5 Tips for Being a Positive Leader

I give executive coaching services and train people who always want to increase their Positive Leader impact on their team. Not that they aren’t good leaders, they just want to get better and better 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 for being a positive leader.

1- Do not underestimate transitions

Do you know that time 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 your sphere 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 meetings, between your spheres of life, you will have more energy and reduce your stress. Which, depending on your personality, could even prevent excess negative emotions from being poured out on you or others. In this regard, you will need a brain coach to get the job done.

Are you telecommuting? Let’s face it, going from the basement to the kitchen is NOT a regenerative transition. For me, my favorite transition is walking to pick up my son from the school bus. Otherwise, I put myself in the kitchen with music.

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 complete the sentences. Concretely, let’s face it, you listen, because you already have your idea. Then you throw in a tip or a solution and move on to the next task.

I may be caricaturing a little…?

Listening means not talking (neither out loud nor 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 heard.

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 speaking.

3- Ask more questions

In the same vein: try to understand before solving and you will save time and energy.

Asking questions demonstrates curiosity and openness on your part and creates empowerment and motivation in the other.

There’s an error in a file and you think you know exactly what happened? You go to see the person and you say: why did it happen XYZ?

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.

4- Stop being afraid of losing (enjoy the moment)

Are you afraid of losing members of your team?

So, you may be more cautious: you dare not adjust performance, you dare not give extra tasks, you take on more, etc.

And then, the more you are afraid, the less you meet people because you have more work and stress.

You think about recruiting. Better to have a plan B, right? Put your energy on the recruitment rather than on the person present?

What would you say about act differently? To take advantage of the moment, to supervise rather than to recruit again. To dare to learn how to give positive feedback (I have an article on this) and to learn to delegate 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 means taking care of each person in their uniqueness: recognizing them for who they are, being interested in them, and considering them for what 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 new? You will then be able to connect on a human level.

Never wait

If you find that a person does not seem to be well, that there is a conflict, or that there is a situation to manage, 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 give thanks

Yes, even if it is “normal” for a job to be done, give thanks anyway. When I go shopping, I thank the cashier, I thank the clerk for answering my question. Acknowledgment is what my clients have the hardest time offering because they are more focused on the task or what they need to accomplish. This simple acknowledgment feedback that is “thank you” has a lot of value. Do it several times a week

Conclusion

If you read between the lines, among these 5 tips there is a lot about YOU. Yes, because if you want to be a more positive leader, you need more positive habits and thoughts about you and for you. For example, taking care of your energy is essential. This will allow you to better manage your emotions, your stress and have a more positive impact on others. And for that, very often I hear that it is worth having time.