I coach and train people who always want to increase their positive impact on their team. Not that they are not good leaders, they simply want to improve, more and more, and be even more positive leaders for themselves and others.
They recognize that being a positive leader also has significant impacts on engagement, motivation, and goal delivery.
Here are 5 tips to be a positive leader.
1- Don’t underestimate transitions
You know that moment when you leave work and walk/drive/take transportation/etc.? That moment when you’re in your bubble, listening to your music or just doing nothing?
These moments of transition allow you to change spheres of life in a more zen way (from work to family for example).
The connection to being a more positive leader? If you learn to make transitions, between your encounters, between your spheres of life, you will have more energy and reduce your stress. Which, depending on your personality, could even avoid negative surpluses of emotions poured out on you or others.
Are you working from home? Let’s face it, moving from the basement to the kitchen is NOT a regenerative transition. For me, my favourite transition is walking to pick up my son from the school bus. Otherwise, I get to the kitchen with music.
To have more energy and be a more positive leader, put transitions back into your daily life!
2- Listen
Under stress, the brain tends to jump to conclusions.
For example: when someone is talking to you, your brain may want to solve or finish the sentences. Concretely, let’s face it, you listen more or less, because you already have your idea 😉 Then you throw out a tip or a solution and move on to the next task.
Maybe I’m caricaturing a little…?
Listening means not speaking (either out loud or in your head).
When someone shares something with you, let them finish! In my work, I know the value of listening, many people find their own solutions simply by having a space where they feel listened to.
Imagine all the energy you would save and the quality of relationships that would increase if you listened more!
When in doubt, remember that you have 2 ears and 1 mouth, this should be the ratio used between your listening and your speech.
3- Ask more questions
In the same vein: try to understand before solving and you will save time and energy.
Asking questions shows curiosity and openness on your part and creates accountability and motivation in the other person.
There’s an error in a file and you think you know exactly what happened? You go to the person and you say: why did xyz happen?
Change that to: what happened? Simply. Don’t put your opinion in your question, even if you’re right. It’s not about being right, it’s about being positive, about mobilizing, about creating autonomy.
Demonstrating openness without wanting to be right will create a very positive impact on your teams.
4- Stop being afraid of losing (enjoy the moment)
Are you afraid of losing members of your team?
So, you may be more careful: you don’t dare to adjust the performance, you don’t dare to give extra tasks, you take more on yourself, etc.
And then, the more afraid you are, the less you rub shoulders with people, because you have more work and stress.
You are thinking of recruiting. It’s better to have a plan B, right? Putting your energy on recruitment rather than on the person present?
How about doing otherwise? To take advantage of the moment, to supervise rather than recruit again. To dare to learn how to give positive feedback (I have an article on this) and to learn to delegate in order to create autonomy.
It will be much more positive for you, and for others, right?
5- Be kind to yourself, and others
For me, benevolence in a leader is taking care of each person in their uniqueness: recognizing them for who they are, taking an interest in them, and considering them for who they are.
What can you do to be a more caring leader?
Say hello every day
If you don’t have the time to do this, an alternative is to have one casual conversation a week with each person. Two questions to ask: How are you? What’s up? You will then be able to connect on a human level.
Never wait
If you notice that someone doesn’t seem to be doing well, that there is a conflict, or that there is a situation to deal with, never wait. People leave because of bad relationships at work and because they no longer feel “important”. If you care about these people, take care of them.
Always thank
Yes, even if it is “normal” for work to be done, thank you all the same. When I go shopping, I thank the cashier, I thank the clerk for the answer to my question. Recognition is what my clients have the most difficulty offering because they are more focused on the task or on what it needs to accomplish. This simple feedback of recognition that is “thank you” has a lot of value. Do this several times a week.
Conclusion on the 5 Tips to Be a More Positive Leader
If you read between the lines, among these 5 tips there are a lot of things about YOU. Yes, because if you want to be a more positive leader, you need more positive habits and thoughts about yourself and for you. For example, taking care of your energy is essential. This will allow you to better manage your emotions, stress and have a more positive impact on others. And for that, I often hear that you have to have time.
If you want to evaluate your leadership, use Unique coaching’s leadership wheel.
For training for managers on time and energy management, visit Unique coaching’s training platform