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CDS Member News and ArticlesProfessional News Articles : : ON PRACTICE MANAGEMENT by Janyce Hamilton : Dentist as the C.H.O.—Chief Happiness Officer Dentist as the C.H.O.—Chief Happiness OfficerMay 2, 2008 Transformational speaker and author Alexander Kjerulf has some advice for dentists. If you are in a bad mood, you really need to hear it. Below is the transcript of an interview with Mr. Kjerulf, a C.H.O.—Chief Happiness Officer. Sure, he made the title up. Read on to understand why. He earned a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Southern Denmark in 1994; has consulted for Hilton, Lego and IBM; and lives in Copenhagen. The Q & A
Janyce Hamilton (JH): What in your background brought you to this point of being, what you call, a C.H.O. "Chief Happiness Officer"? Alexander Kjerulf: I've always had a sense that life in general (and work in particular) should be fun. However, my first few jobs in the IT industry were almost no fun. I'm not a naturally positive person—in fact, no one in my family is. But I've been practicing a lot and I can promise everyone that being happy and optimistic is not only a lot more fun, it's also really good for business.
I did have a pretty tough childhood (though probably no worse than anyone else’s). I was diagnosed with a very serious form of cancer when I was age 14. Fortunately I survived, and was cured completely. Mr. Kjerulf: My early path was determined when I got my first computer for my 13th birthday. It was pretty much love at first sight, and after high school I had no doubt that I wanted an education and career in the IT world. I worked as a developer and consultant for some years and in 1997 I co-founded an IT consultancy called Enterprise Systems with some fellow geeks. When we started the company we had one huge advantage: We didn’t know how. The three founders (myself, Patrik Helenius and Martin Broch Pedersen) were all happy geeks with absolutely no idea of how to run a business. We did have some pretty good notions of how NOT to do it from previous jobs, but mostly we had a passion for doing it right, whatever that means. This mostly kept us from doing “business as usual,” and freed us to try untraditional approaches. JH: When and how did you begin speaking and writing about happiness? Mr. Kjerulf: When we created Enterprise Systems, my focus was mainly on the technical, nerdy side of the business, but that began to change. I took some courses and read some books and discovered that I had a deep passion -- and even some talent -- for the human side of the business, for facilitating processes and decisions, for creating fun, and for doing things differently. In late 2002 we sold our company to Tieto Enator (a huge Scandinavian IT company). I decided at that time to leave the IT business to do something else, though I had absolutely no idea what that something else would be. I gave myself some time off where I purposely did not think about what was next. I did not read any job ads or send out any applications, I just gave myself some time. And suddenly the answer came to me. I can still remember the very moment: I was lying on the grass by the Copenhagen Harbor swimming pool when the idea struck me that what I would work with was happiness at work. My next thought was, of course, “Yeah, great. Happiness at work. So what. What am I going to do about that?” The answer to that question was a little longer in the making. JH: What percentage of Americans vs. rest of the world's workers are unhappy with their working life? Mr. Kjerulf: Estimates vary, but as many as half of all Americans are unhappy at work. In Denmark, it's 10-15 percent. JH: Perhaps this is the case in other countries too, but my experience was from a young age that in America we can attain any dream if we work hard and save money for ourselves. As adults, we learn that it might not be as cut and dried as this credo implied. Down crashes reality upon our sense of entitlement about our chosen profession. Could this realization be incompatible with gratitude, and thus happiness for what we have? Mr. Kjerulf: There is little doubt that the constant hunt for material wealth is not making Americans as happy as they expect. But interestingly, this also applies to the people who actually do succeed and become wealthy, since many of them are unhappy too. This pursuit of money means that work is primarily a way to get paid. "You get paid to do your job, not to like it," seems to be the attitude of most managers and workplaces. What's worse, American employees seem to be willing participants in this arrangement. When I ask Americans what makes them happy at work, they rarely talk about the work itself—many tend to see it as a means to an end, rather than as something to enjoy. The result is that workplaces are dominated by status-seeking career climbers, where the paycheck is the only motivator, where employee turnover is shockingly high, where bad management is never challenged, where burnout and cynicism are the order of the day, and only Dilbert comic strips provide relief. This unhappiness at work is causing serious harm. You spend more time at work than with your family, friends and hobbies combined. Hating your job is not an inconvenience, it's a serious problem. It can cause stress and depression. Ultimately, it can kill you.
JH: What is your thinking in making your book, Happy Hour is 9 to 5, free online? It is wonderful that anyone can reap benefits from your efforts and pay nothing to you for the gift, so thank you in advance. Mr. Kjerulf: My book came out in December 2006 and has been bought and read tens of thousands of times. I self-published it for one simple reason: Speed. I'd written it and wanted to get it out. With a traditional publisher, this can easily take 12 to 18 months. I make it available for free on my Web site to be able to share the ideas with as many people as possible. Many people can't afford the price of the book but still need to be happy at work, and they can read it free online. And finally, it feels good to give. JH: Dentists work standing almost all day, squinting a lot, and engaging their upper body muscles. These are physically tired doctors who often have strained necks and backs, and achy knees, hips and feet. And if they have a headache, they work anyway. Can you promise your book will teach dentists and their staffs how to “learn to love your job, create a great business and kick butt at work”? Mr. Kjerulf: Interestingly, one study showed that if you're unhappy at work you're more likely to suffer problems that come from repetitive movements or strained positions at work. So if you can be happier at work, you're less vulnerable to these symptoms. Also, one of the techniques I teach in the book is to take time out every day to notice how you're feeling, including any physical pains or strains. This is vital, because if you don't notice that pain in your neck, back, shoulders or arms and [act on it] it will just keep on getting worse until you're forced to take notice. JH: Have study data shown that if people love their jobs, they are more productive and motivated? Like most employers, dental employers would only consider investing time and money in growing happiness if it will pay off. Mr. Kjerulf: There are countless studies that prove, conclusively, that companies with happy employees make more money. This is because happy people are more productive, less sick, better at customer service, more creative, more helpful, more conscientious and better at team work. One of my favorite examples is Irma, a chain of supermarkets that went from the brink of bankruptcy to a huge success, simply because the new CEO decided to make it a happy workplace. Other great examples include Google, SAS Institute, Southwest Airlines, Patagonia—all companies that are hugely successful because people love working there. JH: List things that make people unhappy at work, followed by a list of things that make people happy at work. Mr. Kjerulf: The #1 thing that makes people unhappy at work is bad management: micromanagement, leaders who don't lead, jerk bosses, managers who play favors, etc. In fact, in exit interviews, 75 percent of employees who quit say that they left the company at least in part because of their immediate superior. Dentists can have problems in this area too, because being a skilled dentist is not at all the same as being a good leader. And while dentists have spent years studying to be dentists, many have spent little or no time on training to be a good boss. Other things that typically make people unhappy at work are being too busy, being treated unfairly, not getting recognition and, of course, bullying and other bad behavior in the workplace. There are really only two things that make us happy at work. They are:
JH: Give examples of tools that dentists can try out with their staffs to create a better work life. Mr. Kjerulf: Here are a few very simple, proven tools that I have taught to a lot of managers.
All of this sounds banal, and it is. That's why it works. JH: Without drinking a 500-calorie glucose bomb with three cups’ of coffee worth of caffeine ("energy drink") at the midafternoon slump, how can the dentist and staff power through a long schedule of procedures? Mr. Kjerulf: The trouble with the energy drink is that the effect is only temporary and afterward you're even more tired. Some good tips are to:
Generally, anything that involves physical movement will pick you up. JH: From financial to health to social outcast to being cheated to pets and relatives dying, an acquaintance shared with me his bizarre weekly tragedies for four years. Meanwhile, he has a sense of humor, attends his church and seems generous, if a little wary. I don't get it. Do you think life is random, or people create their own reality (good and bad), or that there is a "black cloud" following some "unlucky souls?” Mr. Kjerulf: First of all, I think it's fantastic that he can stay positive even in the face of so much misfortune. Martin Seligman's work in positive psychology has shown that optimists live longer, enjoy better health and have more friends than pessimists. I don't think there's a black cloud following anyone. There are six billion people on the planet. With so many lives being lived, some of them are bound to be hit with one bad event after the other. I don't believe in luck as such, but an English professor called Wiseman has been studying luck for years now and has arrived at some very interesting conclusions. For example, lucky people meet their perfect partners, achieve their lifelong ambitions, find fulfilling careers, and live happy and meaningful lives. Their success is not due to them working especially hard, being amazingly talented or exceptionally intelligent. Instead, they simply appear to have an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time and enjoy more than their fair share of lucky breaks. His point is that these people are not lucky—they're just always open to the possibilities around them, whereas unlucky people are often given breaks, but fail to see them or act on them. I wrote about it at http://positivesharing.com/2006/08/get-lucky-at-work-be-positive/.
JH: Do you offer any "guarantees" or promises to those who read your book? Mr. Kjerulf: I offer no explicit guarantees but I will promise that if you take responsibility and do something to make yourself and others happy at work that you will not regret it. It may be one of the best things you've ever done for yourself. You've read my conversation with Janyce, now read my book, it's even better. It's called "Happy Hour is 9 to 5" and you can buy it on paper, as a pdf or read it free online! Go to positivesharing.com/happyhouris9to5 Conclusion
Dentists and their staff members can get everybody involved in making the practice a happy workplace. “They can get everyone to see that this is not only possible, it's easy,” Mr. Kjerulf said. According to C.H.O. Kjerulf, happiness at work doesn't come from five-year plans, it comes from the simple things that you and I do here and now. If everyone does a little bit every day, he says it will change an unhappy workplace to happy in a matter of weeks. “I know, I've done it.”
Janyce Hamilton is an award-winning Chicagoland freelance dental writer and editor. Send suggestions for topics to be covered, or any comments on this column, to review@cds.org. |
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