- The job of the nonprofit leader is to assure that the organization or program is equipped to demonstrate positive impact and effective management over time.
- This work can be especially challenging in a ‘VUCA‘ environment of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity.
- Positive leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that can be especially helpful for organizations facing uncertainty or significant change.
- Positive leadership, in essence, seeks to elevate performance by helping people fluorish and do their best.
- Positive leadership is not a superficial approach. It is supported by research evidence, and it does not shy away from addressing real challenges in the workplace.
These positive practices are supported by research on traits of effective leaders.
- 1. Think Strategically. Always be thinking about how to optimize your organizational strategy, especially as conditions change.
- 2. Learn Constantly. The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.
- 3. Build Relationships. Nobody goes it alone anymore. The leader’s job is to build internal and external relationships that can help the organization accomplish its mission and sustain its future.
- 4. Shape the Culture. Foster a positive work culture where people are encouraged to learn, grow, collaborate, and connect their work to the mission.
- 5. Equip People for Excellence. Equip people for excellence by providing learning supports, coaching, mentoring, system supports, and policy supports.
- Bridging Cultures
- Bridging Generations
- Business Writing
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Communicating & Listening
- Creating a Learning Culture
- Creative Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- Emotional Intelligence
- Employee Engagement
- Executing Strategy
- Job Crafting
- Managing Change
- Managing Conflict
- Managing Meetings
- Managing Projects
- Managing Stress
- Managing Time
- Public Speaking
- Strategic Thinking
- Strategic Planning
- Strategy Execution
- Systems Thinking
Quick Reads
- University of Michigan Center on Positive Organizations, webpage on Positive Organizational Scholarship
- The Positive Organization by Robert E. Quinn
- The Positive Organization Generator from Lift Exchange
- Practicing Positive Leadership by Kim Cameron
- How to Be a Positive Leader, edited by Jane E. Dutton and Gretchen M. Spreitzer
- Interview: Kim Cameron on Positive Leadership Research (Leadership & Change)
- Proof that Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive (Harvard Business Review)
- Positive Leadership: Blind Optimism or Serious Science? (Training Industry)
- Positive Leadership: Meaning and Application Across Cultures (University of Nebraska Management Department)
- Positive Teams Are More Productive (Harvard Business Review)
- Accentuating the Positive to Improve Productivity (American Management Association)
- 6 Essential Ways to Build a Positive Organization (Forbes)
- Be a Positive Leader: Effective Leadership for a Positive Organisation (Positive Psychology Program)
- The Five Most Important Questions You Can Ask About Your Organization (Peter Drucker)
- The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model (Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge)
- Level 5 Leadership and the Good to Great Concepts (jimcollins.com)
- Five Leadership Skills that Will Accelerate Performance (Center for Creative Leadership)
- How to Be A Successful Change Leader (Center for Creative Leadership)
- Change Capable Leadership (Based on Insight from 275 Change Leaders) (Center for Creative Leadership)
- Leadership, Disrupted: How to Prepare Yourself to Lead in a Disruptive World (Center for Creative Leadership)
Podcasts