Positive Leadership: Scaling Up Excellence

Stanford Professor Bob Sutton shares principles and colorful examples from his most recent book, Scaling Up Excellence, co-authored by Huggy Rao. 

Touching on concepts around emotion, complexity, and connecting people, Sutton explains why scaling is about spreading and sustaining a mindset, not just a footprint.

Positive Leadership: Scaling Up Excellence

Positive Leadership: 3 Steps to Positive Leadership

Improving the positive ratio of your own team can be as simple as making some important changes to your own leadership approaches:

1. Listen and show empathy: Without trust that flows from these, your people cannot develop a stable base at work so they feel comfortable to explore and take risks with their thinking. Most of your people are paid to think, so get on and create conditions for that to happen.

2. What they learn over what they earn: Making your employees feel heard and understood can actually improve their physical health as well as their mental well-being. Giving people ownership is key. Simply listening to your employees helps them to offload their negative feelings and release tension. Carrying around anxiety or frustration can hinder an employee’s performance, so try to tap into how they are feeling on a regular basis. 

3. Work with the person, not the problem: Our sense of engagement and satisfaction at work results in a large part from the hundreds and hundreds of daily interactions we have while there, whether with a boss, colleagues or clients. Culture at work and how well people get along is a key point of talent attraction. Cultures flow down, not up and in big heavily matrixed firms, positive chemistry among team members could make a big difference to your overall company culture.

Positive Leadership: 3 Steps to Positive Leadership

Positive Leadership: Staying in Love

"When anyone asks me what I would recommend to anyone to whom they were writing to or speaking with on how to develop themselves as better leaders for the future question, I tell them I have the secret to success in life. 

The secret to success is to stay in love. 

Staying in love gives you the fire to really ignite other people, to see inside other people, to have a greater desire to get things done in other people. A person who is not in love doesn't really feel the kind of excitement that helps them to get ahead and to lead others and to achieve. I don't know any other fire, and other thing in life that is more exhilarating and is more positive a feeling than love is." 

- Major General John Stanford

Positive Leadership: Staying in Love

Positive Leadership: The Link Between Emotion and Sales

Robert Senior is CEO Europe, Middle East and Africa, Saatchi & Saatchi.

In this video he talks about how love, emotion, actions and sales are closely aligned.

Positive Leadership: The Link Between Emotion and Sales

Positive Leadership: Be Yourself, But Don’t Overshare

A rise in team-based workplaces has heightened the demand for managers who are “authentic” and “instantly intimate.” But sharing your thoughts, feelings, and experiences at work can sometimes backfire.

Here are a few pointers for effective—and authentic—self-disclosure:

Consider relevance. Before sharing personal information, ask yourself if it’s germane to the situation. Make sure it contributes to the overall goal of building trust and engendering better collaboration.

Understand the context. Some societies are more inclined than others to disclose personal information. Investigate regional and organisational norms about sharing so that you’ll know when it’s best to keep quiet.

Delay or avoid very personal disclosures. In some workplaces, you will eventually find it safe and helpful to share; in others you’ll realise it’s unwise to do so.

For more, see: http://hbr.org/2013/10/be-yourself-but-carefully/ar/

Positive Leadership: Be Yourself, But Don’t Overshare

Positive Leadership: Passion and Emotion

Passion and emotion are related but not the same.

Emotion alone can be detrimental to performance. Emotion that is the result of passion for a job well done is performance fuel. If you are playing with passion emotion will follow. Emotion without true passion is shallow.

Regardless of your specific form of performance (e.g., business, sport, art or life) do you have a team with the characteristics of an Olympic champion? If not, create one!

Positive Leadership: Passion and Emotion

Positive Leadership: Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up

The 1983 National Champions, the North Carolina State Wolfpack. were one of the great Cinderella stories in college basketball history. They were also coached by one of the greatest leaders of all time, Jim Valvano.

Jimmy V, as he was known, was a great basketball coach. He won a lot of games, including that 1983 championship. One of the greatest scenes from that title game was Jimmy running around after the game looking for people to hug. That 1983 team was led by Jimmy's "never give up" attitude. Without that attitude, NC State could never have slayed giants like Ralph Sampson, one of the best college players of all time and Virginia. They could not have beaten Phi Slamma Jamma and Houston, who were led by Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Akeem (later Hakeem) Olajuwon. Jimmy V really was an outstanding motivator and coach. But his success as a coach is not where his story ends.

Jimmy retired from coaching and went into broadcasting. He also did quite a bit of motivational speaking. His "never give up" attitude and stories from the 1983 run made from great speeches. In 1992, Jimmy V was diagnosed with bone cancer and that is where his story really begins. His "never give up" attitude was tested with cancer, but Jimmy refused to quit. But this was one opponent that Jimmy could not beat with his will. On April 28, 1993 Jimmy lost his battle.

During his battle with cancer, Jimmy became an inspiration to many. He fought through the pain, even though there were times he could not walk. Jimmy's most famous moment (even more famous than his 1983 championship) came just two months before he died at the 1993 ESPY Awards presented by ESPN. It was here that Jimmy was honoured with the Author Ashe Award for Courage for his courageous battle with cancer. It was a shock to many that Jimmy actually made it to the ceremony because he was so ill, but after being helped up on stage, his inspirational spirit, lovable personality and motivational words started something special. That night Jimmy announced that he was starting TheJimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research, which since its forming has raised more than $100 million for cancer research. The motto of the foundation is appropriately "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up." He said that this research may not save his life, but it may save his children s lives. As always, Jimmy was more concerned about others than himself.

Jimmy was a leader who made a tremendous difference in this world. He led with passion, charisma, and humour. He made everyone around him better. Jimmy said that every day you should laugh, cry and think. "If you laugh, you think and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

Jimmy's life and death continue to inspire others to this day. Even in a documentary about his 1983 championship team, his personal fight stole the show. If you have never seen Jimmy's ESPY speech, we encourage you to watch it today. Remember that no matter what happens in your life, "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up!"

Positive Leadership: Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up

Positive Leadership: The Role of Emotions in Decision Making

Do you know what drives your decisions or those of your organization?

Stanford Business School Professor Baba Shiv discusses emotions and decision-making in this hugely entertaining video.

Professor Shiv describes the neural underpinnings of the role emotion plays in the decision-making process and how ignoring emotion may lead to sub-optimal decisions.

Positive Leadership: The Role of Emotions in Decision Making

Positive Leadership: Inspired By Sport

David Beckham, Oscar Pistorius and sports stars from around the world tell us in this video how they've been inspired by sport.

This video celebrates the achievements of International Inspiration and marks the Inspired by Sport photography exhibition.

Positive Leadership: Inspired By Sport

Positive Leadership: Goosebumps thanks to Adele are Powerful

Music is a powerful mood setter, transcending time and place, and has the ability to evoke memories made yesterday or thirty years ago. We all know that music makes us feel, but what is it about music that gets us pensive, or full of life and on our feet and dancing?

British psychologist, John Sloboda, conducted a study where he asked participants to identify the parts of a song they thought were most powerful. The results showed that a significant number of the 'powerful song parts' were created by appoggiatura – a process which creates emotional tension in the listener.

If appoggiatura doesn't sound familiar, you'll be able to relate to it when we say it's the moment in a song when you feel shivers down your spine. If you've heard "Someone Like You" by Adele, you'll know what we mean. Appoggiatura creates an emotional connection with our brains which leads us to think that these are the most powerful parts of a piece of music.

What's really interesting is that listening to emotionally charged music, whether happy or sad, releases dopamine which makes us feel good. The more goosebumps you feel when listening to a song, the more your brain craves it.

Positive Leadership: Goosebumps thanks to Adele are Powerful

Positive Leadership: Combat Complacency

One of the things that we should constantly remind ourselves about is to be very aware of the good things in our life. It seems to be a part of human biological functioning to take good things for granted, especially those good things that are a part of our day-in, day-out lives.

You see, there is actually a part of our brain that is designed to screen out anything that isn't hurtful, fearful, or physically moving. A long time ago, it helped our ancestors stay alive and get ready to fight or run away.

Nowadays, this brain function may have something to do with our neglect of the good but very familiar things in our lives. So is there anything we can do about it? How can we combat this complacency?

Well, for one thing we can become conscious! We can stimulate our own awareness by making lists of the things we are grateful for, and by deliberately thinking about what we value and take pleasure from. In other words, we can take on the "Attitude of Gratitude."

We can express these feelings in words, or in other ways. We can express them openly, and in the process help others to remember their own reasons for gratitude. What are you grateful for in your life? How do you express your gratitude, and how often do you express it?

Are you taking your most important gifts for granted? If so, how could you change, and how soon?

Positive Leadership: Combat Complacency

Positive Leadership: Thinking Differently

Steve Jobs narrated the first Think different commercial "Here's to the Crazy Ones". It never aired. Richard Dreyfuss did the voiceover for the original spot that aired. This one is much better!

Positive Leadership: Thinking Differently

Positive Leadership: The Benefits of Being Positive

Over the years there has been much research on the positive effects of being positive and the negative effects of being negative. The research is clear. It really does pay to be positive and the benefits include enhanced health and longevity, happiness, career advancement, athletic performance, team building and financial success. Being positive is not just a nice way to live. It’s the way to live. In this spirit here are 11 benefits of being positive.

1. Positive People Live Longer - In a study of nuns, those that regularly expressed positive emotions lived on average 10 years longer. (The Nun Study)

2. Positive work environments outperform negative work environments. (Daniel Goleman)

3. Positive, optimistic sales people sell more than pessimistic sales people. (Martin Seligman)

4. Positive leaders are able to make better decisions under pressure. (Heartmath.org)

5. Marriages are much more likely to succeed when the couple experiences a 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions whereas when the ratio approaches 1 to 1, marriages are more likely to end in divorce. (John Gottman)

6. Positive people who regularly express positive emotions are more resilient when facing stress, challenges and adversity. (Several Studies)

7. Positive people are able to maintain a broader perspective and see the big picture which helps them identify solutions whereas negative people maintain a narrower perspective and tend to focus on problems. (Barbara Fredrickson)

8. Positive thoughts and emotions counter the negative effects of stress. For example, you can't be thankful and stressed at the same time. (Several Studies)

9. Positive emotions such as gratitude and appreciation help athletes perform at a higher level. (Heartmath.org)

10. Positive people have more friends which is a key factor of happiness and longevity. (Robert D. Putnam)

11. Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others and receive pay raises and promotions and achieve greater success in the workplace. (Several Studies)

Positive Leadership: The Benefits of Being Positive

Treating People Properly

Successful leaders know that if you treat your people right, great things happen. 

Treating people with care and ensuring that the work environment is enjoyable, that people feel good about themselves and what they do, and their position in the company is key not only to the adaptation of the culture but also productivity and performance.

Employees who are treated with care and concern treat their customers with the same care and concern. Balancing people with process not only ensures performance and results, it inspires the kind of loyalty that boosts retention, loyalty, and work passion. Profit should never be the focus but rather the result of a taking care of your people.

This type of servant leadership is what leaders must focus on when: everyone is clear about where they are going; when policies, procedures, systems and leader behaviours cascade from senior management to the front line, and when the operational components of leadership are aligned. Servant leadership is about loving your mission, your customers and your people so that your people can be magnificent.

Southwest Airlines has been doing this for 40 years.

Southwest Airlines LUV Stories - 40th Anniversary from The Butler Bros on Vimeo.

Treating People Properly

Control Over Your Emotions

When you hit your thumb with a hammer, you know what causes the pain. Do you know what causes the emotion?

All of us have nervous systems that cause us to feel pain. All of us have emotions, too. We feel happy, sad, angry, elated, hopeless, inspired. But where do the emotions come from? What causes them?

When you hit your thumb with a hammer, you feel pain. You may also feel some anger and maybe even some shame. We can safely say that the hammer caused the pain. But we can't say that the hammer caused the anger or the shame. If that were true, then it wouldn't matter who hit them on the thumb, every single one would feel exactly the same emotions.

So how come you get mad when the same situation doesn't bother someone else at all? They laugh it off without a hint of anger. You see, the truth is that you cause you own emotions, and you do it with your thoughts. Many centuries ago, Epictetus said, "We are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by our opinion of the things that happen." However, you don't have to let your inner feelings be dictated by the external environment.

You can, bit by bit, learn to handle any and every situation you want to. You can learn to change your opinion of the things that happen so that you control your emotions, rather than letting them control you. Can you see yourself taking charge like this?

Control Over Your Emotions

Appreciation Works!

Your organisation feels the economic difficulties. Your team knows that you have to make savings. You want to keep spirits up, but budgets are tight and getting even tighter. Everyone feels overworked, tired, and taken for granted. You are tense and irritable yourself.

Now is the time for a magnanimous but totally basic gesture. It is simple and free, and will lift your spirits too. It is so simple but it works.

The gesture: Send notes of appreciation to the people on your team telling them specifically what you value about each of them as colleagues. Surprise them with something they might not know that you notice. No form letters. Preferably handwritten notes, to stand out in the impersonal email clutter.

If you are not the big boss, you could also ask the next level above you to send a letter to your team acknowledging their contributions.

Some of the best CEOs are known for their handwritten notes. When Jeannette Wagner headed Estee Lauder, she always had stationery with her on trips to keep getting out those notes, sometimes sent in the next hour after a meeting. U.S. Presidents have built their goodwill banks of future supporters through handwritten notes (not the ones generated by machines).

In organisations and professions where a show of emotion is rare, recipients might secretly treasure the note because it is unexpected. Your own mood will improve as you think positive thoughts. This is scientifically proven. 

Appreciation Works!

Kindness

Kindness works simply and perseveringly; it produces no strained relations which prejudice its working; strained relations which already exist it relaxes. Mistrust and misunderstanding it puts to flight, and it strengthens itself by calling forth answering kindness. Hence it is the furthest reaching and the most effective of all forces.

Albert Schweitzer

Kindness

The Importance of Positive Emotions

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, discusses her new book, Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive in this video:

The Importance of Positive Emotions

Emotional Control Matters for Peak Performance

Controlling our emotions is important for peak performance because it maximises our brain resources. 

Our emotional experience is connected to a large brain network called the limbic system. When the limbic system gets overly aroused, it reduces the resources available for the prefrontal cortex functions we use in decision making and problem solving. But when we get emotional we don’t usually handle it in the best way.

We have three options: express them, suppress them, or change them. Expressing or suppressing them rarely help and often only makes things worse. Brain research has shown that changing how we think about our emotions is the best course. This strategy has two components: labelling for most situations and reappraisal for the most intense situations. 

Emotional Control Matters for Peak Performance

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership

If you've not studied Emotional Intelligence you should, especially if you want to be a top leader. Here are two powerful reasons back up that statement. First, research shows that the overwhelming difference between top performers and average performers is higher levels of Emotional Intelligence. The second reason? Emotional Intelligence is totally learnable.

Emotional Intelligence (what many call "EQ") is a type of skill or intelligence that enables you to perceive and assess the emotions, desires, and tendencies of yourself as well as of those around you, and make the best decision for all concerned that moves everyone in the direction of a common goal.

Four-fifths of the difference between top and average performers is higher EQ. Contrary to popular belief, it's a relatively simple undertaking. Also, since more than two thirds of the difference between top performers and average performers is EQ, it's practically a no-brainer to study it if you want to be a top performer.

By the way, if you're in a top leadership position, the reason to study is even stronger: in senior positions, four-fifths of the difference between top and average performers is higher EQ.

 What follows are ten essential understandings about relationship management that some say ought to be common sense. If your work involves dealing with people (most jobs do), and you want a foundation upon which you can build your emotional intelligence skills, here are a few things to know:

1. In the realm of personality styles, we should drop the ideas of "good" and "bad." People are just different.

2. People often equate "different" with "difficult." In reality, different is difficult only because people haven't learned to work effectively with the differences.

3. In the same way that a stick has two ends, people have strengths and weaknesses. All strengths have an associated weakness, and all weaknesses have an associated strength. You choose which end of the stick will receive your attention.

4. All personality styles add to team strength; it's just a matter of focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses. By focusing on strengths you'll get stronger. By focusing on weaknesses, you'll get weaker.

5. Seeking the strengths in differing styles does not come naturally — it takes constant effort.

6. We cannot be effective if we expect everyone else to meet us on "our turf."

7. We cannot assume we know another person's definition of "win." We may have a general idea, but to truly be effective we must ask.

8. If we place personal goals over those of others, the team, and/or the organisation's vision and mission, we create divisions. This severely weakens our ability to maximise results.

9. Effectiveness has to with doing the right thing, efficiency has to do with getting things done fast. When working with people, effectiveness is rarely efficient. The best results usually come when we take the necessary time in our relationships to do things right.

10. It's one thing to understand these things, it's another thing to do them. The longest road can be the 18 inches between your head and your heart.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Leadership