The Leader's Role in Creating More Good News

By default, many leaders and employees daily will notice more what is not working than what is working with in the culture. This will not get any easier for leaders over the next few years as the future of work evolves with respect to how work is organized, the growing talent war and pressure to retain talent.

For the most part it not that hard to find fault or notice what is not working well. For most human there is a natural tendency to take what is working well for granted and to bias it and focus on what is not place or working well to define the employee experience. Of course, there are many things that can be done better in many organizations at the same time there are also many wonderful things that happening every day in the workplace.

The consequence when there lots of focus and conversation within a workplace on the negativity this can create a negative perception that may not be an accurate or fair depiction.

One practice any proactive and positive leader can take that can take with intention to create more positive news within the culture is to put more attention on the positive moments that their team have determined that matter. Moments that matter are ones that create positive charge and experiences for the parties involved.

Most of us have heard the benefits of practicing gratitude. When ever we are having a hard day focus on the fact how blessed we are to have our health and breath for some may seem trivia. Ask someone who has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness how much they now take their life for granted. Now this is a dramatic example, but the point is simple where we put our focus and attention is often what we as human matters.

Leaders can leverage lessons form positive psychological by not taking all the positive that things that happen in daily in the workplace for granted they put energy into noticing positive moments that matter to the team on daily basis.

Creating more positive news

When I am speaking I sometimes as, “How much news do you watch daily and how does it help you?” One common theme I hear in their explanation is they find it often depression. That points out how the environment can play a big role in impacting our mental state and attitudes.

A work culture can act like a news network that promotes daily news that influence the employees view of the workplace. The news that is being focused on will influence employees mental state. One role a leader can do with intention is to talk openly about the benefits of creating positive news with in their teams because there are many positive things that happen each day provided they are noticed.

Tips for promoting positive news:

• Define moments that matter – in a group meeting ask the team to start to share what are examples of those positive moments that matter daily (e.g., peer jumps in to help), weekly (e.g., customer’s positive feedback), monthly (e.g., performance target) and yearly (e.g., different kinds of milestones team like to note). Then as a start pick the top two for each of the different time frames as start add more as the team sees fit once the news channel is up and running.
• Create positive news channel – with intention create the news channel by setting expectations that this is everyone role not just yours as the leader. However, be committed to being the champion and seek out positive news daily.
• Encourage spreading positive news – work with team daily to send out in all the communications that out daily a short note end of each day with some positive news that employees can leave the day with to think about.
• Follow up on quality of news - In team meetings take a moment each week to evaluate the quality and effort in spreading positive news. Accept the process may take a few months for this new initiative to become one employee belief is not just another flavor of the month. Trust with intention, passion and follow through positive news will start to take more employee mind share.

Fostering a culture that emphasizes positive news can transform the employee experience and significantly impact workplace morale. By consciously directing attention towards what is going well and recognizing the moments that matter, leaders can inspire a shift in focus from problems to progress. This proactive approach not only nurtures a more positive work environment but also encourages collaboration, innovation, and resilience. As the future of work continues to evolve, embracing positivity and gratitude will be vital for organizations striving to retain talent and maintain a thriving workplace culture.

The?Workplace Psychological Safety Assessment (WPSA)?is not just another survey. This new tool that we have brought to market stems from 14+ years of research and provides both employees and employers with useful, meaningful data and resources to better support their journey towards psychological safety. For more information on the?WPSA, send us an email at: [email protected]