A practical Positive Leadership model built directly out of Positive Psychology
By Dr. Markus Ebner
‘How manipulative is leadership?’ I have asked this question at the start of many workshops for managers in recent years. Undoubtedly, this wording is provocative—and that is also my intention. But when the thesaurus suggests the terms ‘influence’ or ‘steer’ as synonyms for ‘manipulate’, then it becomes clear: Of course, a main function of leadership is to do exactly that. Yes, as managers we influence people, and that is a significant part of our job! Only when we become aware of this fact does it become clear what this responsibility entails.
Positive Leadership is about creating a growth-promoting environment
‘Every personal assessment must first and foremost refer to what a person is capable of. An employee should never be assigned a leadership role when he struggles with people’s skills deficits rather than using their strengths.’ One might think that this phrase comes from a radical social romantic who has never been involved with real organisations or leadership. But far from it! In fact, the statement comes from Peter Drucker (1909-2005) – an Austrian migrant who became one of the best-known US economists. He is considered the pioneer of modern management science and his books have sold more than five million copies. In the 1950s, he developed the ‘Leadership through Objective’, or Management by Objectives (MbO), an approach that is still a widely used leadership method today.
