‘The Joy of Leadership’ (2017) uses the principles of Positive Psychology to enhance leadership skills. The authors Tal Ben-Shahar Harvard lecturer and Angus Ridgway McKinsey management consultant, are co-founders of Potentialife a Positive Leadership program with a global reach. To both maximize your effectiveness as a leader as well as be happy in a challenging environment is an art that can be learned and nurtured. It is also clearly indispensable.
Two people in leadership positions may have similar backgrounds (middle class upbringing), education (same graduate school), and talents (organizational skills, public speaking, IQ). Even their situations (managing mid-sized IT firms) may be parallel, yet there could be a vast gap between the two individuals in their job performance and their level of happiness. Why is that?
Ben-Shahar and Ridgway say the difference between the leader who is flourishing and the leader who is floundering can be as high as to the power of 10. Recall when you were at your best (receiving manager of the year award) and how that experience comes alive for you. Then visualize when you were just getting by (struggling to get your team’s attention, let alone approval for your proposal) and how deflated you felt then. The difference is stark.
“Personal flourishing and leadership are synonymous.” What appear to be unrelated and separate alternatives can be cultivated together at the same time and are essential to groom effective leaders. The authors use evidence based theories to apply to individuals and organizations. They declare, “The core of effective leadership is personal flourishing.” The emphasis is loud and clear.
In today’s postindustrial, digital age of fluidity of movement of people, work roles, and information, it is necessary for leaders to adapt quickly to changing times. The leader who uses obsolete methods of control and compliance will lose his employees to disinterest and attrition. If the latter feel oppressed and suffocated, it breeds a faltering organization. The leader who is able to engage his employees in a positive environment, allowing room for oxygen, making space for growth and creativity fosters a robust, thriving organization.
Ben-Shahar and Ridgway look for a solution that is both specific individually, locally and applicable globally. After studying effective leaders from diverse fields the authors identified a set of qualities that all of them shared. They call the five areas of focus ‘performance multipliers’ that are common to flourishing leaders they call ‘10X leaders’!
The 5 areas of focus called SHARP are briefly outlined here.
STRENGTHS: 10X leaders draw upon personal character strengths more than spend time and energy working on their weaknesses.
HEALTH: They sustain health habits that prevent burnout and boost recharge.
ABSORPTION: They fully engage in the work in front of them instead of waiting to be inspired.
RELATIONSHIPS: They grow healthy relationships by creating room for self-expression and encouraging everyone to work towards shared goals.
PURPOSE: They find meaning in daily activities instead of approaching them as ‘must do’ meaningless chores to be checked off on a task list.
These SHARP qualities keep 10x leaders sharp! How you can shape and maintain these behaviors will be the focus of upcoming bulletins.