Take the lead

Behind every success story is the influence of positive leadership. TIM SHARP

By Tim Sharp

If you’re reading this blog then you’re a leader. 

You might not have “leader” or “manager” or “executive” in your title, but I’m guessing that if you’re still with me then you are, in one way or other, the sort of person who has, or at least wants to have, a significant influence within your team and/or organisation.

And that’s great, because I don’t think we can ever have enough leaders… assuming, that is, we have positive leaders.

Positive leaders energise and motivate. Positive leaders inspire and innovate. Positive leaders encourage collaboration and foster morale and engagement. Positive leaders generate more productivity, better results, and outperform their peers on every imaginable measure. People want to work for positive leaders and organisations want to find and keep positive leaders.

The good news is that we can all learn to be positive leaders; and the even better news is that there’s not just one way to be a positive leader. We can all do it in our own way, using our own style and within our own personality.

Research from the exciting new science of positive psychology informs us that positive leaders tend to:

• Have a clear sense of their purpose and direction; they know who they are and what their role is; they find meaning in their work and help others find meaning and see the bigger picture also.
• Be more optimistic; they focus on positives but also face the cold, hard realities of the day; they recognise problems but quickly generate solutions.
• Support others; they care for themselves but they also care for their loved ones and colleagues; they’re generous; they recognise talents and abilities in others and bring out the best in their team.
• Be self aware and cognisant of their own inner strengths; they know exactly in what areas they excel and they utilise these characteristics as often as possible.
• Appreciate and be grateful for what’s good; they focus more on what they have and less on what they don’t have; they catch people when they’re doing things right, not just when they’re making mistakes, and they say thank you.

If you’re already doing all this, then hold on to your hat because you’re in for an exciting and fulfilling ride.

If you’re not, then start making whatever changes you need to make, because if you can become a positive leader (and you can because everything I’ve outlined above can be learned) you’ll achieve more happiness and success than you ever thought possible!

Dr. Sharp’s latest book (published August 2008) is “100 Ways to Happiness: a Guide for Busy People” (Penguin). You can find out more about corporate programs, presentations, and coaching services at www.drhappy.com.au and www.thehappinessinstitute.com. You can also ask him questions using the Comments panel below.

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