{"id":3530,"date":"2021-05-28T12:42:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T12:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iese.edu\/standout\/?p=3530"},"modified":"2024-03-04T09:43:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T09:43:41","slug":"positive-leadership-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iese.edu\/standout\/positive-leadership-power\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of positive leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=”bottom-to-top”]An<\/span>\u00a0engaged\u00a0<\/span>employee base<\/span>\u00a0represent<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0a\u00a0<\/span>key organizational asset and\u00a0<\/span>source of competitive advantage<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>in today\u2019s hypercompetitive market<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>As numerous studies attest<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>companies<\/span><\/b>\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span><\/b>satisfied<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>team members<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>achieve better business outcomes<\/span><\/b>\u00a0in terms of revenues, customer loyalty<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0stock market returns and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>corporate reputation<\/span>. At the same time, they also record\u00a0<\/span>lower absenteeism<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0fewer safety<\/span>\u00a0incidents<\/span>\u00a0and quality\u00a0<\/span>defects.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The importance of<\/span>\u00a0employee engagement<\/span>\u00a0is beyond question yet\u00a0<\/span>most firms\u00a0<\/span><\/b>still\u00a0<\/span><\/b>fall short of the mark<\/span><\/b>\u00a0when it comes to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>inspi<\/span>ring<\/span>\u00a0and unit<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0their\u00a0<\/span>teams<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Globally, only 15% of workers fall into the \u201cengaged\u201d category based on<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Gallup’s most recent survey<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>shining a light on the remaining 85% of employees whose attitudes and performance qualify them as\u00a0<\/span>disengaged<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Of these, roughly\u00a0<\/span>25% could be described as \u201cactively disengaged\u201d employees<\/span><\/b>,<\/span>\u00a0who undercut corporate performance by spreading their negativity and dissatisfaction to colleagues.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Discover the Guide to the main types of leaders, which one are you?<\/a><\/p>\n

The benefits of positive leadership<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Pos<\/span><\/b>i<\/span><\/b>tive<\/span><\/b>\u00a0leadership can help\u00a0<\/span><\/b>organizations\u00a0<\/span><\/b>boost<\/span><\/b>\u00a0employee morale<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

While there are variations across regions<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>l<\/span><\/b>ow employee morale\u00a0<\/span><\/b>is a\u00a0<\/span><\/b>worldwide<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>problem<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>with a direct impact on\u00a0<\/span>the bottom line<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>In\u00a0<\/span>Gallup\u2019s 2020 survey<\/span>, t<\/span>he United States and Canada<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>top<\/span>\u00a0the list\u00a0<\/span>with\u00a0<\/span>35<\/span>%<\/span>, while\u00a0<\/span>China and Hong Kong<\/span>\u00a0rank last with a\u00a0<\/span>dismal<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>2<\/span>%<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In\u00a0<\/span>this conte<\/span>x<\/span>t of\u00a0<\/span>widespread employee malaise, what can companies do to motivate the teams<\/span>?\u00a0<\/span>For<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Prof. Kim Cameron<\/span>, William Russell Kelly Professor of Management and Organizations at Michigan Ross,\u00a0<\/span>the key lies in positive leadership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>In our research on the effects of<\/span>\u00a0corporate downsizing<\/span>\u00a0on employee morale<\/span>, we\u00a0<\/span>identified\u00a0<\/span>an important conclusion:\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>he companies\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>thrived all applied positive leadership<\/span>,<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u201d he explains. \u201cIn this regard<\/span>,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>the number one responsibility of a leader is to help\u00a0<\/span><\/b>cultivate\u00a0<\/span><\/b>an organization where it is easy to be supportive<\/span><\/b>. When firms<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>practice<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>virtuousness, compassion and kindness, the<\/span>\u00a0data is very clear: organizational performance goes up.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

P<\/span><\/b>ositive<\/span><\/b>\u00a0leaders<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>encourage<\/span><\/b> managers to leverage people\u2019s strengths<\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

Positive leadership is not about \u201cfake positivity\u201d or overlooking lackluster performance. Rather,<\/span>\u00a0it encourages managers to<\/span><\/b>\u00a0play on people\u2019s strengths<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>create<\/span>\u00a0an environment where\u00a0<\/span>team members<\/span><\/b>\u00a0find meaning in their work<\/span><\/b>. This is the opposite of the conventional approach of\u00a0<\/span>homing in on<\/span>\u00a0employees\u2019<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>weaknesses<\/span>\u00a0or areas for growth.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Positive leadership starts with nurturing a culture of trust<\/a>, transparency and appreciation for employees<\/strong>. \u201c<\/span>It\u2019s critical for c<\/span>ompanies to\u00a0<\/span>create a\u00a0<\/span>sense<\/span>\u00a0of<\/span>\u00a0psychological safety where\u00a0<\/span>team\u00a0<\/span><\/b>members feel free to voice their opinions<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and make mistakes\u00a0<\/span>without fear of reprisal<\/span><\/b>. Firms\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span> this approach will be much better positioned to prosper and sustain performance over time\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discover the 13 questions to find out if you are a good leader<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If\u00a0<\/span>you would like to\u00a0<\/span>gain new strategies to enhance organizational performance<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0learn more about<\/span>\u00a0the program<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Become a Positive Leader to Accelerate Positive Change<\/span><\/a>. Delivered jointly by IESE and Michigan Ross, the<\/span>\u00a0program\u00a0<\/span>is designed for human resource<\/span>\u00a0professionals, executives in change or career transformation processes, and leaders who aspire to develop creative, committed and constructive teams.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text]

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