23. May 2010 by John Schinnerer.

By John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Guide To Self, Inc.

A worthy, successful and productive career as an executive requires behaving according to a set of personal values.  Values are the core beliefs upon which you operate your life. You may be aware of your core beliefs or you may not. In my executive coaching work, I’ve noticed that the many executives and managers do not have a clear idea what their top values are.

To get the most from your life, you must believe at your core that you are a worthy individual – worthy of loyalty, worthy of respect, worthy of friendship, worthy of quality friends, worthy of taking time to refill and renew yourself, worthy of a flourishing and productive life. To get the most from your life, you must know your values like the back of your hand.

Values are the guide rails by which we navigate through life. Values set the trigger points for your shame and guilt. When you veer too far from a particular value, your emotional alarm goes off in the form of guilt.

Henry David Thoreau -  ‘The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.’

Ours is much too busy and noisy a world. Our lives take on a frenetic pace and people lose track of the values that give life meaning and purpose. Everyone says they are for values. The problem is their actions are not in keeping with their words.

Leaders who are unaware of their values are more likely to be inconsistent, fearful, and self-conflicted. The less we know what our values are, the more ambiguous our lives are. The more we understand our values, the better able we are to make right choices which lead to right action. This leads to decisive acts of courage which are primarily the ability to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done in spite of what people around you are doing.

There are several ways different ideas related to values: ethical energy, strengths and personal principles. When you throw in values themselves, you have consilience, or proof of the worth of an hypothesis due to the convergence of separate lines of research. And, as each of these ideas has a great deal of merit and inherent worth, let’s take a look at all of them.

Ethical Energy Defined

According to the authors of The Power of Full Engagement, ethical energy is…

‘… the connection to a deeply held set of values and to a purpose that is beyond our self-interest. Anything that ignites the human spirit serves to drive full engagement and to maximize performance in whatever mission we are on. The key muscle that fuels ethical energy is character – the courage and conviction to live by our values, even when doing so requires personal sacrifice and hardship. Ethical energy is sustained by balancing a commitment to others with adequate self-care….the capacity to live by our deepest values depends on regularly renewing our spirit – seeking ways to rest and rejuvenate and to reconnect with the values that we find most inspiring and meaningful.’

The alternative to living according to your values is to operate in survival mode, fueled by fear, mistrust and anxiety. Survival mode is marked by a sense of desperation where you are focused on filling your immediate needs for capital, sales and competent peers. Survival mode is also characterized by the mentality of a victim. Life happens to you, not because of you. If you are passively accepting everything that comes your way as inevitable, you are not living according to your values. You are living in survival mode.

Strengths Defined

Martin Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness, has put a slightly different twist on values. Seligman states, “To be a virtuous person is to display, by acts of will, all or at least most of the six ubiquitous virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence. There are several distinct routes to each of these six. One can display a virtue, such as justice by acts of fairness and loyalty.” Seligman calls these routes strengths and each is measurable and acquirable. They are ubiquitous across cultures.

According to Seligman, there are seven criteria by which we know that a characteristic is a strength.

First, a strength is a trait, a psychological characteristic that can be seen across different situations and over time. 

Second, a strength is valued in its own right. We value a strength for its own sake, even in the absence of clear beneficial outcomes. While a strength can produce good consequences, it doesn’t have to. 

Third, a strength can be seen in what parents wish for in their newborn children. Strengths are states we desire that require no further justification. 

Fourth, onlookers are usually elevated and inspired by observing strengths. Strengths typically produce authentic positive emotion in the doer – pride, satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment – and the observer – inspired and uplifted. 

Fifth, strengths are supported by the dominant culture in the form of institutions, rituals, parables, maxims and children’s stories.

Sixth, role models and paragons in the culture compellingly illustrate a strength or virtue. 

Seventh, they are ubiquitous. Strengths are valued in almost every culture. They are not quite universal, as some exceptions to every rule can be found. And they are ubiquitous. They take place everywhere.

‘Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value’ Albert Einstein

Values Defined

Each individual has a set of beliefs and ideas about abstract concepts called values. They describe how much worth a person places on various ideas, objects, or beliefs. Societies have values that are shared between many of the participants in that culture. These values may be put into four categories:

·               Ethics (good, bad, moral, immoral, amoral, right, wrong, permissible, impermissible)

·               Aesthetics (beautiful, ugly, unbalanced, pleasing)

·               Group Norms (political, ideological, religious or social beliefs and values)

·               Inborn (inborn values such as reproduction and survival, a controversial issue)

For the purposes of our discussion, we are concerned only with the group known as ethics and to a lesser extent, group norms. There are five features that are common to most definition of values. Values are concepts or beliefs. They are about desirable behavior(s) and/or end states. Values transcend specific situations. Values guide selection or evaluation of behavior and events and they are ordered by relative importance.

On occasion, we encounter ethical problems which pit two of our most cherished values against one another. In such a situation, we cannot act in a way that is in keeping with both these values. We solve such problems by prioritizing our top values that are relevant to the situation. Each of us has a set of prized values. Many of us simply are not aware of them.  We must have an awareness of our values as well as the intention to act upon them for values to be useful to us.

Stephen Covey and colleagues call these prized values our personal principles. He cautions against self-centered values such as “self respect” or “a sense of accomplishment” because they can lead us to develop pragmatic, utilitarian relationships with other individuals.  Covey suggests that we adopt prized values that are more holistic and anchored in the fundamental realities of nature, spirit and healthy interpersonal relationships.  Prizing your family higher than your career is a good example of adopting holistic and healthy values. However, it must be noted that as far as this author knows, Covey’s work is not based on empirical research and cannot be considered as part of the consilience towards the proof of the inherent worth of values.

Why Values Are Essential

Let’s look at how living according to one’s values can lead to a more fulfilling and purposeful life. Imagine that you could do whatever it is that brings you the most joy in your life. Picture anything you like that is deeply fulfilling to you. What you have then is a picture of a person living in accordance to his or her most cherished values.

There is a close link between values and living a fulfilling life. Once your values are clarified, you will have a map that guides you through key decisions. Through this process we learn what is most important to the client and what is not. Part of my work is to help clients discover what is truly necessary in their lives. Clarifying values helps clients to take a stand, to take calculated risks, and to make choices based on what is personally fulfilling to them.

By its very nature, honoring our values is fulfilling, even when times get tough. You can suffer through discomfort if you know it will pass, while you rest comfortable in the knowledge that you are living in accordance with your values. Making decisions based on your top values will always lead to a more fulfilling decision. This leads to right behavior and a fulfilling life.  Some examples of values are creativity, helping others, independence, family, emotional management, power, peace of mind, lifelong learning, and spirituality. They cannot be touched, but they can be seen. You see them being acted out in how people behave.

Someone living perfectly in accordance with values will feel the pain of a disturbing situation, and perhaps some psychological disturbance, but will remain tranquil at the center. Equanimity is the ideal. Equanimity means evenness of mind, or in this case, evenness of emotion. When possible, excessive negative emotion is to be deflected or rerouted. No one lives perfectly in accordance with their values. The goal is to remain constantly aware of your values and to strive to behave in accordance with them.

Values remind us of our authentic self and our unique role in the universe. All of us benefit from a series of ethical guideposts which we can use to steer our actions towards the greater good

If you are interested in advanced training of the mind for your self or staff, call now (925) 944-3440. Or check the website at www.GuideToSelf.com

About the Author

Dr. John Schinnerer holds a Ph.D. in educational psychology from U.C. Berkeley. He helps clients discover their best possible selves via positive psychology. His offices are in Danville, California. Dr. Schinnerer has been an executive, speaker and psychologist for over 10 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches executives to happiness and success using the latest in positive psychology. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a daily prime time radio show, in the SF Bay Area.  Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to anger management, to executive coaching. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which is available at Amazon.com. His blog, Shrunken Mind, was recently recognized as #1 in positive psychology on the web by PostRank (http://drjohnblog.guidetoself.com).

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21. May 2010 by John Schinnerer.

http://www.postrank.com/topic/Positive%20Psychology

Accourding to PostRank, which tracks engagement on website pages and blogs, Shrunken Mind with Dr. John Schinnerer is the top positive psychology blog in the blogosphere! Thank you for your interest and ongoing support.

 For those interested in booking Dr. John for speaking engagements or corporate training, call now at 925-944-3440.

Have a fantastic week!

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21. May 2010 by John Schinnerer.

Shrunken Mind w/Dr. John Schinnerer -

Using Positive Psychology to Master Life

Top positive psychology blog

Posted in International Wellbeing Study, Corporate Culture, Danville CA, National speakers, Raising optimistic children, San Ramon CA, Optimal Human Functioning, Well-being, San Francisco Bay Area, Alamo CA, Self-compassion, Science of love, Resiliency, Life coach, Staying calm, Dr. John Schinnerer, Realistic optimism, Business & psych, Happiness, Guide To Self Beginners Guide To Managing Emotion, The human brain, Men's emotions, Emotional management, Parenting, Positive Psychology | Print | No Comments »

18. May 2010 by John Schinnerer.

Guide To Self, Inc.

 A unique, new, longitudinal study found that there is a tremendous blow to the earning ability of adults who suffered from childhood psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety. What’s more, the study found that, upon becoming adults, such children have less chance of getting married, achieve less educationally, and earn roughly 20% less across the course of their lifetime. By adversely impacting their earning potential, the long-term financial consequences of childhood psychological disturbances exceeds $2.1 trillion dollars when summed across the lifetimes of all such U.S. citizens. The study comes out in the June 2010 issue of the journal Social Science & Medicine.

‘Childhood psychological disorders can cause significant long-lasting harm and can have far-reaching impact on individuals over their lifetimes,’ stated James P. Smith, the study’s head researcher and corporate chair of economics at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. The study points out the tremendous benefit ‘of identifying and treating these problems early in life.’

The data comes from a massive study which tracked U.S. families for 40 years and found that childhood psychological disorders adversely impact some major indicators of success and happiness in life. The design of the study is unique in that siblings from the same family were tracked over time. Then, those siblings who had a childhood psychological disorder were compared to a sibling who did not have a psychological difficulty.

Siblings with depression, anxiety, rage, ADHD or a substance abuse disorder as a child earned $10,400 less per year on average as compared to siblings who did not have any such problem.

The study also reports that individuals who had childhood psychological difficulties had an 11% reduced chance of marrying than their siblings who did not report psychological problems.

An additional interesting finding is that those who had childhood psychological difficulties stopped their education a half year earlier than those who did not report such difficulties. The gap in education was even bigger for those who had drug or alcohol problems.

‘Not all of the people who have psychological problems during childhood will carry these problems into adulthood,’ stated Smith. ‘But they are 10 to 20 times more likely than others to have these shortfalls during adulthood. There clearly are large economic costs during adulthood caused by childhood psychological conditions.’

The ongoing study involves a nationally representative sample of over 35,000 people from roughly 5,000 U.S. families spanning the past 40 years. Approximately 6% of the participants stated they had some sort of psychological difficulty as a child. This is consistent with the percentage of children with a psychological disturbance across the United States. Roughly 4% of the participants reported suffering from childhood depression. Two percent stated they had substance abuse issues as a child. And another 2% reported having another psychological issue, such as anxiety or extreme anger. Some participants had coexisting disorders (e.g., depression and substance abuse issues).

The take home message here is the urgency of proper early intervention. For a thriving and productive life, psychological issues need to be identified and treated early in life.

About the Author

Dr. John Schinnerer is in private practice helping executives, adults, and teens learn anger management, stress management and the latest ways to deal with destructive negative emotions. He also helps clients discover satisfaction with life via positive psychology. His practice is located in Danville, California. He graduated summa cum laude from U.C. Berkeley with a Ph.D. in psychology. He is collaborating with the University of New Zealand on the International Wellbeing Study to look at what we do right and what make for a meaningful, thriving life. Dr. Schinnerer has been a speaker, executive and psychologist for over 10 years. Dr. John Schinnerer is Founder of Guide To Self, a company that coaches clients to their potential using the latest in positive psychology. Dr. John Schinnerer hosted over 200 episodes of Guide To Self Radio, a prime time radio show, in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Dr. Schinnerer’s areas of expertise range from positive psychology, to emotional awareness, to moral development, to executive coaching core competencies. Dr. Schinnerer wrote the award-winning, “Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought,” which is available at Amazon.com. His blog, Shrunken Mind, was recently recognized as one of the top 3 in positive psychology on the web (http://drjohnblog.guidetoself.com).

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14. May 2010 by John Schinnerer.

Coming from the perspective of positive psychology, I am admittedly biased towards the inherent power of emotion. Emotions are among the top reasons for failed attempts to improve corporate productivity and culture.

Fear:  Fear and anxiety paralyze change initiatives. 

Anger: Culture changes are sabotaged due to intense resentment and long-held grudges. Failed projects begin to pile up due to residual anger and back-stabbing between executives.

Sadness:  Resignation and hopelessness stall attempts to improve productivity, sales, and ongoing improvement.

Without a legitimate and thorough understanding of the emotional minds of your employees, you are at the mercy of their emotions.

In his book, Developing the Leader Within, John Maxwell discusses the difference between character-driven people and emotion-driven people….

“Character-driven people…

• Do right, then feel good.
• Are commitment driven.
• Make principle-based decisions.
• Let action control attitude.
• Create momentum.
• Continue when problems arise.
• Are steady.
• Are leaders.

Emotion-driven people…

• Feel good, then do right.
• Are convenience-driven.
• Make popular decisions.
• Lett attitude control action.
• Wait for momentum.
• Quit when problems arise.
• Are moody.
• Are followers.”

Maxwell makes an interesting yet incorrect distinction. It’s a false dichotomy. For we are all character-driven AND emotion-driven.

The emotional brain (which is associated with the amygdala) has been in existence in human beings for 3 to 10 million years. On the other hand, the rational brain (which is associated with the prefrontal cortex) has only been around for roughly 50,000 to 1 million years.

The emotional brain has been through countless revisions and is nearly perfect in it’s ability to keep humans safe and act as a general guidance system (approach vs. avoidance). The emotional brain is faster and has the ability to hijack the rational brain when danger is sensed. ‘Danger’ is based on our perceptions and can vary widely depending upon the makeup of the individual.

The rational brain is still in the earliest stages of revision on an evolutionary scale. It is fallible, prone to mistakes in thinking, and can be overpowered by the emotional brain in a matter of 33 milliseconds.

Without doubt, we are all a combination of the rational and emotional brains. The tricky part is finding ways to teach the rational and the emotional sides to work together in cooperation so as to maximize productivity and allow for constructive change in the workplace.

To this end, I’ve been developing research-backed tools to teach groups to manage their emotional mind, and not merely to turn down the volume on negative emotions such as fear, anger and sadness, but to turn UP the volume on positive emotions such as awe, pride, curiosity, interest, relaxation, happiness and amusement.

My discovery is that merely learning to manage the negative emotions is necessary but not sufficient to increase employee productivity, cooperation, teamwork and innovation. Positive emotions serve to broaden and build. Positive emotions enable us to think outside the box, to act in new ways, to create and innovate.

Thus, it’s one thing to deal with the negative emotions in your workforce. It’s another to learn ways to cultivate the positive emotions which will spark new ideas and facilitate new, more productive behaviors.

To set up speaking engagements, call now. 925-944-3440. Or click here for the one-pager.

Have a fantastic week!

John Schinnerer, Ph.D.

Award-winning author of Guide To Self: The Beginner’s Guide To Managing Emotion and Thought

Author of top 3 blog Shrunken Mind

Collaborator on International Wellbeing Study

Positive Psychology Expert

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