Talent retention and optimization is vital to every business but especially in healthcare where employees are your most valuable natural resource but are vulnerable to stress, burnout and compassion fatigue.

1. About Us
Achieve Talent Retention
and Optimisation
With
Positive Psychology, Strengths Psychology
and Appreciative Inquiry
Karl D. LaRowe M.A. LCSW
International Speaker, Trainer, Author
Licensed Mental Health Professional
Positive Psychology Coach
r Competency

2. About Us
r CompetencyPresentation Flow Chart
Positive
Psychology
Strengths
Psychology
Appreciative
Inquiry
Strengths
Positive
Emotions
Empowerment
Engagement
Resilience
Thriving
@ Work

3. About Us
r CompetencyPositive Psychology
Seligman, M., Csikszentmihalyi, M., (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist
55, 5-14.on
“The field of positive psychology at the subjective level is
about valued subjective experiences: well-being,
contentment, and satisfaction (in the past); hope and
optimism (for the future); and flow and happiness (in the
present).”
Seligman Csikszentmihalyi

4. About Us
r CompetencyThe Study of Optimal Performance
• Developed in response to traditional negative bias
• The 55:1 ratio of negative bias in psychology research.
• Positive psychology is the study of what makes us
thrive at work and what makes life worth living
• Examines “signature strengths” and their
application
• Individually, at work, within institutions
• Positive emotions
• The “Broaden-and-Build” theory
“Examination of the conditions and processes that contribute to
flourishing and optimal performance”
Gable, S. L., & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review
of General Psychology, 9, 103–110.

5. About Us
r CompetencyStrengths Psychology
“From this point of view, to
avoid your strengths and to
focus on your weaknesses
isn't a sign of diligent
humility. It is almost
irresponsible…the most
honorable thing to do is face
up to the strength potential
inherent in your talents and
then find ways to realize it.”
Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.: “Now Realize Your Strengths”
“Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”

6. About Us
r CompetencyGallup’s 7 Challenges
www.gallup.com
1. Develop a good person-job
fit
2. Develop good management
practices
3. Focus on strengths
4. Build strong relationships
5. Keep engaged in everyday
interactions
6. Measure progress regularly
7. Be inspired toward a
positive future

7. About Us
r CompetencyAppreciative Inquiry
“The cooperative search
for the best in people,
their organizations, and
the world around them. It
involves systematic
discovery of what gives a
system ‘life’ when it is
most effective and capable
in economic, ecological,
and human terms.”
Cooperrider, D.L. And Whitney, D. , Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change.
David Cooperrider, Ph.D

8. About Us
r CompetencyOptimizing Strengths
“A pre-existing capacity for a particular way of behaving, thinking, or
feeling that is authentic and energising to the user, and enables optimal
functioning, development, and performance."
Linley, A. (2008). “Average to A+: Realising Strengths in Yourself and Others.”
CAPP Press, United Kingdom

9. About Us
r CompetencyResearch on Strengths
• Discovering and utilizing your strengths activates personal
resources that are already present.
• Developing and maximizing personal strengths builds self-
confidence and self-efficacy.
• Recognizing and synergizing strengths with others builds
personal and organizational resilience.
Carver, C. (1998). Resilience and Thriving: Issues, Models and Linkages. Journal of Social Issues, 54, 2, 245-266.
Peterson, C. & Seligman, M.E. Strengths of Character and Well-Being. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol. 23,
No. 2004, pp. 603-619
Sutcliffe, K.M., & Vogus, T.J. (2003). Organizing for Resilience. In K. Cameron, J.E. Dutton, & R.E. Quinn (Eds.), Positive
Organizational Scholarship (pp. 94-110).

10. About Us
r CompetencyPositive Emotions
“People experiencing positive affect show
patterns of thought that are notably flexible,
creative, integrative, open to information and
efficient. In general terms, positive affect
produces a broad, flexible cognitive organization
and ability to integrate diverse material.”
Fredrickson, B. (2001). The Role of Positive Emotions in Positive Psychology.
American Psychologist 56, 3, 218-226””

11. About Us
r CompetencyResearch on Positive Emotions
• Broadens our perspective and builds enduring personal
resources.
• Facilitates “approach behavior” that prompt individuals to
positively engage with others.
• Positive emotions “undo” negative emotions.
• Facilitates faster recovery from adversity.
• Helps develop greater tenacity at work.
Fredrickson, B., Positivity: Top-Notch Research Reveals the 3-to-1 Ratio That Will Change Your Life.
Three Rivers Press, New York 2009.
Fredrickson BL. What good are positive emotions? Review of General Psychology. 1998;2:300–319.
Ibid
Ibid
Barry M. Staw, Robert I. Sutton and Lisa H. Pelled: Positive Emotion and Favorable Outcomes at the
Workplace. Organization Science, Vol. 5, No. 1 pp. 51-71

12. About Us
r CompetencyThe Benefits of Positivity at Work
• Higher job satisfaction
• Better decisions
• Increased creativity
• Perceived as friendlier,
assertive, confident
• More inclusive
• More idea contributions
• Higher employee
retention
• Less stress
• Higher level of trust
• Happier clients
• More pro-activeness
• Better conflict resolution
• Prepared to go extra mile
during exigencies
• Less workplace tardiness
– Fewer absences and
falling sick
- Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005 Psychological Bulletin Vol. 131, No. 6, 803–855

13. About Us
r CompetencyEmpowerment
“Empowerment is not
only related to positive
work attitudes, it has
also been found to be
related to positive work
performance. Employees
who feel more
empowered are more
motivated to perform
effectively.”
Spreitzer, G. (2008). Taking Stock: A Review of More Than Twenty Years of Research on
Empowerment at Work.

14. About Us
r CompetencyEmpowerment Processes
• Self-Responsibility
• Authentic Communication
• Trust
• Learning and Growing
15. Gershon, D. (2006). Changing behavior in organizations: The practice of
empowerment. The Systems Thinker 17, 10 2-4.

15. About Us
r CompetencyEngagement
“Employee engagement
is a desirable condition,
has an organizational
purpose, and connotes
involvement,
commitment, passion,
enthusiasm, focused
effort, and energy, so it
has both attitudinal and
behavioral components.”
16. Macey, W.H.; Schneider, B. “The Meaning of Employee Engagement.” Industrial
and Organizational Psychology (2008) 3- 30

16. About Us
r CompetencyThree Processes of Engagement
Vigor (Positive emotion)
High levels of energy and mental resilience.
Willingness to invest effort in one’s work.
Dedication (Positive work environment)
Sense of commitment to work, co-workers, mission.
Sense of pride, enthusiasm, involvement and significance.
Absorption (Utilizing strengths)
Being fully concentrated and happily engrossed.
Difficulty detaching oneself from work.
Schaufeli, W., Bakker, A. (2003). Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (preliminary
manual). Occupational Health Psychology Unit, Utrecht Universitye

17. About Us
Fully Engaged
• Employees work with passion, energy, vigor
• Feel dedicated to their clients and their work, highly
connected with co-workers, and company in general
• Are fully absorbed in their work activities
Not Engaged
• Employees have essentially “checked out” putting in
the time but not energy or passion into their work
Actively Disengaged
• Employees are actively acting out their unhappiness
“undermining” relationships and the work culture
r CompetencyThree Stages of Engagement
www.gallup.com

19. http://stats.bls.gov/news.release/archives/prod4_10222009.pdf

20. About Us
r CompetencyGallup’s Q12
www.gallup.com
1. I know what is expected of me at work
2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my job
right
3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best
every day
4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or
praise for doing good work
5. My supervisor seems to care about me as a person/there
is a caring environment
6. There is someone at work who encourages my
development

21. About Us
r CompetencyGallup’s Q12
www.gallup.com
7. At work my opinions seem to count
8. The mission or purpose of my organization makes me
feel my job is important
9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to
doing quality work
10. I have a best friend at work
11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to
me about my progress
12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to
learn and grow.

22. About Us
• Role clarity: Employees have a clear idea of what is
expected of them
• Resource availability: Needed tools/resources
• Strength utilization: Employees are able to utilize their
strengths everyday
• Recognition: Employees receive recognition for work
well done
• Communication: Ongoing supportive, accurate feedback
• Bonding: Strong bonds with co-workers, teams and
supervisors
• Development: Opportunities to learn, grow
r CompetencyEssential Elements of Engagement
www.gallup.com

23. About Us
r CompetencyResilience
Luthans, F., (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior.
Journal of Organizational Behavior 23, 695-706
“Resilience, the
developable capacity to
rebound or bounce back
from adversity…is
arguably the most
important positive
resource to navigating a
turbulent and stressful
workplace.”

24. About Us
r Competency
Seven Characteristics of Highly
Resilient People
1. Presence of calm, innovative, non-dogmatic thinking
2. Decisive action (Courage: not afraid to fail)
3. Tenacity
4. Interpersonal connectedness and support (may be
single most important predictor)
5. Honesty
6. Self-discipline and self-control
7. Optimism and a positive perspective on life
Seven Characteristics of Highly Resilient People: Insights from Navy SEALs to the
“Greatest Generation” Int J Emerg Ment Health. 2012;14(2):87-93.

25. About Us
r CompetencyConclusion (Part One)
Retaining/maximizing your most valuable natural
resource – your talent pool can be accomplished by:
•Provide the opportunity for employees to “do what they
do best everyday.”
•Supporting positive relationships, interpersonal
connectedness.
•Creating a high engagement work environment.
•Giving recognition for work well done.
•Providing opportunities for (personal) growth.

26. About Us
r Competency
Thriving @ Work
Putting Positive Psychology, Strengths
Psychology & Appreciative Inquiry to Work
Application of theory to practice
in the
Thriving! @ Work Project

27. About Us
r CompetencyThriving! @ Work Project Outline

28. About Us
r CompetencyThriving at Work (Th@W)
Assessment
The Th@W 2.0 assessment is a 36 item inventory that utilises
single, specific statements to measure how employees feel about
their work basing on the three key areas namely empowerment,
engagement and resilience utilizing a 1-5 Likert Scale and
subjective narrative. The intention is to gather a much clearer,
more specific measure of an employee’s experience from the
following aspects:
1. Feelings about their work (in general)
2. Feelings about working with clients
3. Feelings about their work culture
4. Feelings about their relationships at work

29. About Us
r CompetencySample Inventory Items
Feelings about your Work
•You feel the work you do is full of meaning and purpose. (Emp.)
•At your work, you feel full of positive energy. (Eng.)
•You are not easily discouraged by challenging situations at
work. (Res.)
Feelings about working with clients
•You feel your work with clients is important. (Emp.)
•You feel invigorated when you are working with clients. (Eng)
•You feel strong and resilient when working with challenging
clients and problems. (Res.)

30. About Us
r CompetencySample Inventory Items
Feelings about your work culture
You feel empowered by your work culture to do your best.
(Emp.)
You look forward to engaging and interacting with others at work.
(Eng.)
You feel there is a supportive work culture that helps you
rebound from stress. (Res.)
Feelings about your relationships at work
You feel your work relationships are positive and meaningful.
(Emp.)
You have feelings of gratitude and appreciation for others at
work. (Eng.)
During stressful and challenging times you can maintain effective
relationships with those involved. (Res.)

31. About Us
r Competency
Pre -Workshop Th@W Inventory Scores
Feelings about your work 3.31
Feelings about working with clients 3.56
Feelings about your work culture 3.08
Feelings about relationships 3.34
Thriving score 3.32

32. About Us
r CompetencyPre-Th@W Comments
“What is needed to thrive at Work”?
•Maintaining a professional attitude when other staff is under-
performing and even slack during work hours.
•How to maintain a positive attitude working with lazy and “not-
so-smart” people, but also power hungry!
•I think that our culture can be very negative and some things
may not be dealt with properly. This makes us feel a sense of
injustice and feel that our welfare is not the company’s
concern. The agency also faces changes on a regular basis and
this may create a lack of safety and feeling of insecurity.

33. About Us
r CompetencyThriving! at Work
“Thriving is defined as
the joint experience of a
sense of learning
(growing and getting
better at what one does
at work) and a sense of
vitality (feeling
energized and alive at
work).”
Spreitzer, G., Carmeli, A. “Trust, Connectivity, and Thriving: Implications for
Innovative Behaviors at Work” Journal of Creative Behavior 43, 3 169-191

34. About Us
r CompetencyThriving! at Work (Day One)
• Acknowledging and understanding the stress of our work
• Identifying, acknowledging and understanding the unique
stresses of our work
• Thriving! Empowerment, Engagement, Resilience
• Identifying Thriving! How, when, with whom it occurs
• Operationalizing Thriving! attitudes, perceptions, behaviors
• Signature Strengths
• Recognizing the signs of strengths
• Identifying your strengths
• Developing your strengths
• Owning your strengths
• Developing strengths in others

35. About Us
r CompetencyThriving! at Work (Day Two)
• Positive Emotions
• The “Positivity Exercise”
• The benefits of positive emotions at work
• Calculate your “Positivity Ratio”
• Developing Positive Relationships
• The art of positive communication
• Resolving conflict positively
• Creating a positive work culture
• The Power of Full Engagement
• Positive energy management
• Developing “flow” and peak performance
• Your Reflected Best Self
• Creating and sharing your reflected best self-portrait

36. About Us
r CompetencyConsultations
Six, fortnightly two hour consultations – 3 after the first
workshop, 3 after the second.
Attended by workshop participants
Reviewed, discussed and practiced principles and methods
from workshop
Developed from principles from Appreciative Inquiry
utilizing guided, flexible interactive exercises, readings
and homework.

37. About Us
r CompetencyExample Consultation
We go through highs and lows in all aspects of our lives.
Thinking back on the last 6 – 12 months, reflect on a high
point moment – a time that is memorable and stands out
when you were thriving and gained an important insight about
your strengths or talents. With a partner discuss:
What was the situation?
Who else was involved?
What were you doing?
What happened that made you more aware of how and
when you are thriving?
How did it make you feel?

38. About Us
r CompetencyExample Consultation
Operationalizing Thriving: Group exercise. Combine pairs into
small groups and share highlights of your partners stories of
thriving.
As you listen respectfully, focus on the common themes related to
identifying thriving.
What common experiences, perceptions, feelings do each of you
have about how you thrive?
What are you conscious of when you are thriving: Physically,
emotionally, mentally?
How can you instill and embed this thriving experience in your day
to day work?
Home Assignment: Identify three different situations when you
are thriving and journal how you feel, what you are thinking
and doing.

39. About Us
r Competency
Pre and Post Th@W Scores Pre Post Change
Feelings about your work 3.31 4.11 +.80
Feelings about working with clients 3.56 4.26 +.70
Feelings about your work culture 3.08 3.95 +.87
Feelings about relationships 3.34 4.30 +.96
Thriving score 3.32 4.16 +.84

40. About Us
r CompetencyPost –Th@W Comments
What does it mean now to Thrive! at work?
•Discovering the resource on finding out the strengths of
self and others to be particularly helpful.
•Ability to recover from interpersonal conflict because of the
workshop and consultations.
•Develop consciousness of creating a supportive
environment for co-workers.
•Actively participating in a supportive work environment –
good working relationships with colleagues that encourages
and empowers individual personal and professional growth.

41. About Us
r CompetencyConclusion
Thriving at work is a process of:
•Empowering employees with the knowledge and skills
they need to discover, utilize and maximize their
strengths and positive emotions.
•Engaging employees to work with vigor and dedication
through strength utilization, creating and sustaining a
positive work environment with authentic relationships.
•Helping employees develop resilience to bounce back
from stress by developing a culture of caring and the
willingness to learn and grow.