Why Positive Leadership is So Important

Why Positive Leadership is More Important Than Ever

Most would agree that a positive school culture is more desirable and productive than a negative or apathetic one. Establishing and maintaining a positive culture that promotes trust, respect, collaboration, sense of community and job satisfaction may be the most challenging role of a school leader.

Research, and more importantly, real life experiences show that people perform at higher levels in a positive environment. Team goals are more likely to be met and exceeded with individuals experiencing greater job satisfaction and professional fulfillment. Attrition of valuable personnel is reduced allowing an organization’s return on its personnel investment to be productively compounded in the form of their workplace longevity and elevated performance.

Kim Cameron is one of the most prominent people in the positive leadership category. His work has proven to be a significant source of knowledge on the topic. Cameron's description of positive leadership is captured in the three following connotations:

• It facilitates positively deviant (extraordinarily positive) performance.
• It features an affirmative bias, by emphasizing the positive (strengths) vs. the negative (weaknesses).
• It fosters the good in people (work ethic, integrity, consideration, empathy). This simple but comprehensive description of positive leadership perfectly captures what sets it apart from all other leadership types.

Learn more about Cameron’s work: Kim S. Cameron - Center for Positive Organizations Center for Positive Organizations (umich.edu)

What it Takes to be an Effective Positive Leader

As a school leader, you are the most critical component in creating a positive, welcoming culture and experience in your school community. The culture you create and live as a leader is a product of everything you do, say, intend and support.

An authentic positive leadership style is characterized by four key factors: self-awareness, relational transparency, virtuous moral perspective and balanced processing. 

A positive culture isn’t the result of just one person, it involves everyone in your organization. It starts with a leader whose positivity is genuine and consistent in the good days and the not so good ones. It is amazing how a leader’s positivity and authenticity can “go viral” in an organization; resulting in more successful outcomes and a happier workplace community.

Effective, positive leaders share an optimistic belief and vision that can be transformative to a struggling school community. They consistently build collaborative teams and trusted relationships while leading with clear purpose, honesty and humility.

They are inclusive by empowering their team members and by making sure everyone’s voice is heard.

The most effective leaders constantly remind everyone of the organization’s vision; on the days you are making progress and especially on the days you are not. They continue to remind them even after thresholds are met and exceeded; as the vision never changes.

A positive leader keeps organizational focus on both the near term and the horizon. Focusing only the horizon (your vision) can prevent you from doing the day to day things needed to realize your vision. Focusing too much on the near term, with its daily challenges, frustrations and set-backs causes you to lose sight of your long-term plan, goals and vision.

The Post-Pandemic Effect

The post-pandemic era has arrived with worsening of existing workplace issues and new ones arising.

School leaders today are faced with unprecedented challenges including:

• Declining faculty and staff morale
• Strained internal relationships with faculty, staff, board members
• Crippling employee attrition
• Declining enrollment
• Emotional issues of students, faculty and staff

Successfully addressing these issues requires a more positive, supportive leadership approach than ever.

Real Life Leaders in My Real Life

My career has provided me exposure to leaders with a wide range of management styles and abilities. I have found the traits that have inspired me to be:

• Leading by words and actions
• Integrity, trust and authenticity
• Demonstrating respect and empathy for colleagues
• Willingness to ask questions and listen before acting
• Empowering colleagues by inclusion in the decision-making and activation processes

Is your school a workplace of choice or a place to work?

Positive leadership is an essential ingredient in positioning your school as a workplace of choice.

Following are some important questions about the relationship you have with your faculty and staff. Your candid answers will help you determine if you are practicing the basic tenets of positive leadership needed to create an environment that attracts and retains talented, happy faculty and staff.

• Are your faculty and staff happy and fulfilled by working at your school?
• Do they feel supported and motivated by your leadership style?
• Are they included in important discussions and decisions affecting the school?
• Do they feel they are working in a collaborative workplace that welcomes diversity of opinions?
• Are they provided resources to prosper and grow in their jobs?
• Do you spend time with them outside of your official duties?
• Do you know them well enough to answer these questions honestly and accurately?

What Works Best for Me

My approach to leading others comes mostly from an intrinsic source. In simplest terms, I try to lead by treating others the way I wish to be treated. It’s essentially the “Golden Rule” of management and workplace relations. It is core to my philosophy and practice in managing, mentoring, disciplining and motivating others.

A colleague at a school at which I once served as president shared the following with me. “I want to perform well because I don’t want to disappoint you.” Those words continue to resonate with me today. They had an incredible, affirming impact by convincing me that my approach to leading people, rather than employees, was having a positive effect.

Obviously, not everyone is effectively motivated by the same approach or philosophy. Sometimes I may not reach someone the way they most need to be pushed, corrected or supported. It is a continuous learning curve in managing people with many personalities, dispositions and talents.

I have experienced time and again that being consistently honest, considerate and authentic with people results in the best possible effort, outcomes, workplace satisfaction and staff retention.

Positive leadership is one of the core values at Edify School Solutions. Practicing anything less deprives our team and clients of the most effective, gratifying experience possible.

Following are some links I’ve found and relied upon for direction and support as I continue my commitment to being the most positive leader possible.

The Impact of Positive Leadership (gallup.com)

Positive Leadership: 30 Must-Have Traits and Skills (positivepsychology.com)

New Research Shows The Benefits Of Positive Leadership (forbes.com)