Have you ever just woke up and felt, “OK, today will just not be my best day”? And really, from that moment on, it just doesn’t work out the way you would typically want. Is being or, at best, staying remotely positive a difficult task? I believe no one wants to fail in life. But being positive can be a challenge as a manager and leader where most of your day is wrapped up in taking care of others (and everything in their emotional lunchbox for the day).
Let’s be real, we can all agree…being positive is incredibly beneficial to a work day. Endless research more than suggests the impact of how a positive work mood or work state or work environment increases many aspects within the job. Think productivity, relationships, creativity, empowerment, accountability, not to mention just feeling good about working in general.
So the question or challenge is not the value. It must then become an awareness of creation, maintenance and even the amplification of the power of positivity within a sales team.
Again, let’s be real. Isn’t positivity an emotion? Yes. And aren’t emotions akin to attitudes and attitudes are highly problematic to coach? Yes. And you don’t coach emotions or attitudes, you coach behaviors? Oh yes. So how does a manager really manage and lead positivity? That is the hard part. It does end up being a bit an individual decision. Then how do you manage it? Well…think of it in this regard. Let’s say you have two people on your team. One has been doing your “it” for years. They have vast experience and knowledge regarding both the job and the widget. They are also stoic with a tendency to be down and maybe even grumpy (a lot). The other does not have the same bandwidth of experience and knowledge. However, they bring an intensely positive energy to the job. They are resilient, open, interested, willing and outgoing. Who is the more valuable team member? DON’T ANSWER THAT. Just think about it. As manager, where (or within whom) do you want problem solving, creative thinking or collaboration to live? Is your objective to answer this question?
So we can all agree being positive is a good thing for the job, the customer, the team, the overall business and really, it’s good for yourself. We can also agree we can’t dictate, enforce or even coach being positive…it’s an emotion. It is very, very hard to make someone “happy”. Either they are or are not. So how do we as manager and leader approach this concept?
Simple. It starts with you. Make this something you do by showing your team what good looks like. Model positivity and its value to all aspects of their job. Again, make this simple.
Decide. Decide you want to be positive or more positive. Mentally choose to be active in being positive. This may even make you embrace a new way to look at something in your job or within your team.
Share. Give your positivity to everyone you can…inside and outside the workplace. Connect with others of a similar mindset. Charge each other’s positivity batteries. And conversely, distance yourself from those who are negative by nature.
Celebrate. Pay attention to what you do and how positive emotions impact what you do and those around you. Make mental and physical notes of what is working. Then keep doing them.
Live it. This cannot be a quick fix. It has to be a commitment to a life-long way to embrace, well…life really. It is not a one and done. It is a now and for always kind of behavior. And it will take work!
Barbara Frederick, a Professor of Psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill states in her books Positivity and Love 2.0 her theory of “Broaden and Build”. Positivity can (and should) broaden your mind and heart, thus boosting creativity and creative thinking. Negative emotions do quite the opposite. And people who practice this skill build abilities, connections and knowledge. Her twenty plus years of research suggests that a positive mindset and positive activities nurture success and well-being. She also suggests that there ten essential positive emotions that bolster well-being: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe and love. How would your inventory look?
So you cannot guarantee that Skippy, Todd or Mary are positive or have positive emotions. Therefore the best you can do is answer the following question as manager and leader, where is your positivity? First challenge, does this really matter to you? Negative or positive? Your choice. Pick one.
Cheers