by Developing a Culture of Appreciation (Part 1)
7 Habits of Highly Effective People author Steven Covey argues that psychological survival—feeling appreciated, understood, and affirmed—comes second only to physical survival in human needs. Even so, employers who are myopically focused on the bottom line may not recognize the value of cultivating appreciation in the workplace. Read more …
Let Me Count the Ways: 5 Love Languages for Better Communication
Over two decades after its original publication, Dr. Gary Chapman’s The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts not only tops the marriage and relationships category, but it is also the #1 bestseller in both Relationships and Religious Studies—and it currently ranks #45 of all Amazon book sales (see Top 100 Books). Read more …
How Do You Build Relationships?
How healthy are your relationships? At work, at home, with friends, with relatives, with neighbors? The ability to develop strong relationships is the final reward in becoming emotionally intelligent. It flows naturally out of the first steps: be self-aware; regulate and motivate yourself; and exhibit empathy. Read more …
How Do You Influence?
In the Working with Emotional Intelligence master’s course, we have discussed many different aspects of self-awareness, managing our own emotions, developing empathy for others and using listening skills that deepen empathy and understanding of others. These emotional intelligence competencies strengthen our interactions with selves and others. Read more …
Walk a Mile in My Shoes
“Seek first to understand and then seek to be understood,” Stephen R. Covey’s fifth habit from his book 7 Habits of Highly Successful People is easier said than done. To truly grow and succeed in this habit, we must recognize how we empathize and how we can sincerely enhance that ability. Read more …
Develop Positive Rituals to Increase Emotional Intelligence
As we begin to understand our responses to situations, we can more effectively regulate and manage our emotions. My Master in Management class, “Working with Emotional Intelligence,” encourages students to build more awareness and confidence in their ability to understand and strengthen their emotional intelligence. Read more …
Hugheisms: Work Ethic Trumps Talent
I consider myself fairly smart … in some ways. Thus it was disconcerting last week when I heard people of average intelligence outperform people with high IQs 70 percent of the time. But that statistic does not surprise me. (Guest post by Dick Hughes) Read more …
What’s in the Mirror?
This week, students in my Working with Emotional Intelligence class were asked to stretch their self-awareness by noticing annoying behaviors in others—and then looking for the same behavior in themselves. Are you curious to see what it brings up for you? Read more …
Be Aware: Start from the Inside
Are you aware of how you feel and how you respond to those feelings? We can go through our day on automatic pilot, which works fine for tasks that do not require thought such as brushing our teeth or taking a shower. There are times, however, when being mindless about situations causes us to react instead of respond in a proactive manner. Read more …
Make the Connection for a Happier Life
One of the key predictors of happiness is connectivity—feeling a sense of community. Some of us find our community with work colleagues. Others find it among a circle of friends outside work. In this new economy, many of us find ourselves relocating. Read more …
Think You’ve Got Your Marketing Ducks in a Row?
If you were near my place at Christmas, you would have heard a big whoop of joy as I learned Cracker Barrel was pulling Duck Dynasty items from its shelves—not because of the backlash from Phil Robertson’s anti-gay and racially charged comments. Read more …
How to Avoid “Blue Monday”
Feeling a little down? Unmotivated? Think you need to do something about it? You’re not alone. Every January, we’re subjected to a pseudoscientific study in the national news known as “Blue Monday.” Read more …
What Would Increased Happiness Do for Your Business?
This summer, I worked with the Ashland Food Co-op on its groundbreaking Happiness@Work project. The project was born out of tension between departments and between managers and their employees as well as a volatile debate around whether or not to unionize. Read more …
What Do You Expect from Your Job?
Really? Is this a valid question? The business world is changing along with our expectations. More than ever, we are looking to work for an organization with vision and values that align with our own. We are seeking a sense of purpose in what we do and how we do it. Read more …
How Can You Fuel Success and Performance?
Every time I think the notion of “happiness” in the business world is just not taking hold, I am encouraged by new research that again points to the benefits of a happy workplace. Who can argue with increased performance, more creativity, better teamwork, higher levels of innovation, better customer service, less turnover and minimal sick leave? Read more …
Leaders, Listen Up!
Human connection is critical for a person’s health and development, starting at infancy and continuing into the workplace. Relationships with colleagues and with the boss matter for creating a workplace where employees come to work ready to contribute and be their best. Read more …