WOW Word-Of-the-Week #458: Profit
May 15, 2013 by Susan Clarke
Profit – an advantageous gain or return; benefit.
Do you believe you can profit from something without making money? Does it pay to do good deeds? Have you ever benefited from helping out a co-worker or your boss?
Henry DeVries, assistant dean for external affairs at UCSD, wrote a San Diego UT article titled, “Four ways to profit from being happy at work.”
He writes, “Does it pay to smile? A study of recent MBA graduates found that optimistic people get hired more quickly than their less-optimistic peers. Plus happy workers were more likely to get promoted.”
“Being happy on the job improves your reputation,” says author Vicky Oliver: “Optimism also makes you more resilient, able to adapt to new situations, and solve problems faster: Happy employees get better feedback from bosses and peers. And they enjoy more job satisfaction because work doesn’t feel boring, difficult, or unpleasant.”
Oliver is an image consultant in Manhattan and has authored five bestselling books on personal branding, etiquette, and career development. Her latest book is, “The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act Like a Millionaire Even If You’re Not.”
This week’s WOW will feature the first of her four tips on how to put on a happy face at work and smile all the way to the bank.
1. Wear your “rose colored glasses” to work. For every disappointment, find a lesson. Try to see a positive aspect in situations that don’t turn out the way you intend. For example, maybe you didn’t get the job, but you got your foot in the door at the company, making it easier to go back next time. Maybe you didn’t talk to the most important person at the cocktail party, but you talked to the second most important person.
This week’s focus is on profit. Are you in the process of looking for a job? Do you want to make sure you keep the one you have? Do you think it pays to smile at work? Have you ever found a good lesson based on a disappointment? How would it feel to look for the positive in a situation that didn’t turn out the way you intended?