Flourish
One of the most beautiful sights in the world, at this time of the year, is the flowering cherry tree. Visit Japan in springtime and you will never forget the image of seas of cherry trees flourishing with perfect pink blooms. The delicate pink petals only flourish for a few weeks at the beginning of Spring but their beauty has a lasting impact. Due to the brevity of the bloom the flowering cherry tree is sometimes regarded as a symbol of the transient nature of life. But it’s the moment of flourishing that catches our eyes!
As a leader it’s important to develop your understanding of human flourishing.
- Are you flourishing?
- Are your people flourishing?
- Are you building a flourishing team?
In his book ‘Flourish’, positive psychologist, Martin Seligman, offers a compelling model on how to flourish. He writes about the five elements (PERMA) that will enable you and your people to thrive:
- Positive Emotions: Creating space for self-reflection, sharing and a sense of belonging in a team results in positive emotions.
- Engagement: Giving all participants the opportunity to have a genuine say in the direction of the team results in engagement.
- Relationships: The success of the team will rise and fall on its ability to develop and sustain healthy, supportive and committed relationships.
- Meaning: Aligning personal purpose, identity and values with those of the team and the organisation results in meaning.
- Achievement: Identifying individual and collective targets and supporting each other to create success and add value, results in a strong sense of achievement.
If a leader is giving attention to these five elements it is likely that your team will flourish, and not just for a passing season like a cherry blossom.
If you can create a thriving team with more positive emotion, greater engagement, better relationships, and a real sense of meaning and positive accomplishment, your team will flourish through all seasons.
The TOWARD Team