If you want your business to not just survive tough times but actually thrive, you need to adopt a positive leadership style. This approach, rooted in positive psychology, focuses on intentional behaviours that break away from the norm in a good way. It’s like flipping negativity on its head and finding chances to grow even during challenges.

Most research looks at negative stuff in organisations—like fraud, bullying, and bad supervision. But, if we shift our focus to positive deviance, we can see how positive actions lead to excellence. It’s about viewing obstacles as opportunities to grow, build good processes, and create strong experiences.

The Centre for Positive Organisations at the University of Michigan defines thriving in two key ways. First, it’s about unlocking human potential within an organisation. This means creating a space where people are purposeful, energised, engaged, resilient and using their strengths. Second, it’s about designing organisational structures that foster positive connections, emotions, and meanings aimed at purpose-driven excellence.

So, what does this look like in real life? According to Professor Kim Cameron, positive leadership includes developing and using four socio-psychological resources: a positive climate, positive relationships, positive communication, and positive meaning. With these resources, your organisation won’t just “bounce back” from tough times but will truly thrive. The magic lies in combining resources and capabilities.

Learning to Assess, Accept, and Adapt is key. Assess the situation to understand the full scope of the adversity. Acceptance means acknowledging the current reality without sugarcoating it. Adaptation involves finding creative ways to navigate through and beyond the difficulties.

To see this in action, look at companies like Educational Data Systems, Inc. (EDSI), InterMune, and Reuters. These companies have shown exceptional resilience by embracing positive leadership principles. They didn’t just survive tough times; they innovated and came out stronger.

In short, thriving through adversity requires a mindset shift. By focusing on positive leadership resources and developing the skills to Assess, Accept, and Adapt, you’ll build a resilient organisation ready to flourish no matter what life throws your way. This approach not only creates a positive work environment but also sets your business on a path to lasting success.

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This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

Positive leadership isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a whole new way of leading. A positive leader is someone who not only focuses on achieving results, but also prioritises the well-being and growth of their team. But how do you become that leader? It involves way more than just smiling and giving compliments. In fact, it takes effort to be a positive leader. It means thinking in new ways that, research is showing, can really make a difference.

Let’s break it down. Imagine your team is a ship and you’re the captain. The ways you navigate set the course for that ship. When you lead with positivity, you’re not only steering the ship in a positive direction, but also keeping it working in peak performance state.

Here’s the cool part – becoming a positive leader will make you happier and more fulfilled. Plus, it turns out that positivity spreads. Teams with positive leaders are more likely to be interested, committed and willing to go the extra mile at work. Plus, they’re more resilient in tough times. Think about it. Would you rather be steered through a storm by a captain who’s calm and optimistic, or one who’s frazzled and panicking?

But hey, don’t just take it from me.  This isn’t just fluffy, feel-good stuff. It’s backed by hard science. Researchers from Michigan and the University of Western Australia, among others, have found solid evidence linking positive leadership to improved outcomes. For example, in Australia, researchers surveyed over 300 executives and found that those with higher levels of positivity achieved better business results than their less positive counterparts.

Kim Cameron is a key researcher in this area. He has shown that positive leadership creates an environment of trust, collaboration and innovation – all crucial elements for success in today’s complex world. So, what’s the bottom line? Positive leadership isn’t just a nicety. It’s a must-have. As a manager or business owner, you’ve got the power to set the tone in your team.  Make it a positive one? Not only will it make your team’s journey smoother, but it could also make your success that much sweeter.

More of the article here.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

Did you know building intellectual humility can make you smarter? Indeed, a recent research project showed that intellectual humility can enhance decision-making, foster teamwork and drive innovation.
These results aren’t just interesting – they can be used to improve your own leadership skills and to unlock the potential of your team.

So what exactly is intellectual humility? Simply put, it’s the degree to which you admit that your own perspective may be incomplete or even totally wrong. Intellectually humble people are open to learning. They’re willing to explore the limits of their own beliefs. And they listen to what others say.  So it’s not surprising that the researchers found that more humility makes you a better leader. Imagine how powerful intellectual humility could be in a team meeting or during crucial project planning sessions. Let alone during difficult conversations.

But how did researchers explore the significance of intellectual humility? They developed scenarios – which they applied in mock organisational settings –  to test how open participants were to considering evidence that challenged their beliefs. As these scenarios played out, participants’ intellectual humility levels were assessed using surveys, role-playing exercises and observational assessments. Consistently, it was found that the participants who scored higher on intellectual humility scales were better at recognising and rectifying their mistakes, more receptive to feedback and performed better in group tasks. Imagine being a leader who showed those qualities!So, it might be time to upgrade your intellectual humility.  Recognise that you don’t have all the answers yet.  And that changing your mind is NOT a sign of weakness, it is a form of flexibility. Encourage open-mindedness and curiosity among your team members and create a culture where it’s okay to admit to being wrong. By doing so, not only will you foster a more positive work environment, but you’ll also be able to make better decisions and achieve greater success as a team.

Read this intriguing article here

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference. 

It’s common wisdom that if you want to motivate yourself to achieve a goal, you should share it with other people. However, it turns out that this ‘truth’ is actually a myth. It turns out that sharing your ‘goal intentions’ can backfire. This is a because sharing your goal makes you feel take on the ‘identity’ of someone who has already achieved your desired result. I recently read a fascinating study on this.

In the study, second-year law students were asked to write about their three most important intentions in becoming a lawyer. Some students made their intentions known to others, whilst others kept them private. The results were eye-opening. The students who shared their intentions reported they felt a strong sense of completeness in relation to their goals. Just by articulating their intentions to behave like a successful lawyer – for example, by reading law periodicals routinely – they felt more like an actual lawyer. This inflated sense of identity-completeness gave them a premature sense of satisfaction, reducing their drive to actually work towards their goals.

Wow. This study suggests sometimes it is best to keep your goals to yourself. So how can you avoid falling into this trap? One straightforward solution is to keep your intentions to yourself and focus on getting things done. This is the fastest way to move towards your goal. In other words, by quietly progressing towards your goals, you can prevent yourself becoming someone who is ‘all talk and no action’.

On the other hand, if you really do need to share your intentions, there’s another strategy to consider. Describe the inherent worth of your goal, rather than talking about how successful you will be when you achieve it. This prevents your mind from taking shortcuts and fooling you into feeling like you’ve already accomplished your goal. For example, instead of saying “I will be a successful lawyer”, try saying “My goal is to contribute to the justice system and make a positive impact in people’s lives”. By focusing on the intrinsic value of your goal, you can stay motivated without falling into the trap of premature satisfaction.

If you are a manager or leader, it’s also worth considering how you can support your team in achieving their goals. Encourage them to focus on the process and progress, rather than just the end result. This will help prevent a false sense of accomplishment setting in, thus keeping everyone motivated to continue working more steadily towards team goals. Also think about how goal-setting processes are implemented in your organisation. Are there opportunities for open and honest communication about goals, without creating a sense of identity-completeness? By promoting a healthy balance between sharing intentions and focusing on action, you can help your people achieve their goals effectively.

For a more in-depth exploration of this captivating subject, you’re encouraged to read the full article here. Remember, aim to be someone who not only talks the talk but can also walk the walk.

This article summary was created by Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a leadership trainer, success coach and people skills expert. She helps managers and business owners build thriving teams and organisations, using tools from Positive Psychology. She's trained more than 60,000 people during her career as a corporate trainer and professional development consultant. Her mission is inspiring talented people to become leaders who make a difference.