The Givers Bucket

Some time back I was introduced to the book “How Full is your Bucket?” by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton, and have considered the subject again as we get deep into the 2009 Holiday season. Giving somehow is defined by ‘gifts’ that seem to fit the individual and less by how the ‘gift’ will add positive emotions.  The gift of giving ‘positive’ emotions is possible with every interaction with everyone, every day and does not require a special season of gift giving (however, we all look forward to this time of year don’t we).  A positive conversation is the key.

The main premise is this, that each of us has an invisible bucket that is constantly being emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us.  When our bucket is full we feel great.  Further, every time we use our ‘dipper’ to fill other’s buckets – by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions – we also are filling our own bucket.

We often talk about the ‘culture’ of our business.  Here at Waldo Agencies, we specialize in helping clients create cultures that promote safety and wellness in such a way that their client group is positively impacted.  Truly, the culture of any business or organization is driven by the emotional condition of the people in the enterprise.  The benefit of people that all have ‘buckets’ full of positive emotions is measurable, just as are the results of negative emotions. 

During the Korean War, American soldiers captured by the North Korean Army were subjected to the most extreme, perverse and effective psychological warfare on record.  The central theme of the Korean Army was to create a feeling of extreme hopelessness.  The tool that was used was a campaign of constant negativity, which resulted in an overall death rate in the North Korean POW camps of an incredible 38%. Negativity has an extremely strong impact on our emotions.  Another study showed that bad (negative) bosses could increase the risk of stroke by 33%

The good news is that positivity actually has an even stronger impact than negativity. 

Productivity is directly impacted by positivity or negativity, which brings us back to the point.  Brief, energizing conversations with everyone we meet can light up entire organizations, lead to a fully energized culture, and increase productivity. 

What a concept.