Positive Leadership
To lead people, we first need to be able to lead ourselves. Leading with the brain in mind helps us bring out the best in ourselves so we can do the same with others. Understanding how the human brain works and how we function at our best is both fascinating and critical if we want to continue to grow and improve as leaders.
New research into neuroscience, emotional intelligence and positive psychology points the way toward better strategies for understanding and leading people. Applying this research helps us improve our effectiveness and wellbeing, increasing productivity and performance. It helps us develop the self-awareness, people skills, mindful habits and emotional resources that lead to successful outcomes.
Positive leaders emphasise what elevates people, what they do well, and how they can be inspired to deliver extraordinary performance.
They focus on cultivating positive climate, building positive relationships, facilitating positive communication and connecting people to positive meaning and values. They also focus on strengths—their own and the people they lead.
When you are using a strength, you enjoy doing it, are energised by it, produce higher quality work and reach goals more quickly. You feel happier, more confident and engaged. You are less stressed, more resilient, and more effective at self- development. This all significantly benefits your business.
Consider how to draw on strengths at work.
· Which strengths are your go-to resources that enable you to produce great work or rise to a challenge? How can you marshall them more mindfully?
· What things do you do well yet don’t find energising? How can you moderate how often you use those?
· What are your weaknesses? How can you minimise their impact? Who in your team has compensatory strengths?
· Which strengths are under-accessed in yourself or your team? How can you develop them?
“Positive leadership enables positively deviant performance, fosters an affirmative orientation in organisations, and focusses on the best of the human condition.”
Kim Cameron
(adapted from The Langley Group resource http://info.langleygroup.com.au/free-ebook-positive-leadership-practices)
For more information about how you can be a positive leader or you would like to explore how we can help your workplace embrace positive leadership to maximise output, please contact me for a no obligation chat.
