Why I challenge people to rethink happiness at work

By Nic Marks

“Avoid what is known – write about what is not known. Upset people’s idea of what they are about to read… and take them into areas of life and experience that they have never imagined, from which they might return (you hope) with their mind expanded.” - Sebastian Faulks

Like many people, I’ve long admired Sebastian Faulks, the author of Birdsong. Recently, I heard him describing what drives his writing. His words stopped me in my tracks - not just because they were insightful, but because they captured exactly what I try to do in my own work as a speaker.

Avoid what is known. Explore what is not.

Disrupt expectations. Expand minds.

That, I realised, is the ambition I bring to every keynote and masterclass.

What is not known

At first glance, my subject - happiness at work - can feel familiar. Everyone has an opinion on it. Some dismiss it as soft or obvious. Others assume it’s about perks, positivity, or personality.

But the deeper truth is less well understood.

In my talks, I focus on something deceptively simple: the idea that happiness is not a fluffy extra - it’s a functional signal. When people feel good, they tend to do good work. They are more motivated, more creative, more resilient. They build better relationships and seize more opportunities.

Equally, when people feel unhappy, that’s a signal too. It prompts change. It tells us something isn’t working.

But the real problem - the thing most organizations overlook - is what sits in between. OK.

The hidden danger of “OK”

If happiness fuels performance, and unhappiness drives change, where does that leave OK?

Stuck.

OK lacks the energy of happiness and the urgency of unhappiness. It doesn’t inspire people to grow, but it also doesn’t push them to leave or fix what’s wrong. It quietly persists.

And that’s why I now describe OK as the most expensive word in business.

Because the data tells a powerful story:

• People who feel “OK” are significantly more likely to miss their targets
• They are more likely to disengage, drift, and underperform
• And while they may not leave immediately, they often stay and stagnate

By contrast, unhappy employees tend to exit more quickly. That has a cost - but it’s a visible, finite cost. The issue resolves itself.

OK, however, lingers.

It’s the slow leak in performance. The drag on culture. The hidden cost that compounds over time.

It may a simple idea to share - but it reframes how leaders think about performance, culture, and wellbeing.

Upsetting expectations

Faulks also talked about “upsetting people’s idea of what they are about to read.” I try to do the same in my talks.

People don’t come expecting a statistician to challenge their assumptions about happiness. They don’t expect to see data showing that “OK” is riskier than they thought. And they don’t expect practical, evidence-based ways to improve it.

But that’s exactly the space I want to take them into.

Not just insight - but imagination.

Because once you see happiness as a measurable, manageable driver of performance, it opens up new possibilities. Better teams. Better cultures. Better outcomes - for individuals and organizations alike.

From speaking to audiences to speaking with them

One of the biggest shifts in my own speaking over recent years has been how I engage audiences.

For much of my career, I focused on refining the talk itself - delivering it clearly, then opening up for Q&A at the end. And I still love Q&A. It brings out unexpected questions and fresh angles.

But I’ve learned something important: engagement shouldn’t wait until the end.

Now, I build interaction throughout the talk - what you might call “call and response.” I pose questions. I offer options. I invite the audience to commit to an answer. And then I respond in real time.

This does two things.

First, it brings energy into the room. People aren’t just listening - they’re thinking, choosing, reacting.

Second, it helps people see themselves in the ideas. The moment they answer a question, they’ve already started applying the insight to their own context.

The feedback has been clear: this makes the talks more engaging, more memorable, and more useful.

From insight to action

Ultimately, my goal isn’t just to expand minds - it’s to change what happens next. I want people to leave with:

• A different way of thinking about happiness and performance
• Clear, evidence-based arguments they can use internally
• And simple, practical actions they can take immediately

Because the real test of any talk isn’t what happens in the room - it’s what happens on Monday morning.

Do leaders ask better questions of their teams?

Do teams have more honest conversations about what’s working - and what isn’t?

Do organizations start to move people out of “OK” and towards something better? That’s the shift I’m aiming for.

Expanding what’s possible

Happiness and wellbeing are endlessly fascinating because they sit at the intersection of how we feel and how we perform. We all recognise their importance, even if we haven’t always articulated it.

And perhaps that’s where Faulks’ second idea resonates most strongly.

The hope that people might return with their minds expanded.

Not overwhelmed. Not swayed by argument alone. But able to see new possibilities - both for themselves and for the systems they’re part of.

If my talks can do that - if they can challenge assumptions, open up thinking, and lead to small but meaningful changes - then they’re doing their job.

Because happiness isn’t a nice-to-have.

It’s a serious business.

Watch Nic's showreel now