5 success factors of positive leadership – empowering leadership for the future

In the dynamic and ever-changing business world, leadership skills are more crucial than ever. One leadership philosophy that has become increasingly important in recent years is positive leadership. But what exactly is behind it?

What is positive leadership?

Positive leadership is a motivational leadership approach and a question of attitude. It focuses on creating an environment in which our employees can grow beyond themselves by using their strengths and skills, achieving goals together and having fun. Full commitment – intrinsically motivated – for successful cooperation. Perhaps even the only way to meet the demands of the working world in the long term and maintain good health at the same time? The aim is to focus on what is already going well in order to become even better. Important: without sweeping the negative under the carpet. There are always two sides to the coin. In addition to the personal development of employees, it is also about the performance of the entire team and therefore the organization.

The benefit: Employees who are willing to go the extra mile

• Increasing employee motivation: By taking into account the interests, skills and values of their team members, managers create an environment in which employees are intrinsically motivated to give their best and go above and beyond.
• Encouraging creativity and innovation: A positive leadership approach encourages employees to come up with new ideas and innovative solutions to challenges. Mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, which promotes creative thinking – from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset.
• Improved employee retention: Positive leadership creates a sense of belonging and well-being. Employees who feel valued stay with the company longer – we actively counter the trend of faster turnover and less retention.
• Increased productivity and performance: Happy employees are more productive. A positive working environment increases the efficiency and performance of the team. If everything fits together, we are prepared to go the extra mile to achieve the common goal.
• Better communication and collaboration: Positive leaders are characterized by strong communication skills and empathy, which promotes open communication and collaboration within the team.
• Less stress-related impact on health: If you can get involved and find support in the team, the collective resilience of a team increases. The approach thus supports burn-out prevention in the company.
• Employer attractiveness becomes a bit of a no-brainer: the effects of positive leadership are the subject of ongoing scientific research. One of the leading minds in the German-speaking world is Dr. Markus Ebner. His study results and the work of his students show incredible effects. Customers buy more, people want to work in companies that cultivate this approach. Word of positive cultural work gets around and attracts new employees.

Science confirms this: Positive leadership works!

You could now paint a bleak picture: Another new trend. That doesn’t change anything. A few new buzzwords. Consultants traveling the country and spreading ready-made concepts.

NO – that’s not the point. There is no one single concept. The PERMA factors of positive psychology provide us with a framework that values the individuality of every company, every manager and every employee. And it does not impose methods, but invites people to work together to shape them.

And that works. Evidence-based studies prove that the positive leadership approach is actually reflected in key business figures. One of the scientists who is doing a great job here is Dr. Markus Ebner with his research work on PERMA-Lead(R).

The goals of positive leadership

Positive leadership pursues three central goals that help to develop the full potential of employees and the organization:

• Job Performance: Positive Leadership helps to set clear goals and achieve them. By utilizing their strengths and working in a supportive environment, employees can complete their tasks more efficiently and effectively.
  Job Engagement: Positive leadership creates an environment where employees can contribute fully. By encouraging engagement and involving employees in decision-making processes, they feel more connected to their work and motivated to give their best.
  Job Satisfaction: Positive leadership helps employees experience a general sense of satisfaction with their work. This is achieved by creating a positive and supportive working environment in which employees experience recognition and appreciation.

The 5 success factors behind positive leadership:

Positive Leadership is based on the five PERMA factors by Martin Seligman, a pioneer of Positive Psychology. PERMA stands for:

• Positive Emotions: experiencing joy, gratitude and other positive feelings.
• Engagement: Use of strengths for challenging activities, often associated with the flow state.
• Relationships: Building and maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships.
• Meaning: Making an important contribution to a meaningful goal.
• Accomplishment: Achieving goals and being successful.

What does that mean? Practical examples of positive leadership:

Positive Leadership can be put into practice in a variety of ways. Here are some examples of how managers can promote the PERMA factors in their employees and help to create an environment in which employees experience these factors:

• Promote positive emotions through recognition and appreciation. This means, for example, regular and honest praise for good work.
• Introduce positive rituals: Celebrating successes together or team-building activities strengthen the sense of community and promote positive emotions.
• Increase commitment by entrusting employees with tasks that challenge them and enable them to develop their skills.
  Enable autonomy by giving employees the freedom to make their own decisions and choose their working style and location.
• Promoting teamwork by designing projects and tasks in a way that encourages collaboration and team spirit and that employees complement each other well.
• Open communication means creating an environment in which teams can communicate openly and honestly with each other, even when things aren’t going so smoothly.
• A clear vision and mission as well as comprehensible corporate or divisional goals give meaning to our actions. So that we know what we are working on and why.
• Set and celebrate goals: Set realistic and challenging goals and celebrate successes appropriately.
• Continuous feedback: Hold regular feedback meetings to discuss progress and identify further development opportunities.
• …

Need an example of success?

Numerous companies are already using this approach successfully. No matter what industry, no matter what size. When people have the feeling that they can make a valuable contribution and are recognized for it, they achieve amazing things as high-performance teams. A practical example can be shared from a recent IT compnay:

At eXXcellent solutions gmbh, the PERMA-Lead® model quickly caught on and proved to fit the company’s DNA. In March 2024, a pilot project was launched with an online kick-off for project employees and managers. The PERMA-Lead Profiler®, a scientific test procedure that enabled each participant to identify their own PERMA status and possible development potential, was central to the project. This was followed by intensive training days in which the “5 letters” of PERMA and their significance for cooperation and leadership behavior were dealt with. A central component is the use of one’s own strengths. These were visualized using the 8S Strength Profile® and a great deal of added value was discovered for working together.

The use of peer groups was particularly effective in anchoring what was learned in everyday working life. After two months, a review workshop was held in which participants reflected on their experiences and provided impetus for the further integration of the PERMA-Lead® approach.

The participants were impressed by the usefulness of the approach and emphasized that PERMA represents a fundamental attitude that will have a long-term positive impact on customer relationships and company quality.

Here are some quotes from the participants:

• “8S in combination with PERMA makes perfect sense for us.”
• “Managers – whether formal or not – must be aware of their responsibility.”
• “The PERMA lead approach helps us to deal well with situations in the future.”
• “PERMA is a mindset – an attitude.”
• “The training was ‘refreshingly analog’ and completely without PowerPoint.”
• “The pilot was eye-opening and had a long-lasting effect, also for reflecting on our own situation.”
• “The important thing is to have fun and support others.”

After the successful pilot, round 2 will take place in fall 2024.

Conclusion

Positive leadership offers valuable strategies for leading successfully in the modern business world. By focusing on the strengths of their employees, encouraging their motivation and creating a supportive environment, managers can spur their teams on to top performance. Positive leadership could be the key to a successful and sustainable future for your business.

Sandra Dundler

Wenn Menschen gemeinsam auf einem Trampolin springen, können sie sich gegenseitig beschleunigen oder ausbremsen. Das ist in Teams und Organisationen genauso. Als Trainerin, Coach, Team- und Kulturentwicklerin begleitet Sandra Dundler die Menschen digital und analog dabei, die Herausforderungen der Transformation zu meistern. Sie war selbst lange Jahre Mitarbeiterin in einem Konzern auf unterschiedlichen Führungsebenen.