Simple steps to becoming a positive leader

Positive leadership is all about people. Its guiding philosophy is to create a positive environment in which everyone can work as their ‘best self’ and through this achieve extraordinary results, both as individuals and together.

Most of us have experienced what it’s like to be our 'best self': those times when we are doing what we do best and are unstoppable; when people recognise our special talents and are in awe of what we can do; when we know that our contribution is having a huge impact in the moment. Positive leadership is about harnessing this phenomenon.

Positive leadership is for everyone

Every living thing responds naturally to positivity, whether this be a plant stretching towards the sun, a child exploring their world with encouragement from a parent or a worker striving to make a difference on a project to which they have been invited to contribute. This universal truth about positivity is called the heliotropic effect and it is a central tenet of positive leadership.

The good news is that anyone can choose to be a positive leader.

Leadership isn’t something that is reserved exclusively for the upper echelons of the executive suite. Every person can choose to foster a local environment in which they positively energize those around them and build trust, engagement and shared learning. The overwhelming research evidence is that such an environment leads to better decisions and better outcomes, with higher corresponding levels of growth, profitability and loyalty.

If you want to explore the academic foundations of positive leadership, take a look at the work of the team at the Center for Positive Organizations at Michigan Ross; you will be inspired, I guarantee.

People managers are in a uniquely privileged position to be positive leaders because they are the natural reference point for leadership in any enterprise.

People managers set the tone of the workplace, decide what behaviours are and are not acceptable, set priorities and heavily influence what does and does not happen. Perhaps not surprising then, the #1 reason people stay or leave an employer is their relationship with their direct manager. People managers have a huge amount of power to unlock, or indeed inhibit, the innate potential within the people under their care. This is both a great responsibility and a fantastic opportunity.

I think this short description from the late Dr Rick Johnson sums up this opportunity perfectly when he describes a Lead Wolf style of leadership:

“The Lead Wolf (servant) style of leadership is successful because these leaders take the time to listen, imagine and investigate numerous alternatives. With the involvement of people they forge creative solutions to difficult problems. They challenge their people to stretch, go beyond their previous boundaries and think outside the box. Successful leaders feed off their people and allow their people to feed off of them. They give credit where credit is due. They give recognition as a means of gaining respect. They believe individuals can make a difference. Through these methods they learn to create new insights and possibilities. Successful leadership means creating a sense of urgency, getting mutual commitment to action. Action steps are always clearly defined and precise.”

Getting practical

So far so good, but there is a huge leap from understanding and buying into the idea of positive leadership and making it work in practice. How do you get started?

There are just two things you need to get moving: a positive mindset and a set of simple actions that you can easily adapt for your environment. Here’s my top takes.

Firstly, get your own mindset in the right place. Here’s how:

Work at being grateful. It’s supremely easy to go through life, especially at work, focusing on all the problems that get in your way. Practising gratitude is a great way to reset your focus on what’s good that you can build on. Start by making a list at the end of each day of things that happened that day for which you are truly grateful. You will be surprised by how long your list is!

Radiate positive energy. Every time you enter a room you have a simple choice about whether you will inject positive or negative energy, through what you say and how you act. Either way the effect will be felt keenly by those you engage with. Energy is highly contagious and directly affects the outlook and performance of everyone involved, including you. Choose to inject positive energy every time.

Make a contribution. There is strong evidence that making a contribution is a powerful motivator, more so even than achieving a specific goal. So, resolve to contribute to things you are passionate about at work, whether they directly benefit you or not. Offer help to your colleagues without being asked. Get on the pitch, don’t stay in the stands. You will feel much more positive.

So, now you have a positive mindset, you are set to start getting pro-active. Here’s some simple but powerful actions you can bring into play to walk the talk as a positive leader:

#1 Give people your time. Your time is one of your most precious assets and it sends a hugely positive signal when you give it to people, but only when they get your full and undivided attention. Make sure you are fully engaged in the moment and focused on them for maximum impact and value.

#2 Invite a contribution. Just as you can make a contribution, you can invite other people to make a contribution to your projects where you think they can make a difference. The impact of being asked and then making a difference will be a hugely powerful motivator for them.

#3 Practise radical candour. Read Kim Scott’s superb new book, Radical Candor. Give people direct feedback in the context of genuine care on your part. They will listen, it will help them enormously and they will really appreciate it.

#4 Empower people. There is absolutely no point hiring smart people and then telling them what to do or how to do it, tempting as this may be for you. If you empower people to make their own decisions and mistakes you energise them to go the extra mile to succeed.

#5 Create a compelling Why? Positive leadership is about creating a shared purpose that binds people together and creates a foundation to guide action and motivate. Make sure you communicate a compelling narrative everyone understands and believes in.

#6 Give praise where it’s due. We’ve all been trained to pick out errors and faults in order to correct things that are not right. However, it’s more powerful to pick out what is right and what’s going well, re-enforcing the good, but it takes conscious effort. Look for the things you can praise and do it openly and often.

#7 Say thank you (and mean it). Saying thanks has oftentimes become a meaningless platitude. Say thanks when you really mean it and say it in a way that conveys the real sentiment. Do it publicly where you can, so that you positively embarrass the person or people you are thanking. Maybe phone 5 people per week who have helped you to express your sincere thanks; it's very easy and high impact.

#8 Be authentic at all times. Authenticity shows and is very appealing to people as it instills trust and confidence. The opposite is also true. People can sense it if you are not being genuine, whether you think they can or not; much of the message is conveyed non verbally and subconsciously. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

#9 Show a little vulnerability. The old mantra that managers should never show any sign of weakness is just wrong. Acknowledge when you get things wrong and where you don’t know the answers. It's human to have fear in the face of uncertainty. Show your human side and you will be highly credible and convincing to those around you.

#10 Encourage curiosity and experimentation. Failure has become a dirty word and for many it is a source of shame – 'it failed so I am a failure'. In the hugely turbulent business world we inhabit today, the route to success is to experiment and learn. To do this you must be prepared to fail. Make it OK (even mandatory) for your people to explore, invent and experiment. Make it easy for them to fail well.

Putting it all into perspective

All of the things I have described above are pretty easy to do if you put your mind to it. The trick is for them to become your natural way of working. Then you are positioned to become the sort of Lead Wolf that Rick Johnson so eloquently describes.

An important final point is that you don’t have to do everything in one go and you don’t have to go over the top in any one area. Take comfort in the truth that a set of very small changes, 1% changes, over a sufficient period of time, lead you to a very different place.

So start small, just resolve to make a start. Decide now to become a Lead Wolf.

Good luck with it!