Diana Gabriel

Certified Professional Coach

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • COACHING
  • WORKSHOPS
  • BOOKS
  • TOOLS
  • BLOG
  • ARTICLES
  • FAQ
  • CONTACT

Activating Positive Leadership

February 4, 2014 by Diana Leave a Comment

In my practice as an executive coach and leadership consultant, I focus on engagement and positive thinking, often encountering skepticism from hard-driving executives with a close eye on the getting things done and the bottom line.

But positivity coaching today is different from when author Norman Vincent Peale preached his positive philosophy of faith and miracles. Today’s positive-psychology movement is founded on empirical evidence. Social scientists have documented the extraordinary benefits of optimism, emotional intelligence and happiness in multiple work settings, including the executive suite and diverse corporate departments.

Positive leadership is no longer seen as a feel-good ideal with little bearing on business results. Mounting evidence reveals that leaders who focus on their people’s positive contributions, while concomitantly achieving tough goals through measurable tasks, enjoy higher performance outcomes.

While positive leadership is gaining traction among CEOs and executive teams, it’s often poorly understood and implemented. University of Michigan management professor Kim S. Cameron, PhD, offers a cogent definition of the term in his new book, Practicing Positive Leadership: Tools and Techniques That Create Extraordinary Results (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2013):

“Positive leadership refers to the implementation of multiple positive practices that help individuals and organizations achieve their highest potential, flourish at work, experience elevating energy and achieve levels of effectiveness difficult to attain otherwise.”

As you’ll soon see, positive leadership is a bit more complex than expressing a positive attitude, celebrating progress, encouraging team spirit, fostering positive relationships and espousing inspirational values.

The key is honest communications that support people to bring out the best in people while not ignoring realities. Often there’s too much emphasis on what people do wrong, or need to improve and not enough recognition on progress.

I’m curious as to what you experience at work. Do your leaders and managers focus on positive progress or on negative gaps? Which is more prevalent in your workplace? I’d love to hear from you; just leave a comment.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Connect with Diana

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Testimonials

Working with Diana was great. She helped me identify my leadership strengths and find ways to use them to maximize my value to the organization as I transitioned into a new role with greater responsibility.
Executive of a NonprofitMissouri
The main benefit of coaching was simply the reworking of my priorities to bring some semblance of balance back into my life as it applied to my family relationships and personal well-being.
Stephen S. TalmageBishop, Grand Canyon Synod

Creating a Framework for Success as a Sustainable Leader in a Socially Connected Environment
Being a sustainable leader isn’t just a ‘touchy-feely’ term. It’s about creating innovation and collaboration within your environment. It’s about accomplishing goals that matter. And yes, it’s even about improving the bottom line of your business.

Because nothing is sustainable if it doesn’t “increase profitability and your competitive advantage.”

Download my Complimentary Workbook: “Creating a Framework for Success as a Sustainable Leader in a Socially Connected Environment.”

Recent Blog Posts

  • Authentic Leaders Make Passion Contagious
  • Authentic Leaders Put Values Into Practice
  • Direct Communication is Required for Authentic Leadership
  • Adaptability is Required for Authentic Leadership
  • The Need for Authentic Leadership

Blog Post Archives

Contact Information

DianaSmLogo Diana Gabriel, PPC
Professional Certified Coach

diana@dianagabriel.com
507.345.7090

Top Posts & Pages

  • The Ten Commandments to Human Relations
  • Three Sources of Conflict
  • Optimism: Are you Dynamic or Passive?

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets
  • Home
  • About
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Site Map

Copyright © 2021 — Diana Gabriel, PPC • All rights reserved. • Privacy Statement • Legal Notice

  • Home
  • About
  • Coaching
  • Workshops
  • Books
  • Tools
  • Blog
  • Articles
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Site Map