Happiness and Fulfilment Applied to Leadership

Leaders are formed from all walks of life. In Emergent’s podcast segment, “Driving Leadership,” I have conversations with leaders aimed at demystifying leadership and at exposing an understanding of what drives people to lead. With nearly 12 episodes completed, I am left with a deep appreciation for the fulfillment leaders achieve in their endeavors; the experience also drove me to a model I was exposed to many years ago that enables us to consciously consider our fulfillment in our work. The model is known as “The Four Levels of Happiness.”

This structure comes from the field of positive psychology and follows a theory or concept that has been written about often through history. These four levels of happiness are utilized in many types of human development endeavors, including education, various therapies and spiritual renewal.

Let’s examine the four levels and how they arrive at deeper fulfillment, and then I’ll offer an idea for application in your leadership development.

The first level of happiness is known as “pleasure,” framed as a simple or basic form of happiness. This first level is no less important than the following levels; however, a life focused solely on this level will not achieve fulfillment. Examples of this form of happiness may be the type of pleasure we get from a nice meal or a hug from a loved one. It’s human to want and need this, and we’re capable of so much more!

The second level of happiness is known as “passion.” This is the form of happiness we experience when we apply and use our talent or skills. Passion is thought to be more significant than pleasure; however, both are more associated with our self-interest and with ego compared to the next two levels of happiness. Again, passion is important to possess, feel and apply, yet alone it’s not quite going to create that deeper fulfillment so many leaders share with us on our podcast.

The third level of happiness is “purpose.” A deeper sense of purpose is said to be the gateway to fulfillment. This purpose might be thematic in the sense that it is focused in a certain area of your life – it could be your work purpose, your leadership purpose, or possibly an all-encompassing life purpose. Purpose gives meaning, which makes this third level of happiness resonate more deeply and more spiritually with many people. Many people find purpose in spiritual pursuits such as religion, but the deeper meaning in our work or profession can be equally as significant.

The fourth level of happiness is called “the greater good” (and yes, I am disappointed that it’s not a word starting with the letter “p”!) This is where we are not only living our purpose, but we are also part of something -in belief as well as in a concrete way – much greater than just ourselves. We feel that we can contribute in a meaningful way to something large and meaningful. This “greater good” style of happiness is also called fulfillment.

A challenge for your leadership practice:

Daily, experience each level of happiness at least one time following these three steps:

1. In the morning, set the intention that you will experience all four levels and visualize a potential experience for each.
2. By midday, reflect on your earlier intentions and set up what you can to make them happen.
3. At the end of the day / in the evening, reflect and journal about your experiences.

Want to know more? Contact me at bill@getemergent.com or reach out to the Emergent team at 315.635.6300.