Positive Leadership: The Importance of Rest and Recovery

World-class competitors, from athletes to pianists, limit the arduous part of their practice routine to a maximum of about four hours each day. 

Rest is an equally important part of their training regimen, to restore their physical and mental energy. 

Without rest, our brains grow more depleted, often signified by distractedness, irritability, and fatigue. At work, all too often we try to “push through it,” even though there is no magical energy reserve waiting for us. 

To recharge, take a break; a short rest at midday reboots the brain for the rest of the day. If you can’t take a nap, try mindfulness meditation, which can serve as the mental equivalent of a weightlifting rep. 

Attention is a mental muscle—strengthen it with the right practice. 

For more, see: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/11/to-strengthen-your-attention-span-stop-overtaxing-it/

Positive Leadership: The Importance of Rest and Recovery

Positive Leadership: What is Your Purpose?

How is your energy level? Do you sometimes wish you had more get-up-and-go? Today let’s look at how high-energy people get that way.

Why is it that some people seem to have a never-ending supply of energy? They get up feeling eager to get started and they radiate good spirits and high energy all day long. Did you ever stop by the vitamin counter at the chemist, wondering what you could take to get that kind of energy?

This is what we think. Assuming you are in good health, your strength and energy will come from having meaningful and clear lifetime goals. In other words, a purpose in life. You see, high-energy people know what they want and have an unshakable belief that what they want is possible. They have a purpose that they have chosen freely, and they set goals and develop action plans to help them achieve it.

What is your purpose? When it comes to energy, it doesn’t matter so much what you want, as long as you want something. You’d be surprised how energised you can become once you know the answer to this question. When you have chosen your purpose, and you have a clear idea fixed firmly in your mind of what it is you want to be and do, you will be surprised at how your energy level will grow to help you find ways to get there.

You will become very resourceful and creative, and you will discover that having a purpose is the best vitamin in the world! Again we ask you, what is your purpose in life?

Positive Leadership: What is Your Purpose?

Involvement With Your Team

When it comes the people around you, how are they doing? Typically, outside of the workplace, there are influences that can positively and negatively impact their attitude and behaviour at work. Caring to know is important as a leader so you can help encourage them through the valley.

Maybe you are thinking, that’s not my job, but it is. Once someone steps through the door and inside your world, they become your responsibility. You don’t need to fix everything, but just making sure they know that you care will go a long way.

Then, you can help advance people along this progress of involvement. There are three levels. Are you interested, committed or passionate? Before you can effectively lead, you must know at which level you personally are engaged. How deep into the vision are you?

What pulls people along and out of their discouragement faster is your contagious passion and energy as a leader. Ask those on your team: are you interested, committed or passionate?

If you are merely interested, any inconvenience will distract you. If you are just committed, then another opportunity could pull you away. However, if you are passionate about the vision, you are unstoppable.

The bottom line: Check your level of involvement and correct it if necessary. Those around you will reflect which level you are living.

Involvement With Your Team

Determination and Energy

Determination and Energy are two values of Positive Leadership.

‘If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over.’ John Wooden

‘The energy of the mind is the essence of life.’ Aristotle

Here are some reference materials which speak to these values:

Determination and Energy

Leaders Have Energy

Some people become leaders no matter what their chosen path because their positive energy is so uplifting. Even in tough times, they always find a way. They seem to live life on their own terms even when having to comply with someone else's requirements. When they walk into a room, they make it come alive. When they send a message, it feels good to receive it. Their energy makes them magnets attracting other people.

Just plain energy is a neglected dimension of leadership. It is a form of power available to anyone in any circumstances. While inspiration is a long-term proposition, energy is necessary on a daily basis, just to keep going.

Three things characterize the people who are energisers.

1. A relentless focus on the bright side. Energisers find the positive and run with it.

2. Redefining negatives as positives. Energisers are can-do people. They do not like to stay in negative territory, even when there are things that are genuinely depressing. "Positive thinking" and "counting blessings" can sound like naïve cliches. But energisers are not fools. They can be shrewd analysts who know their flaws and listen carefully to critics so that they can keep improving. Studies show that optimists are more likely to listen to negative information than pessimists, because they think they can do something about it. To keep moving through storms, energisers cultivate thick skins that shed negativity like a waterproof raincoat sheds drops of water. They are sometimes discouraged, but never victims.

 3. Fast response time. Energisers don't dawdle. Energisers don't tell you all the reasons something can't be done. They just get to it. They might take time to deliberate, but they keep the action moving. They are very responsive to emails or phone calls, even if the fast response is that they can't respond yet. This helps them get more done. Because they are so responsive, others go to them for information or connections. In the process, energisers get more information and a bigger personal network, which are the assets necessary for success.

The nice thing about this form of energy is that it is potentially abundant, renewable, and free. The only requirements for energisers are that they stay active, positive, responsive, and on mission. Are you an energiser?

Leaders Have Energy

Leaders Need To Be Energisers

Harvard Professor, Rosabeth Moss Kanter tells us why 'energy' is such an important dimension of leadership:

'Some people become leaders no matter what their chosen path because their positive energy is so uplifting. Even in tough times, they always find a way. They seem to live life on their own terms even when having to comply with someone else's requirements. When they walk into a room, they make it come alive. When they send a message, it feels good to receive it. Their energy makes them magnets attracting other people.

Just plain energy is a neglected dimension of leadership. It is a form of power available to anyone in any circumstances. While inspiration is a long-term proposition, energy is necessary on a daily basis, just to keep going.

Three things characterise the people who are energisers.

1. A relentless focus on the bright side. Energisers find the positive and run with it. A state government official in a state that doesn't like government overcomes that handicap through her strong positive presence. She dispenses compliments along with support for the community served by her agency, making it seem that she works for them rather than for the government. She greets everyone with the joy generally reserved for a close relative returning from war. I can see sceptics’ eyebrows starting to rise, but judging from her success, people love meeting with her or getting her exclamation-filled emails. She is invited to everything.

The payoffs from stressing the bright side can be considerable. In my new book, SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good, I tell the story about how Maurice Levy, CEO of the global marketing company Publicis Groupe, tilted the balance in his company's favour when his firm was one of several suitors for Internet pioneer Digitas. At one point in a long courtship, Digitas hit problems, and the stock collapsed. One of Publicis's major competitors sent Digitas's head an email saying, "Now you are at a price which is affordable, so we should start speaking." Levy sent an email the same day saying, "It's so unfair that you are hurt this way because the parameters remain very good." Levy's positive energy won the prized acquisition.

2. Redefining negatives as positives. Energisers are can-do people. They do not like to stay in negative territory, even when there are things that are genuinely depressing. For example, it might seem a stretch for anyone to call unemployment as "a good time for reflection and redirection while between jobs," but some energisers genuinely stress the minor positive notes in a gloomy symphony. A marketing manager laid off by a company hit hard by the recession saw potential in people he met at a career counselling centre and convinced them that they could start a service business together. He became the energising force for shifting their definition of the situation from negative to an opportunity.

"Positive thinking" and "counting blessings" can sound like naïve clichés. But energisers are not fools. They can be shrewd analysts who know their flaws and listen carefully to critics so that they can keep improving. Studies show that optimists are more likely to listen to negative information than pessimists, because they think they can do something about it. To keep moving through storms, energisers cultivate thick skins that shed negativity like a waterproof raincoat sheds drops of water. They are sometimes discouraged, but never victims.

An entrepreneur who has built numerous businesses and incubated others had a strong personal mission to raise national standards in his industry. He began that quest by meeting individually with the heads of major industry organisations, all of whom told him that he would fail. He nodded politely, asked for a small commitment to one action anyway, just as a test, he said, and went on to the next meeting. Eight or nine meetings later, he was well along on a path everyone had tried to discourage him from taking.

3. Fast response time. Energisers don't dawdle. Energisers don't tell you all the reasons something can't be done. They just get to it. They might take time to deliberate, but they keep the action moving. They are very responsive to emails or phone calls, even if the fast response is that they can't respond yet. This helps them get more done. Because they are so responsive, others go to them for information or connections. In the process, energisers get more information and a bigger personal network, which are the assets necessary for success.

The nice thing about this form of energy is that it is potentially abundant, renewable, and free. The only requirements for energisers are that they stay active, positive, responsive, and on mission. Are you an energiser? '

Leaders Need To Be Energisers

Thanksgiving Thank You's

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we would like to share with you the benefits and power of two simple words. THANK YOU.

They are two words that have the power to transform our health, happiness, athletic performance and success. Research shows that grateful people are happier and more likely to maintain good friendships. A state of gratitude, according to research by the Institute of HeartMath, also improves the heart's rhythmic functioning, which helps us to reduce stress, think more clearly under pressure and heal physically. It's actually physiologically impossible to be stressed and thankful at the same time. When you are grateful you flood your body and brain with emotions and endorphins that uplift and energise you rather than the stress hormones that drain you.

Gratitude and appreciation are also essential for a healthy work environment. In fact, the number one reason why people leave their jobs is because they don't feel appreciated. A simple thank you and a show of appreciation can make all the difference.

Gratitude is like muscle. The more we do with it the stronger it gets.

In this spirit here are 4 ways to practice Thanksgiving every day of the year.

1. Take a Daily Thank You Walk - Take a simple 10-minute walk each day and say out loud what you are thankful for. This will set you up for a positive day.

2. Meal Time Thank You's - On Thanksgiving, or just at dinner with your friends and family, go around the table and have each person, including the children, say what they are thankful for.

3. Gratitude Visit - Martin Seligman, Ph.D., the father of positive psychology, suggests that we write a letter expressing our gratitude to someone. Then we visit this person and read them the letter. His research shows that people who do this are measurably happier and less depressed a month later.

4. Say Thank You at Work - Doug Conant, the CEO of Campbell Soup, has written over 16,000 thank you notes to his employees and energised the company in the process. Energise and engage your colleagues and team by letting them know you are grateful for them and their work. And don’t forget to say thank you to your clients and customers too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Thank You's

How to be a leader others want to follow

Examples abound of poor leadership. Who hasn’t had a teacher or boss who invoked feelings of disrespect?


A positive leader is someone who inspires, motivates, energises and unites, while generating loyalty and producing results.

Here are some ideas on how to be that kind of leader:

• Give more than you expect others to give.
• Combine optimism and perseverance.
• See everyone as a diamond in the rough.
• Express appreciation; accept responsibility.
• Keep your ego in check.
• Show respect for the people around you.
• Treat team members as family.
• Be a source of inspiration.
• Stress cooperation, not competition.
• Maintain a sense of humour.

How to be a leader others want to follow

How to Find Joy at Work

Here is some great perspective from Harvard Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter:

'Although some studies report growing employee cynicism, job satisfaction polls show high satisfaction rates for those still employed. Job security has been the most important factor in an 80% satisfied rate for the past two years, followed by compensation and benefits, in Society for Human Resource Management surveys.

Clearly, people report job satisfaction simply because they get a paycheck. But are they getting joy? OK, maybe work was never all that joyous, and that's why it's called "work." But the post-crash daily grind is grinding some people down to a pitiful pulp. People in secure jobs they once liked report working harder with fewer resources just to hold their own, like treading water in an endless swim machine. If current economic trends continue, we might face not just a job-less recovery but a joy-less recovery.

Here are some clues about joy. On a recent Gallup Healthways survey of 100,000 Americans, business owners outrank 10 other occupations in overall well-being, despite working longer hours and earning slightly less, on average, than professionals and managers/executives, who rank second and third. The surprising fourth is farming, fishing, and forestry, despite the lowest income of any group. (Maybe not surprising, given how many leaders unwind by fishing or brush-cutting.) More confined service, clerical, transportation, and manufacturing workers are at the bottom, in the low 40s on Gallup's 100-point well-being index compared to over 70 for business owners.

Autonomy, influence, and a sense of meaning are associated with lower stress and fewer work-related illnesses, regardless of hours worked. Supervisors are better-off than the supervised, and entrepreneurs are the best-off of all.

This suggests that exerting leadership is the surest route to joy (other than going fishing). The key is setting the agenda and starting the pieces moving towards a purpose-driven goal. If 90% of success in life is just showing up, Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor advises that when you show up, you might as well run the meeting.

So here is a list of top ways to find joy at work.

10. Identify long-term personal purpose. Write a personal mission statement, to review often.
9. Be an entrepreneur from anywhere. Even if you don't start a business (now), imagine starting a project that will improve your current job, workplace, or community.
8. Discuss the idea informally to find others feeling the same way. Enlist them in the quest. Now they're counting on you not to let them down. Describe it as an experiment that will benefit others. Incorporate feedback so that others hear their ideas in yours.
7. Get a Big Name to endorse giving it a try.
6. Negotiate out of demands that don't contribute to the goal. Keep doing what you must to keep your job, but simplify.
5. Find every supporter a task, however small. Show that you're working for their goals, too.
4. Widen the circle of the informed. Involve people not usually included.
3. Remain positive. Smiling takes fewer muscles than frowning and is contagious. Ignore skeptics unless easily converted.
2. As the bits of the cube start moving, keep communicating and coordinating.
1. Celebrate each breakthrough moment of accomplishment. Share the joy to multiply it.

More jobs with more joy - now that's an agenda the public should rally behind. Let's not wait for employers to make changes, necessary as those are. A few good breakthrough moments can keep us going - and influence employers to see why joy matters.'

For more, see - http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/kanter/2009/10/top-ten-ways-to-find-joy-at-wo.html

How to Find Joy at Work

The Power of Full Engagement

For 25 years, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz have conducted intensive training with professional athletes to help them perform at peak levels under intense competitive pressures.

Elite athletes who have worked with Loehr and Schwartz include: Mark O’Meara in golf, Jim Courier and Monica Seles in tennis, Jim Harbaugh in football, Mike Richter and Eric Lindros in hockey, Grant Hill in basketball, Eddie Cheever, Jr. in race car driving, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini in boxing, and Dan Jansen in speed skating.

Loehr and Schwartz are not involved in the physical training process, however. Their intervention focuses on effective management of our most precious resource, our energy. They have found to their surprise that the performance demands most people face in their everyday work environments are often tougher than those professional athletes face. Because athletes train constantly, they are more prepared, whereas most people are in the work game 8 to 12 hours a day with little or no training at all. Most of us are constantly trying to manage time.

In their book, The Power of Full Engagement, the authors have instead set out a prescription for managing energy on every level: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Complete this free profile to see how engaged you are with your work - http://lge.perfprog.com/

The Power of Full Engagement

Becoming an Energiser

Some people become leaders no matter what their chosen path because their positive energy is so uplifting. Even in tough times, they always find a way. They seem to live life on their own terms even when having to comply with someone else's requirements. When they walk into a room, they make it come alive. When they send a message, it feels good to receive it. Their energy makes them magnets attracting other people.

Just plain energy is a neglected dimension of leadership. It is a form of power available to anyone in any circumstances. While inspiration is a long-term proposition, energy is necessary on a daily basis, just to keep going.

Three things characterise the people who are energisers;


1. A relentless focus on the bright side.
2. Redefining negatives as positives.
3. Fast response time. Energisers don't dawdle.
 
For more on this fascinating theme of leadership see Harvard Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter's article in -  http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/sep2009/ca20090929_458961.htm

Becoming an Energiser

Reinventing the Managerial Mindset

Here is an interesting article by Professor Bill Fischer of IMD - http://www.imd.ch/research/challenges/TC039-09.cfm .

In it he argues that in today's extremely volatile world, business leaders need to think about re-engineering the mindset of their managerial team as well as re-engineering the DNA of the organisation. This means being willing to 'fail often in order to succeed sooner'. A key to competitive success will be the ability of the leader of the organisation to energise the people around them with inclusion, respect and empowerment.

Reinventing the Managerial Mindset