[Note from Mitch: This post is the third in a multi-part series about personal energy. It can be read alone, or consumed in order. If you'd like to start from the beginning, please read the first and second posts.]
It takes an exceptional kind of leader to work with underperforming organizations and to inject energy into a downtrodden workforce. Creating positive energy is not the same as driving ability or simply pushing an organization to achieve results. Generating positive energy is a subtle art that when done well, can lead to long-term success.
Successful Non-positive Leadership Styles
Before we discuss techniques for staying positive, I must say that positivity is not the only option. In fact, you don't need to be positive to lead a successful organization. There are two common examples of leadership styles with short term success, that don't use positive energy to create a sustainably performing organization.
Admiral Bligh (HMS Bounty)
Many leaders put on their general hats and direct their weary troops with an iron fist and successfully achieve challenging goals and deliverables. This leadership archetype is legendary and yes, it can work well, especially in a crisis where the entire organization has a singular focus.
This type of leader focuses on results at (nearly) any cost and does not mind losing a few troops in the process. Extreme versions of this style can look like heartless monsters such as Joseph Stalin, but the more common example is someone like Vice Admiral William Bligh whose confrontational administrative style and dogmatic judgment of his crew won him little support and triggered several rebellions against his authority.
If you adopt this style for too long, you may find that your employees no longer follow you as a leader.
"Sad Sam"
I once worked with a brilliant project manager who had successfully delivered several high profile projects. He was exceptional at risk management and predicting the future of various project activities. He had an uncanny intuition, borne of experience, about how projects would unfold and stakeholders would react.
The downside of Sad Sam was that he took in the world through a lens of negativity. Every blunt statement he made and every correct prediction he gave had an aura of superiority and negativity that created distrust amongst the organization. It was great to have his experience on a project team, but working with him day after day made people tired.
Do you know what eventually happened? After a project, people didn't want to work with him again because he sucked the energy out of the project group.
After a while, people like that have nowhere to go in an organization because they leave a trail of downtrodden colleagues behind them.
Be Positive, Be Sustainable
Neither the Admiral Bligh, nor the Sad Sam create sustainably performing organizations. Negative thinking, pressure tactics, adhering to dogma, and motivation by guilt may generate short-term performance improvements but they are not sustainable.
As leaders, our main job role is to get the very best out of our people and our organizations. In 2014, University of Warwick published a study that shows a 12% increase in productivity by happy people over their unhappy counterparts.[1]
If performance is a fire, negative tactics are like burning paper. It looks impressive while it burns fast and bright, but without a continuous source of paper, it will burn out. Generating positive energy and getting people to motivate themselves is like putting heavy, fat logs on the fire that will burn slow and hot for a long time.
If you want to be successful long-term, you need to generate positive energy. In my experience, given a choice, people would rather work with happy people. Therefore, treat positive energy like any other leadership strategy.
Techniques for Staying Positive
1. Positive phrasing
I am continuously amazed by the power of word choice. Saying the same thing two different ways can have such a profound impact on the way your audience hears your message.
Consider the following example:
- Version 1: Our group missed our $1 million sales target by half a million dollars
- Version 2: Our group contributed $500,000 to the bottom line of the company
If I am a member of the group receiving that message, I would feel much better about myself if I heard version 2, instead of version 1. I have worked with several leaders who naturally phrase things in the positive. In a sense, they are the opposite of the "Sad Sam" personality type.
Personally (and unfortunately for me) I am not one of those types of leaders. I am naturally attracted to problems and I tend to view organizations by their deficiencies. Subsequently, I tend to phrase things in a similarly "problem-oriented" way.
Luckily, positive phrasing is a habit that can be cultivated like any other. Set yourself a goal of using positive wording and find a trusted colleague to give you feedback when you use negative phrases.
2. It's not the point, it's the benefit
How many times have you sat in a meeting where two well intentioned coworkers fall into the Debate Trap. Instead of continuing to productively discuss an idea or proposal, they accidentally begin debating a side point that is not relevant to the core issue. I've done this before and likely you have too.
Remember, you aren't at your job to debate a point. You are not a politician in a live televised debate. It doesn't matter if you win an arbitrary argument in a meeting. You are there to create positive change in the organization. Focus on benefits and value, and be quick to give up your original point if you see an opportunity to change that will cause greater good.
There is an commonly used quote that is often attributed to Paul Saffo, "strong opinions, weakly held". Keep that quote in mind next time you find yourself in a meeting power struggle. The goal is not that you win. The goal is that everyone wins.
3. Stop the blame game
Searching for the guilty ones during a crises is a very common activity in troubled organizations. When under pressure, it is natural for people to look for a scapegoat to show that they are not at fault.
Unfortunately, looking for blame is guaranteed not to get you closer to a solution.
Your employees and colleagues watch you intently during crisis situations. They can tell if you instantly begin maneuvering to avoid blame or if you genuinely try to fix the problem.
Next time a large problem occurs in your organization and people beging to point fingers and blame others, try using this simple statement:
"It doesn't matter right now. Let's fix the situation and then learn from our mistakes."
The reason I love this statement so much is that it takes the power out of blaming others and reframes the conversation into positive solution finding.
4. Get more sleep
I don't want to get into the topic of sleep too deeply in this post. I believe that sleep is so important that it requires its own post! Sleep is a critical ingredient in leading a successful and productive life. If you don't believe me, try to go without it for a few days.
Sleeping well has (at least) two interesting impacts on staying positive: 1. Increased level of patience 2. Increased ability to receive bad news and work through it constructively
It is easier to stay positive when things are going well. However, much of what we do as leaders is to deal with problems. In my personal experience, it is extremely hard to remain positive and constructive if you are tired.
Google for "sleep better techniques" and you will find millions of links offering sleep tips. Try implementing one tip and see if you get a noticeable improvement in your sleep or your mood.
5. Find someone to vent to
Imagine for a moment that your ability to deal with problems is like a very large sack slung over your shoulder. As a leader, you start each day with an empty sack (or at least lightly filled). As you go through your day, your employees and colleagues will come to you with issues, concerns and disappointments. Each of those little problems is like a stone that you place into your sack. Depending on the number of problems (stones) and your personal tolerance (size of your sack), eventually you will run out of room to deal effectively with any additional problems.
Unfortunately, if your virtual sack is full, the next person to bring you a stone is likely to get an exasperated or angry response instead of a calm and constructive one. Therefore, it is important to find ways to keep room for handling more problems.
How do you remove stones from your virtual sack without actually fixing the problems?
The simplest technique I have found is to find a confidante to talk to. In the same way a therapist helps patients, it is extremely beneficial to voice your frustrations to someone in a controlled way. Think of it as venting off steam from a water boiler before the water boiler explodes. Or, simply call it complaining or getting things off your chest.
Please, choose your confidante well. It is important that this person is not in your work ecosystem. In other words, it should not be your boss, or someone that works for you. In the past, I have successfully vented to peers (people in the same position I am, but in a different organization), former colleagues, my spouse, and friends.
Just like therapy, once you voice your frustrations, you are more able to control them in a constructive way.
We can all be better
Leaders who take a tired, unmotivated workforce, achieve near impossible goals and leave their workforce in a better place then where they found them are a rare breed. There are many leaders who famously show short-term results, but those that remain positive and sustainably produce results for years and decades are extremely uncommon.
Winston Churchill was one of those rare leaders. His famous career is often used as a case study by researchers looking for insights on today's leadership challenges.
Interestingly, in 1954, Churchill confessed to maintaining a positive attitude: “For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else.”
Let's all start being a little more like Winston Churchill.
Are you generating positive energy in your organization? Would your employees describe you more like William Bligh or Winston Churchill? What techniques do you use to create positive momentum in your organization? Leave your answers in the comments.
Take care and I'll talk to you next time.
[1] Happiness and Productivity, 2014, Andrew J. Oswald, Eugenio Proto, and Daniel Sgroi: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/eproto/workingpapers/happinessproductivity.pdf
Image Credit: Lazare used under CC0 Public Domain
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