Positive Leadership
There is one thing that all of us will agree on - Life Can Be Hard. Vita Dura.
In life, we are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because we know that through hardship we are challenged and in time, we learn, we grow, we change. As a leader, you will face numerous obstacles, uncertainty, negativity, and challenges. There will be times when it appears the world is conspiring against you. That your vision for the future is impossible. That your passion and your ‘why’ cannot sustain you any longer. And yet with grit, perseverance, and resilience, positivity remains for many. Why?
What is the secret to positivity?
Positive leadership is not about fake positivity or is it caustic. However, positive leadership is often the difference maker separates good leaders from great leaders. The research is clear. Being a positive leader is not just a nice way to lead. It's the way to lead if you want to build a great culture, unite your organization in the face of adversity, develop a connected and committed team, and achieve exemplary results.
In his book, The Power of Positive Leadership, John Gordon presents the case for positive leadership in business, in your home, and in life. And while his case is compelling, it appears that far too few either know of this truth – or choose to embrace it. If cultivating a positive mindset has such a tremendous influence on our behavior, then why do we not embrace it daily? What is our hesitancy to creating a positive attitude toward life? Is the source of positivity found in the ability to be always grateful?
For many of us, we confuse some of the points of influence. Our focus is too often on the things that we cannot control. And yet, we allow the things outside our sphere of influence to dictate many of our responses and distract us from where we need to have our focus.
So how does a positive leader do it differently?
1) Control Your Attitude
Why is something so seemingly simple so difficult for many? We have to recognize that in many of life’s circumstances, you can't control what people are saying and thinking about you. You can't control the future and what impact it will have on your job, your family, your organization, or your health. You can't control most things in life, however you can control your attitude, your effort and your actions.
I’ve heard it said that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Although I am not certain where those percentages come from, the premise of the statement resonates with me. It is your choice how you respond to the noise, the negativity, the criticism. Those things only have power over you if you let them.
It is also about perception. How do you respond to the events in your life? Do you see the opportunity in the challenge and provide effort to define your circumstances? Is there truth and wisdom to be found in the struggle? Is your glass half full? And how are you growing that practice every day?
Practice gratitude and believe in yourself.
2) Be Solution Oriented – Not Complaint Driven
When things are not going well, and you are being bombarded with negativity it's easy to complain. I’ve done it – and I am certain most of you have done so as well. It is much easier to build a consensus of complaint when circumstances are grim. To grow discontent rather than discovery. But what benefit is negative comradery?
Great leaders don't complain. They focus on solutions. If you are complaining, you are not leading. If you are leading, you aren't complaining. Simple statements – powerful impact.
“The problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude about the problem” – CPT Jack Sparrow
Instead of focusing on the negativity or the disruption, focus on the direction you want to go, what you want to create, and why that is so important. Instead of complaining about what’s holding you back, think about solutions that will propel you forward. If you can clearly articulate that, others will be more than just curious. They will follow. Complain or lead… you choose?
3) Create Change
Despite the common myth that most people don’t like change, we actually like what positive change creates. What we don’t like is the chaos often surrounding the process of change. History is clear – change is inevitable. Positive change, however, is a choice. Whether you are one that is fine with watching order move toward disorder (remember those laws of thermodynamics?) – or jumps at the opportunity to transform a process that leads to improvement and growth, change happens.
Create Change.
Throughout history (and the history of our own lives) we find examples of individuals and organizations that created a wave of change – some riding it to a brighter future. Waves are powerful. Have you ever stood on the shore during a storm surge or a period of peak waves? The thundering sounds of the crashing waves are deafening and the power is like an earthquake underfoot. Waves carry tremendous amounts of energy, develop momentum, and ultimately crash along the shore. Like those that ride the waves, harnessing its power is a learned skill that creates tremendous opportunity. It is a skill that is developed over time, where your ability improves with each attempt, and requires perseverance to succeed.
Leading through change is very similar. Leadership is a transfer of belief so it's essential that a leader cultivate a change mindset for themselves and their team. It is in the positive belief about change where momentum is created.
4) Cultivate Grit
As a child, the only thing that grit meant to me was the description of the type of sandpaper. The grit of the sandpaper defined the impact. I spent some time reflecting on the writing of Angela Duckworth and others regarding grit and its application in leadership. And I find that it is in that interchange of hard work, efficiency, and dogged determination, that we become positively influenced toward achieving our goals.
Despite challenges, adversity, and negativity you must remain positive and continue to do the work. You control you. You can choose to tune out the noise. Focus on solutions. Work hard every day. Embrace change, work together as a team, and cultivate positivity from the inside out. Over time performance improves, the numbers rise, confidence grows, people feel and see the change and then everyone starts talking about why you are succeeding instead of failing.
Cultivating that insatiable desire inside yourself is powerful.
Instilling it into those around you, paramount.