Leading for Performance & Sustainable Change: Positivity and Negativity

I've been a student of leadership my entire adult life. In business school, leadership courses were obligatory and sometimes referred to as the "touchy feely stuff". Despite this, I have found examples of leadership concepts in action daily through my entire career.

Most recently, I worked with a leader, Alex. He stepped in to a new role brimming with enthusiasm and visions of growth and transformation for his new team. However, he inherited a team entrenched in a culture of fear, a legacy from the previous leadership, resulting distrust, infighting, absenteeism, low accountability, and performance. Although Alex despised fear-based leadership, his own leadership role models were peppered with shades of intimidation. In his industry, leading with forcefulness was common; you either met high performance standards or faced a poor reputation—or termination.?

Alex faced a dilemma. He needed to stabilize and enhance his team's performance quickly, but his instincts leaned towards negative reinforcement. Realizing that this approach wouldn't yield long-term success, Alex embarked on a journey to lead with positivity. His transformation wasn't just about changing tactics but fundamentally shifting his belief system.

If you've studied leadership, you've likely encountered transformational leaders who inspire, support, set high expectations and enable you to achieve them. These leaders not only help their teams weather storms but also drive innovation and outperform their peers.

So, why does Alex's challenge strike a chord? In today's high-stakes, constantly changing environments, the pressure to deliver immediate results can foster stress among leaders and employees alike. This stress can make everything feel urgent and important. While direct, assertive leadership is necessary in emergencies, constant urgency can blur the lines between assertiveness and negativity, leading to unintended consequences.

?

Positive Leadership in Action

Leaders who are open to learning can develop more positive habits over time. Positivity in leadership is not about donning rose-colored glasses and refusing to see risk, it is about taking a more positive approach strategically to motivate action, accountability, and enabling people to do their best work.

Hallmarks of Positive Leadership

• Cultivates Psychological Safety. The leader’s words and actions make individuals feel safe to express ideas, ask questions, and make mistakes without fear of retribution.
• Positively Frames Challenges with Optimism. The leader focuses on the positive aspects of changes and frames challenges as opportunities for growth, fostering an optimistic atmosphere.
• Communicates Openly and Inclusively. The leader communicates clearly, frequently, and transparently across all levels of the organization. They involve employees from various levels and backgrounds in decision-making processes.
• Drives Empowerment, Autonomy, and Development. The leader empowers employees to take ownership of their work, contribute ideas, make decisions, and creates or identifies opportunities for learning.
• Practices Resilience, Perseverance, and Flexibility. The leader accepts resistance and setbacks as inevitable, stays the course and maintains focused on end goals while adjusting tactics as needed.
• Commits to Strong Vision and Values. The leader articulates a clear, compelling vision that aligns with both short-term and long-term goals. They identify core values to drive decisions and actions.

Impact on People, Performance & Change

• Trust, Collaboration and Transparency. When team members feel safe to share their ideas without fear of judgment, magic happens. Open communication creates a culture where feedback is not just heard but valued, building trust through mutual respect and the belief that everyone is essential to the team's success. Transparent decision-making helps everyone align with shared goals, ensuring efforts are directed effectively and cohesively.
• Adaptation and Learning. Imagine a team that embraces change and sees every challenge as a new adventure. Continuous learning is at the heart of this mindset, valuing experimentation and resilience over perfection. Mistakes are simply stepping stones to growth, and flexibility is championed. Leaders who model adaptability, encourage feedback, and provide resources for development create an environment where everyone can thrive.
• High Team & Organization Performance. Leaders with a clear vision and strategic focus are like skilled conductors, harmonizing the organization's resources, people, and efforts towards long-term goals. This alignment enhances focus, drives growth, and boosts overall performance. Organizations led by such positive leaders not only outperform their competitors but also reduce absenteeism and foster innovation, diverse thinking, and creative problem-solving. Employees in these environments are more productive, innovative, and committed, ultimately improving profitability and customer satisfaction.

The Downside of Negativity

Negativity in leadership—characterized by criticism, fear-mongering, micromanaging, and a general cloud of pessimism—can feel like a quick fix to maintain control. But research consistently shows it's a destructive force. Studies reveal that teams with leaders who exhibit negative behaviors experience heightened stress, reduced collaboration, and a significant dip in performance. The damage doesn't stop there—firm performance and employee morale both take a nosedive, with innovation being the unseen casualty.

Hallmarks of Negative Leadership

• Authoritarianism. The leader makes decisions unilaterally without involving or considering others.
• Resistance to Change. The leader is resistant to change themselves, setting a negative tone.
• Inconsistent Communication. The leader does not communicate clearly or at all, providing inconsistent messages and creating confusion and distrust.
• Short-Term Focus. The leader prioritizes quick fixes or short-term gains over long-term sustainability.
• Lack of Emotional Intelligence. The leader is unaware of their emotional impact or does not manage interpersonal relationships effectively, often alienating others.

Impact on People, Performance, and Change

• Culture of Fear, Resistance and Complacency. In a workplace where negative leadership prevails, fear and resistance often take root. Employees feel controlled, undervalued, and are punished for mistakes, leading to a risk-averse climate where innovation is stifled. It’s like walking on eggshells; employees become disengaged, withholding ideas and avoiding initiative. Over time, this erosion of morale can cause top talent to leave in search of more dynamic and supportive environments.
• Division and Fragmentation. Imagine a workplace where teams work in silos, each pursuing their own goals without a shared sense of purpose. This fragmented culture, driven by divisive leadership, fosters competition over collaboration, leading to inefficiencies and mistrust. Employees feel isolated and disconnected from the broader organization, resulting in a decline in productivity and a loss of collective direction.
• Toxic and Distrustful Environment. Negative behaviors like favoritism, dishonesty, or bullying from leaders create a toxic atmosphere filled with mistrust. Such a hostile environment often breeds fear and resentment, where employees focus more on self-preservation than meaningful contribution. The competitive and politically charged climate hampers productivity and increases absenteeism, further eroding any potential for sustainable growth or positive change.
• Stifled and Low Performance. Ultimately, the cumulative effects of fear, division, and toxicity lead to significantly lower organizational performance. Research has shown that authoritarian leadership reduces employee engagement and can slash profitability by up to 30%. Poor communication alone can cost companies millions annually, as found in various studies. These toxic environments not only drive away talent but also damage reputations and operational efficiency, underscoring the critical need for positive leadership.

?

Self-Reflection: Am I Practicing Negative Leadership Behaviors?

We are all capable of both negative and positive leadership behaviors. Both can be slippery slopes, meaning the more we use one successfully, the more likely we are to use it regularly, as it becomes the easiest. Which are you using most often?

Consider these questions:

• Am I making decisions unilaterally? Take a moment to consider your decision-making process. Do you often make decisions without seeking input from your team? Remember, involving others not only fosters a sense of ownership but also taps into the collective wisdom of your team, enhancing the quality of the outcomes.
• How do I react to change? Are you open to new ideas and approaches, or do you resist them? Embracing change sets a positive tone and encourages innovation. Think about a time when adapting to change led to a positive outcome for you or your team.
• Is my communication clear and consistent? Reflect on your communication habits. Do you provide clear, consistent messages, or do you find that your team is often confused or out of the loop? Effective communication is key to building trust and maintaining a cohesive work environment. Consider times when clear communication led to better understanding and results.
• Am I prioritizing short-term gains over long-term success? Evaluate your focus. Are you constantly chasing quick fixes, or are you thinking about the long-term health and sustainability of your projects and organization? Balancing immediate needs with future growth can be challenging but ultimately leads to more robust and enduring success.
• How aware am I of my emotional impact? Do you recognize how your emotions and actions impact others? Are you managing your relationships effectively, or do you sometimes alienate team members? Developing empathy and emotional awareness can transform your leadership and foster a supportive and productive work environment.

We’re all capable of picking up bad habits. If you find that some of your behaviors or mindsets align with these questions, you’ve likely learned this over time from your own leaders or work environments. Practicing positive daily habits can help develop more productive behaviors.

?

Cultivating Positivity: Daily Habits for Leaders

Transforming into a positive leader often starts with small, consistent steps:

1. Practice Active Listening: Make a habit of fully listening to employees’ ideas, concerns, and feedback without interrupting or rushing to conclusions. Active listening shows respect, builds trust, and encourages open communication, all of which are essential for a positive workplace.
2. Express Appreciation Regularly: Show genuine appreciation for team members’ efforts and accomplishments through regular acknowledgment and positive feedback. Celebrating both small and large achievements fosters a supportive culture and boosts morale.
3. Model Transparency: Commit to sharing relevant information openly and honestly with the team, even during challenging times. Transparency builds trust, helps employees feel informed, and reduces uncertainty, making them more engaged and aligned with organizational goals.
4. Empower and Delegate: Give team members autonomy by delegating meaningful responsibilities and trusting them to make decisions within their roles. Empowering others promotes accountability, enhances their confidence, and helps build a culture of ownership and collaboration.
5. Reflect and Adapt: Regularly reflect on your leadership behaviors and seek feedback from peers or mentors to identify areas for improvement. Being adaptable and open to change demonstrates humility, continuous learning, and resilience—qualities that inspire others and strengthen positive leadership.

?While positivity should be the bedrock of your leadership style, understand that rare instances might call for a stern stance—perhaps to avert a crisis or correct harmful behaviors. The key here is sparing use. Negativity, when overplayed, loses its impact and corrodes morale.

The Power to Choose

Ultimately, Alex made the choice to cultivate positive leadership habits. While there's still a journey ahead to reach peak team performance, these initial acts of positivity have sparked greater accountability, higher performance, and deeper engagement within his team.

As employees, we seldom get to choose our leaders, but stepping into leadership gifts us with the power to shape outcomes and influence lives positively. It's within this realm of choice that leaders like Alex, and perhaps you, can redefine what it means to lead. Leading in today’s organizations is about driving growth and transformation. And transformation isn't just about changing others; it's about evolving ourselves, our teams, and, step by step, the world of work.

By choosing to be a leader who nurtures rather than intimidates, who inspires rather than demoralizes, we uplift those around us and pave a path for successes that are as fulfilling as they are sustainable. Imagine the ripples of impact we can create by gravitating towards the light of positivity, making a profound difference in the lives we touch and in the legacy we leave behind.

What legacy will you choose?