Are you a Positive Professional Role Model?

The fastest way to derail any collaborative efforts in an organization is an individual leader’s negative behaviour. Over time, negative experiences erode a leader’s influence. This is particularly true for leaders who give plenty of lip service to forging effective relationships but do nothing to advance that cause. These leaders ignore or do not seek feedback, do not listen to others or share information with them, micro manage their staff, allow their emotions to control them, take accomplishments for granted, and offer more criticism than aid and resources. None of these behaviours is conducive to making and sustaining connections. They breed cynicism, distrust, and resistance to change, even those behaviours that improve organizational functioning. Worse they can bring productivity to a screeching halt. In health care, these repercussions have devastating effects on patient quality and care.

One survey of employees who left their job indicated that 25 percent quit because of “ineffective leadership” and 22 percent resigned as a result of “poor relations” with a manager. While some percentage of turnover is healthy for the organization, to replace the inevitable bad hires, we cannot dismiss the relevance of the findings from attrition studies that claim that failed connections are the primary reason people leave their jobs.

To avoid fostering a toxic environment, leaders must become self-aware and serve as role models of responsible, positive, professional behaviour. Their employees, in turn, will become highly collaborative; they understand what the organization is trying to achieve and how their behaviour and performance contribute to that bigger picture. In this type of environment collaboration, trust, and accountability are not just expected, they become the norm, and they are key to establishing a high performance culture in your organization.

The shortage of leaders with a deep understanding of the link between collaborative behaviour and peak performance poses a huge opportunity for organizations of the future. The opportunity to learn, to understand, and to change is not a complex undertaking – it is a slow and steady process of continuous improvement of mindset and behaviour. The skill of Positive Presence and the use of the Positive Presence philosophy as a business process improvement strategy will, without a doubt, enable your organization to create the essential positive emotional energy to reach peak performance, sustain strong working relationships, and improve organizational wellness. In essence, it will take you from good to great.
CORPORATE HARMONY is grateful to Dr. Michael E. Frisina for his contributions to this entry.