Creating a Positive Environment
What is the toughest aspect of any leader's job? I would suggest that it is keeping faith and being positive when things get difficult...especially in a crisis. This is when we are tempted to ask ourselves 'Is it worth it'? or, 'Was the goal not too high to start with'? Leaders know that the higher their aspirations, the harder it gets...but easily forget that this is equally true but even more difficult for those they lead.
Examples abound in professional sport and in history, where tight situations have been turned around because a leader refused to give up. It is this very characteristic that separates one leader from another and that separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.
The hallmark of a good leader then, is the ability to consistently create a positive and uplifting work environment by demonstrating a positive attitude in all circumstances. This is critically important when your organisation is drawing on inspiration from you to live your strategic vision and deliver the competitive performance that will be decisive in achieving your results.
Value People
Value people above results. This sounds foolish with so much at stake...until we stop and ask ourselves who produces our results and what is the best way to motivate them to do more and produce more. People know when they are truly valued and when they are being used, so valuing people as a tactic in a crisis won't work, but heart-felt appreciation will.
See the Best in Others
See the best in your organisation. Most people want to show they can do more and will jump at the chance to prove it to a leader who expects the best, recognises the best and rewards the best.
Want your Organisation to Win
Want everyone to win with you. Whether you lead a small team or a large organisation, your success (or failure) is directly related to the level of on-going support you get from your people. Wanting them to win with you...genuinely, will keep them wanting you to win, and working hard to make it happen.
Respect Others
Say 'Please' and Thank You'. So basic, but so powerful a demonstration of respect come from those words that they alone can motivate the highest desire to please. Just the way those words are spoken can in themselves convey the point of this article.
Believe in Yourself
Demonstrate your belief in yourself. The people you lead need to 'see' the belief you have in yourself, because that is how you create an environment where your organisation can believe the best of themselves. It rubs off.
Constantly Positive
Demonstrate a consistently positive attitude...even in difficult circumstances...and even when having to give a hard message to people who have disappointed you.
