There were research studies done about appreciative leadership which is also called positive power. And so, I decided to talk about it on the podcast and blog this week because I found it fascinating. I decided to take the blog and podcast in a different direction. I wanted to share the research, and of course, give my opinion about it.
All the interviews I do on other podcasts and social media I get asked where I get my inspiration for my weekly podcast. Now, I am sharing the written content in blog format again too. I truly get the inspiration from my experience as a leader myself and being such a young female leader in corporate America. In addition, I was leading teams remotely over ten years ago, before the pandemic. That’s where inspiration comes from for me.
However, throughout the week, life happens, and I stay open for inspiration. One of my clients may inspire me with a “lightbulb” moment and I remember something I want to share about leadership. Or, I recall something about my past and realize how relatable it is for leaders today. Or, it could be like this research study and I read it and get excited because I agree with so many points made. In addition, it fits beautifully into the series of empathy.
Simply put, empathetic leaders most definitely have appreciation for their people because they understand them. They are grateful for them. But to be an appreciative leader is much more than being grateful, there is strategy and meeting the needs of your people. Within this study, they decided that there were five key strategies to appreciative leadership.
In a nutshell, they found that appreciative leadership works when these strategies were followed. As an appreciative leader, you must recognize that people will perform at a higher level when they feel they belong, feel valued for what they have to contribute, know where the company, organization or community is going (direction), know that excellence is expected but also can be depended on (leader also gives excellence) and know that they are contributing to the greater good (giving back to society in some way; this is especially important now more than ever).
Now, identify and recognizing all of this as a leader is fine but it means nothing if you cannot implement it. So, how can you actually be an appreciative leader? How can you take this knowledge and apply it? Within this study, they broke down this knowledge into five basic words: Inquiring, Illumination, Inclusion, Inspiration, and Integrity. These are the five I’s and five strategies to being an appreciative leader. Let’s examine it in my opinion.
Inquiring – As a leader, this means that you ask people to share their thoughts but also, reassure them that it is a safe place to do so. Encouraging them to speak and speak safely allows your team to know and feel that they are valued and heard.
Illumination – I am a huge fan of this strategy. The leader focuses on how each individual can best contribute and shines on each team members strengths. You push your team to take risks, make mistakes, and you do this through pulling out their strengths (not highlighting their weaknesses). It’s about shining on strength.
Inclusion – As humans, we all want to feel like we belong and we all want to feel like we are apart of something much bigger. I understand that there are more introverted team members and loners but trust me, even they want to feel like they are apart of something. It’s human nature. As an appreciative leader, it’s your goal to create an environment that lets them know that they are apart of something. You set that standard. Everyone needs to feel included and accepted. This is your culture. And culture cannot be preached; it must be lived and lived by example through you as the leader.
Inspiration – The leader gives the team a sense of direction. We create this sense of direction as leaders through sharing our vision and bringing them on the journey. It’s imperative that you are communicating clearly with your team what the direction is through sharing your vision. Your vision will inspire innovation within them and build trust between them and you.
Integrity – In my opinion, this is the only one I slightly disagree with because it should be first. If you don’t have integrity, the four other I’s are a wash. This is simple. Be honest even when it’s difficult. You set the standard. Once you lose this, it’s impossible to regain it.
These five strategies are so solid and important in leadership and empathy and show us that being an appreciative leader is far more than being grateful for your team. In my opinion, it’s creating a culture.
Check out the article here and let me know your opinion:
