Well at Work: A Leader’s Positive Psychology Guide to Managing Stress and Manifesting Well-Being

Through this paper, I explore the current U.S. landscape of stress and work-related stress, including when it can be bad for us (i.e., distress and burnout) and good for us (i.e., eustress). Then, I draw on positive psychology - the science of well-being - and affiliated disciplines (e.g., positive organizational scholarship and positive organizational behavior) to offer science-based strategies for leaders to rethink and help manage stress and manifest well-being in the workplace. Specifically, I discuss meaning, mattering, and belonging as three interconnected and important principles for leaders to know and to put into practice through zones of control, low-cost, high- impact positive psychology interventions, such as job crafting, building self-efficacy and resilience, and creating high-quality connections. While this paper is certainly not the solution to work-related stress, it is a step and a tool for leaders towards more managed stress and manifested well-being in our workplaces.