For this assignment, I wanted to discover not only a leadership style we had not gone over yet, furthermore, I wanted something unique. I began my research, looking for websites, articles, online journals, blah blah blah and then there it was! The perfect article, I swear to BOB it screamed “pick me! Pick me! I’m unique I’m unique”. I looked around the room to make sure no one was watching, and then sure enough……I clicked the link. THANK JESUS! Because I found one of the coolest articles and also discovered an awesome leadership style that I think I will surely give a try. So allow me to tell you about it, and no it does not stand for piece of S@#t leadership.
This theory is built upon the ideas of a famous psychologist, Abraham Maslow, who was the purveyor of positive psychology and eats up positive psychology, and then spits out a new academic discipline called Positive Organizational Scholarship. In contrast to traditional psychology, which studies mental illness, positive psychology studies mental health. It begins from the premise that people are good and seeks to explain why exemplary people are the way they are. Positive Organizational Scholarship, which was originated by scholars at U.S. business schools including USC Marshall School of Business, takes positive psychology one step further and looks at goodness in organizations that are typified by appreciation, collaboration, virtuousness, vitality and meaningfulness.
In the article, the main focus is the colorful ex-football coach at USC (University of Southern California) who has always been known for his positivity, passion, calmness, and his ability to be successful. As one POS scholar writes, it is one thing not to be a depressed person, but quite another to be a person who leaps out of bed in the morning with a twinkle in the eye and a smile. POS has a term, “positive deviant,” to describe people like Carroll whose behavior is a conscious effort to deviate from the norm to improve the human condition. Carroll’s principles of leadership are:
· Have your own belief systems in order before leading others.
· Allow people to perform in the absence of fear.
· Place people in positions where they can excel.
· Relentlessly pursue the competitive edge.
Having your own belief systems in order lets a leader give others a clear vision of his or her goals. Performing in the absence of fear frees people to be successful. Placing people in positions where they can excel prevents paralyzing self-doubt. The fourth principle, relentlessly pursuing the competitive edge, means practicing and preparing so much that winning is not in doubt.
The article finishes with a quote by Carroll, in which he says, “Look, there are a lot of ways to lead, but tough guys, leaders who are oppressive, never get the best out of people. When people work for you to avoid getting yelled at, it’s not effective.”
At the core of POS is confidence. Instead of being filled with raw fear and self-doubt one should feel so prepared and confident that there is no nervousness. This translates to a positive energy which yields excitement, anticipation, and success.
For further reading:
on a side note, I also thought this article was very interesting as well. It is by Lou Tice and he is a huge supporter of POS:
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