You've probably seen the unfortunate effects of negativity in the workplace. Negative attitudes and interactions can create conflict and undermine productivity.
However, research in the field of positive psychology shows that positivity can be learned and, when applied, can lead to high-performing teams and workplaces.
The different approaches of leadership research show that leadership and leadership theories are a major topic in science, which is repeatedly approached from different directions.
In recent years, both the leadership style and the leadership quality of executives have attracted the interest of companies.
Many would like to know and analyze the management culture of their company in order to develop strengths in this way. A very new approach to leadership is the Positive Leadership approach, which is based on the assumptions of positive psychology.
Positive Leadership Workshops can help with:
Improving working relationships
Involve your team through authentic recognition, discovering strengths and welcoming dissent
Discover positive meaning in the work environment
Spread and absorb positivity
Encourage the right balance between inquiry (asking questions) and advocacy (making points of view)
Explore the power of a growth mindset with your team and coach individuals with a four-step model that builds your ability to nurture team member growth and performance.
A common reaction to the topic
Positivity.
It is not uncommon for leaders, managers or individuals faced with difficult challenges - e.g. B. In a post-pandemic world - dismiss a focus on the positive as soft, syrupy, and lacking credibility. When conditions are stressful, when pressure is high, when fears are high, when social settings are chaotic, just thinking happy thoughts is usually seen as insincere and a distraction from the real issues, nice to be or to emphasize the positive sides.
This is toxic positivity, says Kim Cameron.
What is Positive Psychology?
Positive psychology is the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to the optimal development of people, groups and organizations.
The PERMA-LEAD approach describes a strength-oriented management style that aims to use individual strengths and develop the respective potential of people (Ebner, 2016).
Whether at school or in the company, a manager ensures a productive working atmosphere and the strengths of the individual person are in the foreground. Thus, the
recognized and expanded the individual skills of the people. In contrast, in classic leadership, deficits are remedied and weaknesses eliminated.
The positive leadership model is derived from positive psychology and deals with leadership and employee motivation.
Origin and further development of positive psychology
The term positive psychology was introduced by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow in his book Motivation and Personality (1954).
He wrote: The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side; it has revealed to us much about man's shortcomings, his illnesses, his sins, but little about his potentialities, his virtues, his achievable aspirations , or his full psychological height. It is as if psychology had voluntarily restricted itself to only half its rightful jurisdiction, and that the darker, meaner half." (Maslow, 1954, p. 354)
Previously, psychology has focused on human error, repressed pain, and repression, while positive psychology emphasizes health, happiness, and the pursuit of meaning (Srinivasan, 2015).
Although Maslow coined the name of positive psychology early on, this new direction in psychology was significantly promoted by Martin Seligman (Srinivasan, 2015). After being elected president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1998, he focused on the advancement of positive psychology as president and has since been considered the father of positive psychology today (About Education, 2013).
In this way, he was given a great responsibility but also an opportunity, which he used and revolutionized psychology with the new trend of positive psychology.
Seligman (2002) argues that traditional psychology is almost exclusively concerned with what is wrong and sick in individuals. This makes people appear to be weak and fragile. Furthermore, he believes that a lot of energy and work has been put into the study of pathological characteristics in recent decades, which has led to clinical psychology being able to develop significantly.
The approach followed was to “cure” sick people. Positive Psychology complements and does not contradict the theories of Clinical Psychology (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Seligman, 2002).
Seligman defines positive psychology based on three pillars: the positive subjective experience/emotion, such as joy and contentment, the positive individual traits, such as character and interests, and the positive institutions, such as B. Family and school (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Seligman, 2002).
This means that not only interests and experiences, but also the respective environment are crucial to positively influence a person's life (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000; Seligman, 2002).
Another and more recent development in positive psychology is the PERMA model by Seligman (2011).
He uses the PERMA model to describe his views on well-being and happiness. He defines well-being as a person's flourishing. The five aspects of positive emotions, commitment, relationships, meaning and accommodation are named as the basis for blossoming. These five aspects can help a person find fulfillment, happiness, and purpose in life (Seligman, 2011).
The term PERMA is derived according to Seligman (2011) as follows:
• P (positive emotions) includes the ability to be optimistic and to view the past, present and future in a positive light.
• E (engagement) indicates that it is important to find activities in life that require full commitment and thereby lead to growth and personal happiness.
• R (relationships) or relationships are one of the most important aspects in life. Strong relationships bring joy to a person and provide support in difficult times.
• M (meaning) means that it is important for a fulfilling and happy life to understand the meaning of existence.
• A (accomplishment) states that it is important to have achievable goals through which a sense of accomplishment or fulfillment can be experienced.
Seligman defines the goal of positive psychology as helping people thrive in the above areas and thereby lead happy and fulfilling lives (Seligman, 2011).
The PROSPER approach emerged in 2015 and is known as a tool for organizing the implementation of "Positive Education", a relatively new direction that represents the application of positive psychology research results to educational contexts.
The term ‘to prosper’ means to thrive and succeed in a healthy way; to flourish. The framework of PROSPER was coined by Dr. Tony Noble. She led an extensive research conducted at the Institute of Positive Psychology and Education in Australia that confirmed the usefulness of the PROSPER framework in a context of Positive Education.
As I started applying Positive Psychology principles in an executive coaching, I saw the need to add the "H" as a further element, which stands for "Health" and represents sleep, nutrition and movement. This is how the PRO(H)SPER concept was born! Today it provides a road map for the practices of wellbeing and sustainable optimal performance.
The PROHSPER framework has several similarities to Seligman’s classic PERMA model of wellbeing (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment). In this workbook the model specifically includes additional components such as Health, Strengths and (universal) Resilience.
For now let's focus and get to know your resourceful PROHSPER Parts, your inner dream team and find out how they are helping you already. Each team member is responsible for one area during the journey, contributing to your inner state of Calmfidence.
This are: Positive (self-talk and expectations),
Relationships, Outcomes, Health, Strengths, Purpose, Energy, and (universal) Resilience.
According to entrepreneur and bestselling author Tony Robbins says that success is achieved through a plan that is 80 percent psychological and 20 percent strategic.
How you handle those plateaus, psychologically, will determine whether you remain stalled there forever and your company ends up in the graveyard. If you find yourself facing any psychological mental traps — deal with them, and you’ll have a chance of making it success and on the other side.
Ready to embark on the path of enhanced performance and prosperity by mastering self-leadership?
Any journey starts with looking at the road map, where you are now and where you want to go!
To help you know where you stand in terms of your own self-leadership start FREE PROHSPER ASSESSMENT >>> HERE >>>
Discover (in 3 minuets) how much inner power (Psychological Capital) you have to slice through the ups and downs in the ocean of life.