There are things in life that are outside of our control. However, there are also things in life that we can control. This includes our actions, beliefs and behaviors towards others and situations. How leaders act in our interactions with others is important. It is a strong indicator about our leadership. In this blog post, we look at how the “Importance of Positivity” is an essential component of great leaders.
There are many ways positivity helps leaders find success within a school. One of the goals of a leader is to develop others and that means doing what is best for the school. This can be achieved through how we treat others in our words and actions. Listed below are 3 main ways that positivity will help influence and impact others.
- Find inspiration in our work and places greater value on the process
- This focuses your efforts on people – that is how we improve schools.
- This allows you to make a difference in someone else; they will then do the same for others.
- Positive energy is contagious – influence today then others will do it tomorrow
- If you love the people you lead, then that will create trusting relationships. Over time that will allow you to change people’s behaviors. This is developed from authentic actions that are meant through sincere and real comments or behaviors.
- The following quote resonated with me.; it read “Great schools are divided by the inability of the adults to recognize, accept and celebrate differences. Leaders must create the conditions where staff are valued and support each other.” This is something I remind myself of as far as what am I doing to value each staff member and create the conditions where they are the difference (teacher efficacy). Leaders can help students by working and supporting the staff.
- The more we can help affirm others then the Positivity values their potential and makes the person productive.
- The secret of a leader’s success is found in their daily routine. Make positivity a key part of that routine
- What you do as a leader has far greater impact than what you say. We must help others feel like a somebody. Your character is more important than strategy when leading people. If we model positivity in our interactions with others, then it will cause a ripple effect within our school and others will also lead with positive intent.
- Being positive doesn’t mean ignoring negative behavior; being positive means overcoming the negative. So much in our society is negative, so we must find ways to share the success stories of our students-staff-school. It is up to the leaders to decide what to focus on. If you choose the positive then that will be what is resonating with the school community. It is all about the mindset of the leader.
Organizations are not limited by their opportunities; they are limited by their leaders. We cannot allow the daily grind impact us to the point where we are not encouraging others and supporting their work. Most importantly, by spreading positivity to help others – it also makes you feel good. At the end of the day, someone’s happiness is one of the most important traits with any job. Leaders can find fulfillment in their role by how they support others and lead with positivity.
As you strive to learn and stretch yourself as a leader, I would be curious on how you view the importance of positivity within a leader’s role. Reach out to me with comments at leadlearnerperspectives@gmail.com
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