If you read any article on how to be a great, successful, powerful or inspirational leader, one thing that you’ll always see, and that’s usually pretty high up on the list of attributes, is being positive.
You probably know a few people who seem genuinely happy almost all of the time and being around these people can’t help but make you feel a bit more positive. Do you find yourself avoiding grumpy negative people, who seem to carry their own cloud of gloom around with them? That’s probably because these people make you feel miserable. We can’t help being influenced by the emotions of those around us and this is why creating and maintaining positive energy in the workplace is so important.
Positive energy is powerful and can be an influencing factor in making or breaking your success as a leader. You want a positive, energised and productive workforce and this is only going to happen if you initiate a positive working environment. If you enter into a meeting with colleagues or clients with a feeling of negativity, then that meeting is unlikely to go well.
It may be difficult to keep that positive energy up if you’re having a bad day (we all have them) or things just aren’t quite running as smoothly as you’d like, but hopefully these tips will help you to be the best and most positive leader that you can be:
Positive Power Starts with You
As a leader, the positivity needs to come from you, as you can’t just rely on your team to create a motivating environment. Work out how to get your energy levels up and get into a good mood if you’re going to project positivity that will improve everyone’s day.
Bad Mood Busting Tip: It may sound overly simple or even a little bit stupid, but forcing yourself to smile will actually improve your mood. You might want to do this in private though.
Community = Positivity
People naturally like to feel connected to others and that they are part of something. Setting both individual and group goals for your team can help to create a good teamwork atmosphere. A bit of healthy competition is also good for motivation and focus.
Oust Negativity
You should be able to pick up on employee negativity and deal with it before it starts to impact upon the whole team. You can do this by identifying the source of negativity and making changes to dispel it. Things like giving employees more control over making decisions about their own roles and opportunities to express their opinions on procedures can help tackle negativity.
Praise and Rewards
You should always recognise your team members’ successes as opposed to just offering criticism. Give support to those that need an extra helping hand and reward and acknowledge when people do well, as this will build positive energy and get people working towards hitting targets.
While it’s probably impossible for you to be a contagious bubble of positivity 24/7, trying any of these simple tips will help to increase positive feeling in your team.
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