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can even seem like a handful at times. They care too much, they have wild ideas, they push the envelope, and they get frustrated when things fall through. At Netflix, they recognize it as the “person who picks up trash lying on the floor” (Hastings, 2009). At Basecamp, they call it “giving a damn” and list it as one of their core values (We the Basecamp). It can't all be sugarplums. A little dissatisfaction is natural and can fuel drive, productivity, and improvements.

      Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association and founder of the field of positive psychology, breaks down happiness into these three elements (Seligman, 2008):

      ● The Pleasant Life: The rosy glow of ebullience and good cheer, with as much positive emotion as possible. Unfortunately, this is about 50 percent heritable, only 15 to 20 percent modifiable, and loses luster rapidly.

      ● The Engaged Life: The sense of flow, being drawn into and absorbed by the present moment, when time seems to stop. It arises from knowing your highest strengths and using them as much as possible.

      ● The Meaningful Life: The purpose, fulfillment, and belonging that come from using your highest strengths in the service of something beyond yourself.

      Together, these three parts comprise happiness, but not in equal measure. Pleasure has almost no contribution to overall life satisfaction (Seligman, 2008). Long-term happiness stems foremost from meaning, closely followed by engagement. Once both of those are in line, pleasure serves as the cherry on top. Employees at a place like Google, where meaning and engagement already abound, can properly savor a massage day because their other happiness needs are met. What drives talent to the organization is not the perks but getting to do cool things that matter.

      Luckily for employers, both meaning and engagement are surprisingly malleable through our habits, interactions with coworkers, and overall perspective (Achor, 2012). Each of these five simple, quick hacks, every day for 21 days, is enough to elicit statistically significant changes.

      ● Write down three things for which you are grateful.

      ● Write a positive message to someone in your social support network.

      ● Meditate at your desk for 2 minutes.

      ● Exercise for 10 minutes.

      ● Take 2 minutes to reflect on the most meaningful experience of the past 24 hours.

      That's it. Simple reframing and small new habits are enough to significantly boost our levels of meaning and engagement. In fact, high levels of social support may be the greatest predictor of life satisfaction, particularly when we provide them, rather than receive (Achor, 2012). Employees who initiate social interactions, pick up slack, invite people to lunch, and organize office activities are 10 times more likely to be engaged at work than those who keep to themselves. That is the kind of culture we should be striving to develop.

      Beyond increased levels of employee satisfaction, companies with high engagement perform better financially. Parnassus exemplifies this well. They invest based on both performance and principles, almost exclusively in firms proven to have outstanding workplaces, many of which are included in the 100 best companies to work for list (Parnassus). From 2005 to 2013, Parnassus had a 9.63 percent annual return, compared with the Standard & Poor's (S&P) annual return of 5.58 percent during that time (Crowley, 2013). From 2008 to 2013 (during the recent recession), their annual return was 10.81 percent, compared with the S&P of 3.97 percent (Crowley, 2013). The founder says, “The performance of the fund confirms what I've always believed: treating people well and authentically respecting them does lead to far better business performance. We proved it works” (Crowley, 2013).

      Strong engagement is essential for ultimate success, and too often we see organizations trying to increase happiness in all the wrong ways. Employees appreciate perks, but those don't serve to engage workers or even boost happiness beyond temporary pleasure. What people truly want is an intrinsic connection to their work and their company. They want to want to keep coming back, to be inspired to move forward. And as Gallup CEO Clifton says, “There aren't enough foosball tables in the world to provoke that kind of commitment” (Crowley, 2014).

      Chapter 3

      Common Misconceptions: (Or, Why Culture Isn't Just HR's Problem)

      Now that we have dispelled the magical powers of foosball tables and gift cards, you may find yourself wondering what other preconceived notions about culture are untrue. Here are the most common misconceptions we hear during our culture conversations.

      Misconception #1: Culture Is Just HR's Problem

      We may lose it if we hear another executive say their culture sucks because their HR department is not getting it right. The bottom line is, culture affects the bottom line. It's everyone's responsibility, not just the folks sitting in HR. Culture is a top issue for all business leaders. Eighty-seven percent of organizations now cite it as a top challenge because the ones who are getting it right are getting ahead (Dupress, 2015).

      ● Employee engagement programs can increase profits by $2,400 per employee per year (Wang, 2015).

      ● Ninety-one percent of highly engaged employees always or almost always try their hardest at work (Wang, 2015).

      ● Half of workers would rather “go to the DMV” or “watch paint dry” than attend a status update meeting (Mateo, 2015).

      If you are in HR or executive leadership, it is not your job to single-handedly create the culture. Align and strategize, but remember that it is about we not me. Just like it can't all happen at once, it can't come all from one place. Ask the question, “Who do we want to be when we grow up?” Ask employees to define driving forces, and take time to make them collectively yours.

      Wil Boren, former vice president and general manager of Biomet Zimmer, explains, “Team members know when an organization is truly being genuine about the importance of culture. You cannot outsource assistance in this area. You must truly seek to engage your employees in shaping what will ultimately be your company's legacy, its enduring culture,” (Boren, 2016). How do you impose culture? You don't impose it. Although you may tailor input discussions to various groups (leaders, influencers, or employees) differently, involve everyone. You're all part of this. Figure out what's working and what's not working, and move forward accordingly.

      Misconception #2: Cultures Are Static

      Culture is dynamic because human beings are dynamic. We as individuals are constantly evolving, and we are evolving in relation to one another also. Even just 10 years ago students turned in homework on paper instead of online and YouTube was just making its debut. Culture, as the aggregate of human behavior, is never static.

      If left to themselves, cultures can quickly go down the tube. Tony Hsieh gives an excellent example with his pre-Zappos experience at LinkExchange (Hsieh, 2010, 47–48). They ran out of like-minded friends to hire, so they started hiring other people en masse, looking for competence, forgoing culture. Soon enough, going to work in the morning felt like “death by a thousand papercuts” because what had once been obvious and easy was lost. When it comes to creating and nurturing a culture, you are never done.

      According to Clay Robinson, owner of award-winning Sun King Brewing Company, “I always knew that culture was important, and we needed to lead by example in order to plant the seed of a winning culture and allow it to grow. Over the years, we have worked to continually steer our culture in the right direction as it evolves. Our staff comes to work happy, knowing that they are respected, and our company has grown and blossomed because of it,” (Robinson, 2016).

      Nicole Bickett, chief administrative officer at Mainstreet, describes the need to remain vigilant when curating culture:

      Focus, commit, and invest in your people and their engagement. The only way you will create a strong culture is by desiring and creating it. If you do not, a culture will be created by default and it may not be the one you want. Engage anyone and everyone in its creation and cultivation, and make sure leadership is driving it every single day. Don't create it and then relegate it to others. Focus on it, talk about it, and continue to innovate on

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