What Would Your Baseball Card Look Like?

Here we are in the middle of another October. For some, this means watching baseball. Have you ever looked, I mean really looked, at baseball cards? I saw some research the other day that suggested that more smiling may give you more productive years. This was based on a study of baseball cards. Turns out that the guys who were smiling on their cards lived longer than the frowning guys.

For a guy who is sometimes a “no-nonsense” manager, this entire concept is a little woo-woo. But, in the “no-nonsense” world of work we are always looking for an edge, a way to make our workplaces more effective. I am increasingly convinced that positivity in the workplace improves the likelihood of productive relationships, individual and group engagement. And these improvements give us a competitive edge.

Longevity is not productivity, but happy, healthy employees are what so many of our members say they are striving for.

Gallup research emphasizes this connection. There are some predictable things that correlate with building a caring a productive workforce. It’s not just about smiling, it’s about engaging.

I don’t know that any of this suggests that we need to teach supervisors and employees how to smile. What it might be saying to us, however, is to lighten up and keep looking for effective ways to encourage each other.

Hope your team wins.