Don’t have the time, energy or cash to invest in happiness? The truth is, it’s already affecting your bottom line. Nic Marks, speaker, author and statistician with soul, shows how emotions and numbers absolutely do mix, revealing the real ROI behind happiness strategies he has used everywhere from NHS trusts to the National Grid to smaller Scale Up businesses..

In this smile-inducing episode, Nic explains why happy teams outperform, offering practical, research-backed takeaways you’ll want to implement immediately, whether you’re scaling a team or working with a business growth coach to achieve your most audacious goals.

We know you’ll love these highlights:

• ‘Mindful breathing with carcinogens.’: the SMOKING model that will have you rethinking the cigarette break – and what your smoking colleagues have been getting right all along - and you don't even have to take up smoking to benefit!
• What happy-but-slacking and performing-but-miserable teams have in common, why they’re impacting your bottom line and what you can turn them around.
• The surprising driver of innovation and creativity, and how to flip the switch.
• ‘Measure, meet, repeat’ – the feedback loop that keeps happiness alive.
• The Greeks had a different view of time, which we’ve lost touch with in our modern world. Their three Gods of time teach us how to reclaim lost connections with people, purpose and prosperity.
• Why ‘engagement’ is a problematic term that deserves reframing.
• The differences between contentment, boredom and stability. Why sometimes they are a good thing, and what to do if they’re becoming a problem?
• Long weeks kill happiness and productivity: what’s the working-week sweet spot?
• Two genius concepts Shakespeare taught us about intensity and complexity.
• The simple, fuss-free way to remove friction and encourage flow within your teams, setting them up for happiness and success.
• The five easily implementable drivers of happiness that never fail – principles any business growth coach would champion.

‘People don’t mind solving hard problems together. What they don’t want is to be pressured and brutalised by the system.’ Nic succinctly explains. ‘Great culture allows teams to be happy and successful.’

It’s something we’ve always known – we love that Nic’s here to back it up with data.

A few quotes we love:

‘If you invest in happiness, you invest in success.’

‘Happier employees deliver superior outcomes.’

‘Engagement is a code word for productivity. It feels one-sided. Happiness reframes the contract between employer and employee so it’s mutually beneficial.’

‘Organisations that embrace this will future-proof themselves for the next generation cohort coming through.’

‘Time is the currency of relationships.’

TL;DR

This episode with Nic Marks explores why happiness is a powerful performance driver and how happier teams consistently deliver better results. He breaks down the data behind wellbeing, the habits that fuel creativity and productivity and the simple, actionable practices any leader or business growth coach can use to build a thriving, future-ready culture.

Texts mentioned:

Nic Marks – Happiness is a Serious Business

Daniel Preistley – Key Person of Influence

James Clear – Atomic Habits

James Hillman – Archetypal Psychology

Ricardo Semler – Maverick

Alex Soojung-Kim Pan – Shorter

Robin Dunbar – The Social Brain

More about our Guest

Nic Marks is a statistician, speaker and author who pioneered the field of workplace wellbeing. After reading Mathematics at Cambridge, he trained in organisational change and psychotherapy before founding the Centre for Wellbeing at the New Economics Foundation. There, he created influential frameworks including the Happy Planet Index and the Five Ways to Wellbeing.

A sought-after international speaker, his TED talk has been viewed millions of times, and his TEDBook A Happiness Manifesto helped put measuring national wellbeing on the global agenda. Today, as founder of Friday Pulse, he helps organisations improve team happiness through science-led feedback. His latest book, Happiness is a Serious Business, shows why happy teams perform better.

Where to find Nic:

Check out his website for more information on his work and his book:

https://nicmarks.org/

Nic’s useful tool for releasing friction and increasing flow:

https://fridaypulse.com/

Nic’s Happy Planet Index TED talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/nic_marks_the_happy_planet_index