Shane Crabb

The emerging area of positive psychology has created a heightened interest in applied positive organisational practices, such as coaching, which is increasingly being understood from the positive psychological perspective.

A key focus in this area has been what organisations can do to engage their employees, in the form of organisational level drivers of engagement. However, there has been less concern with the individual level (or internalised) drivers that deliver an engaged state. Through an in-depth thematic analysis of factors known to contribute to peak performance at work, this research has identified a series of individual level drivers that contribute to an engaged state. The three individual drivers are Focusing Strengths, Managing Emotions and Aligning Purpose, which can be understood and applied practically through coaching interventions.

Through coaching dialogues, it is proposed that individuals can work to utilise their signature strengths, positively manage their emotions and align their values to those of the organisation more effectively, ultimately serving to enhance their happiness, well-being and engagement, and thus be more likely to achieve peak performance.

Keywords: engagement; coaching; well-being; strengths; emotional intelligence; values; culture; personality; positive psychology.

Full article: The Coaching Psychologist, Vol. 7, No. 1, June 2011 Page 27-34