Leaders can choose the tone they set in a team, organisation or society. They may set a positive, negative or other kind of tone. The tone they set has consequences for themselves and other people.
Different leaders set different tones. Let’s explore these two contrasting approaches.
The Positive Tone Approach
Leaders who follow this approach often demonstrate the following characteristics. They are positive, predictable and professional. They also treat people with respect.
Such leaders create a positive environment by focusing on stability, stimulation and success. They aim to provide stability by following certain principles – especially during challenging times.
They also aim to create a stimulating environment in which people can play to their strengths. They then encourage and enable people to perform superb work.
They keep communicating the purpose of their organisation. They encourage people to follow certain principles and do their best to achieve the desired picture of success.
Such leaders aim to find win-win solutions to challenges. They build a culture where they encourage people to focus on continuous improvement, keep developing and achieve ongoing success.
The Negative Tone Approach
Leaders who follow this approach often demonstrate the following characteristics. They are negative, unpredictable and unprofessional. They do not treat people with respect.
They often create a chaotic environment. They make impulsive decisions and lurch from strategy to strategy. They criticise people publicly and fail to provide them with the necessary support.
Such leaders bully people to make sure that they win and others lose. They rule by fear, blame others and look for scapegoats. They behave in ways that creates lots of collateral damage.
Let’s return to your own life and work. Looking ahead, can you think of a situation where you may want to follow elements of the positive tone approach? This could be in your personal or professional life.
How can you aim to create a positive environment? How can you communicate a clear purpose and follow certain principles? How can you encourage and enable people to achieve success?
If wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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