In the WorkWell Podcast, by Deloitte, Jen Fisher — Human Sustainability Leader at Deloitte and Editor-at-Large, Human Sustainability at Thrive Global — sits down with inspiring individuals for wide-ranging conversations about how we can develop a way of living and working built on human sustainability, starting with ourselves.
This week, Tia Graham, the founder of Arrive at Happy and author of Be A Happy Leader, discusses how to create a workplace where people feel empowered to find joy, purpose, and meaningful connection.
On her own happiness role models:
“I believe I am one of those humans who is genetically predisposed to be happy. I also learned some important happiness lessons from my parents. I saw them going through really challenging times and struggling. And then I saw them choose happiness and make choices to sustain it over and over again. And that was really impactful for me, especially as a teenager.”
On the meaning of happiness:
“A happy life to me is about having different experiences that make you wiser, and that push you to learn and grow. A happy person is someone who is taking care of themselves holistically, prioritizing their spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being. And that’s different for each individual. For me, it means prioritizing my physical and mental health, my marriage, parenting my two daughters, taking care of my friendships, meditating, and praying.”
On the importance of happy leaders:
“You start with the leadership in a company, because you can’t expect your team to be happy if you’re not happy. Using neuroscience, you train leaders on how to increase and sustain the happiness of their associates — for example, by creating a culture of autonomy, having friendships at work, celebrating successes, and creating positive relationships.”
On valuing everyone in the workplace:
“I teach people how to create a culture where every single person is valued, so they feel like they belong, so they support each other and challenge each other. There is healthy competition, but everyone is working together and moving forward in a very effective way. It’s about having fun and joy, and making sure everyone’s voice is heard — and it means measuring well-being on an ongoing basis.”
To hear more from Jen and Tia, listen to this full episode of WorkWell here, available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit the WorkWell library for the full collection of episodes.