Description
Book SynopsisWe are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard. As a leader, you will face numerous obstacles, negativity, and tests. There will be times when it seems as if everything in the world is conspiring against you and your vision seems more like a fantasy than a reality.
Trade Review"...full of proven principles, interesting stories and practical ideas, which makes it a must-read for anyone who wants to become a positive leader." (The Association of MBA's, June 2017)
“well written, engaging and covers a range of topics relating to leadership and the issues that are often encountered” (Nursing Times, April 2018)
Table of Contents1 From Negative to Positive 1
2 Real Positive 7
3 Positive Leaders Drive Positive Cultures 13
Your Most Important Job 16
Culture Beats Strategy 17
Know What You Stand For 19
More than Words 21
Positively Contagious 22
Create a Culture that People Feel 23
Invest in the Root if You Want the Fruit 24
You Must Keep Building Your Culture 26
4 Positive Leaders Create and Share a Positive Vision 29
A North Star 32
A Telescope and Microscope 34
Dabo Swinney’s Vision 34
Keep the Vision Alive 38
Make the Vision Come Alive 38
My Vision 40
5 Positive Leaders Lead with Optimism, Positivity, and Belief 45
Believe It and You’ll See It 50
If You Don’t Have It, You Can’t Share it 51
Feed the Positive Dog 51
Talk to Yourself 52
It’s All How You See It 53
Tell Yourself a Positive Story 54
Challenge or Opportunity 56
Shark or Goldfish 56
Think Like a Rookie 57
Defeating Murphy 59
Inside Out 59
Distort Reality 60
Leadership Is a Transfer of Belief 61
Lead with Faith Instead of Fear 63
Be an Over-Believer 64
Don’t Stop Believing 66
Your Leadership Journey 67
6 Positive Leaders Confront, Transform, and Remove Negativity 69
Your Positivity Must Be Greater than All the Negativity 72
No Energy Vampires Allowed 73
Why Wait? 74
The First Step Is to Transform 75
Start at the Culture Level 75
Remove the Negativity 77
Sooner or Later 77
Lead from Where You Are 79
Implement the No Complaining Rule 79
Michael Phelps’s Positive Leadership 82
Don’t Be Negative about Negativity 83
7 Positive Leaders Create United and Connected Teams 85
Connection Is the Difference 88
Team Beats Talent When Talent Isn’t a Team 91
Dabo Swinney’s Seat 93
Collaborate and Facilitate 94
Don’t Let Your Reptile Eat Your Positive Dog 95
8 Positive Leaders Build Great Relationships and Teams 99
Love Does 101
Love Is the Greatest Leadership Principle on the Planet 103
Rules without Relationship Lead to Rebellion 104
Communication Builds Trust 104
Where There Is a Void in Communication, Negativity Fills It 106
Leading by Walking Around 108
Listening Is Communicating 110
Enhance Your Positive Communication 110
Be an Encourager 113
Believe in Others More than They Believe in Themselves 114
Help Your Team Become Unstoppable 115
Connect One on One 117
Be Committed 118
Serve to Be Great 119
Doing the Laundry 120
It’s Not About You 123
Commit to Coach 124
Commitment Requires Sacrifice 125
When You Help Others Improve, You Improve 126
Elite of the Elite 127
Positive Leaders Care 128
Develop Your Caring Trademark 129
The Sandwich 133
9 Positive Leaders Pursue Excellence 135
Humble and Hungry 137
There Is No Finish Line 139
Demanding without being Demeaning 139
Love and Accountability 140
Love Tough 143
Craftsmen and Craftswomen 144
The One Percent Rule 145
Clarity and Action 146
10 Positive Leaders Lead with Purpose 149
Find and Live Your Purpose 153
Share the Purpose 155
Inspire Others to Live Their Purpose 155
Purpose Driven Goals 156
One Word 159
Life Word 160
Leave a Legacy 161
Give People Great Stories to Tell 162
Life and Death 164
11 Positive Leaders Have Grit 167
Know What You Want 171
Know Your Why 171
Love It 172
Embrace Failure 173
Keep Doing Things the Right Way: Trust the Process 174
Ignore the Critics; Do the Work 175
12 Lead the Way Forward 177
Notes 189
Acknowledgments 191
Bring the Power of Positive Leadership to Your Organization 193
Power of Positive Leadership Resources 194
Other Books by Jon Gordon 195
