How can you get your franchise team, and the franchisees in your network, to blossom?

I am at a conference in Melbourne with 350 other psychologists where we are sharing the latest research on enhancing performance and well-being at work. One session was on positive psychology, defined as the science of well-being and which studies the conditions under which people flourish.

The latest model to emerge from this field, and which I will share here, is called PERMA. It stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement.

Positive emotions

Those who have heard me or my team speak in workshops or conferences will know we emphasise the importance of franchisors and franchisees maintaining an optimistic outlook.

It’s also something we measure in our franchisee surveys and recruitment tools because we know from our research it drives performance, a better customer experience and a healthier culture. Optimistic people are also healthier, less stressed and better at solving complex problems.

There have been over 100 ideas tested to see what works and what doesn’t in building a more optimistic outlook.

Two of the most powerful, and which we teach in our workshops, are reflecting at the end of the day on what has gone well, and telling someone something you are grateful for.

Engagement

In the movie Chariots of Fire, the English champion Eric Liddell, says “God made me fast. When I run I feel his pleasure”. The best way to increase a person’s sense of engagement is to help them identify and use their strengths. When we do work that draws on our strengths, for instance what we are naturally interested in or do well, we get energised and our performance effortlessly goes to a new level.

While money can motivate people it never gets in the way of a person using their strengths. When people become more engaged they will go way beyond what is expected of them.

Just look at the amazing Wikipedia and how this has been created and sustained by people who are engaged in their areas of interest.

Relationships

A well-known large study by the Gallop organisation found one of the most powerful predictors in business units was the extent to which staff agreed with the statement “I have a best friend at work”.

I have for years taken this on board in my own business, encouraging friendships between team members, and it has certainly worked for us. It is why I am always encouraging franchisees to form collegial relationships with each other.

Positive relationships in the workplace are a huge driver of performance. If you lead a business unit, remember people’s relationship with their boss is the biggest determinant of their satisfaction and whether they leave or stay. They say good people don’t leave organisations, they leave managers.

Meaning

People with a stronger sense of meaning and purpose live longer. Meaning and purpose also drive longevity in the tenure of franchisees and their staff. There is now a large body of research which shows that helping people to understand how their work benefits others makes a huge difference to their motivation and performance.

This is why at FRI we place such a big emphasis in our Franchising Wheels of Excellence on engaging people with the brand. Engaging with the brand means everyone understands what the brand stands for and how you are all trying to make a positive difference to the lives of customers. Doing this well at the franchisee and franchisor levels will definitely give your business a competitive edge.

Achievement

Traditional goal setting teaches people to make their goals achievable. But positive psychology encourages people to go beyond this and set stretch goals. Most people underestimate what they are capable of. The most important element of a goal is that it must be meaningful.

A proven and effective way to help people set meaningful goals that will stretch them is to get them to think about achievements they have been truly proud of. And then have them consider the top strengths that helped them to achieve this outcome.

This is the core principle behind the solution-focused coaching techniques we teach in our Field manager Bootcamps.

So there you have PERMA – the science of being happy and successful.