Positive Leadership
By: Kylee Hansan
WHO ARE YOU?
Take the quiz below
All of these questions apply to a group project you are working on in class.
Pick the choice that best describes how you would handle the situation.
1. In your group you have one quiet kid. What do you do?
a. Tell them that if they don’t say something you will give
them all the work to do.
b. Let them be.
c. Say, “Hey, do you have any ideas?”
2. Your project is due at the end of class and you still have a lot to do.
What do you say?
a. “I hate this project, it’s boring and we won’t have it done.”
b. “We might not be able to finish.”
c. “We got this guys! We will just barely finish but we will
finish!”
3. One of your group members can’t figure out how to do their part of
the project. What do you say?
1
DO YOU WANT:
better GRADES?
more FRIENDS?
to be better in SPORTS?
to get into a good COLLEGE?
If you have answered
“Yes!”
to any of these questions
continue reading!
a. “Are you serious? You don’t know how to do this?”
b. You don’t say anything at all.
c. “Hey! Looks like you understand most of it, can I see if I
can help?”
Mostly A’s
You seriously need to
continue reading because you
are a negative leader. Nothing
will get accomplished if you
complain and don’t help
others.
Mostly B’s
You should continue reading.
You are on track for becoming
a positive leader but you have
to be much more active and
less passive. If you’re going to
say something make sure it is
beneficial.
Mostly C’s
Continue reading in order
to enhance your positive
leadership skills. You
definitely have an innate
ability to be positive so
let’s utilize it!
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
RCL MAGAZINE
Positive Leadership IS FOR YOU
Anyone can do it, learn how!
Becoming a positive leader can help you get better grades, make more friends and get
into your top college. It can help you with just about anything. I know it sounds stupid, but
trust me on this one, after all, my positive leadership got me the nick-name “Kylee Smiley.” I have
been through high school, I know it is a giant juggling act. You have to balance the pressures of
grades, sports, friends, family, college and your popularity. It can be a struggle; you’re doing a
great job. Being in high school is harder than everyone makes it out to be, but I’m here to help
you make it easier. The key to my successful high school career was positive leadership.
“Kylee Smiley”
Let me start off telling you a little bit more about me. I am a freshman at Penn State.
When I reflect on high school and think about how hard it was to be a high schooler I realized
how lucky I was that I found some sort of happiness in it all.
End of freshman year and begging of sophomore year I realized that I didn’t like the
way my high school was run, so I decided to run for class officer. I am not going to lie; I was
scared. As elections began I noticed that I did not fit in. All of the students that were running
against me only talked negatively about our school. They talked about what our school was
doing wrong and not what it was doing right.
I am a pretty optimistic person, so I developed a campaign that focused on the good that
our school was doing and how we could make it better. I was the
only one running what I called a “positive” campaign that
focused on making a more positive future. I put up smiley face
flyers and gave out smiley face pins to advertise my positive
campaign. (This is how I got the name “Kylee Smiley.”) Needless
to say, I was elected as one of the four class officers that year and
“Kylee Smiley” became my slogan for every year after that. I used
my positive mindset to lead my class for the next three years.
Through my experiences I have come to believe that being a
positive leader is critical and it is the easiest way to connect with people. Positivity generates
a feeling of comfort and encouragement. It inspires and motivates. It’s contagious. And I
am not the only one that thinks so. Collin Powell, American statesman and a retired four-star
general in the U.S. Army said, “perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.” Just think of those
2
2
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
RCL MAGAZINE
times when you were feeling down but you talked to someone who was upbeat and happy and you
immediately felt better. Positivity is powerful. I guarantee you positivity will get more listen to
like, listen and follow you. Even Tim Sanders, New York Times bestselling author and public
speaker says, “Positive and popular leaders are more likely to garner the support of others […]
and achieve greater success in the workplace.”
Two types of leaders
Like I told you, I was the only one with a positive campaign, but remember I was one of
four elected class officers. My co-officers scared students into electing them. They said things like
“the principles will take away all cell phones privileges if we don’t stop him.”
There are two types of leaders, ones who inflict fear and ones who offer a positive outlook.
The basic idea of fear can be effective. Carol Kinsey Goman—writer of leadership, body language
and professional success—wrote an article for Forbes and said, “there is no doubt that negative
emotions can be effective. Fear, anger, and disgust all trigger physiological responses that prepare
the body for quick and specific actions.” Fear may work in the near future and get my co-officers
elected but who would want to stay in a fearful state for forever? Barbara Fredrickson—a positive
psychology researcher at the University of North Carolina—came up with the "broaden and build"
theory, which summed up states that positive people develop a broader perspective and see the
bigger picture which helps them identify solutions where as negative people have a narrower
perspective focus on the problem.
Fear will work. Players on your team will respond to you if you yell at them. People in your
class will listen to your idea for the class project if you tell them their ideas are wrong. People will
let you say bad things about others to make yourself look better. But how will people perceive
you? How will your team improve? How will your group get a good grade? Will people want to
hang out with you?
BE A POSITIVE LEADER!!
Daniel Goleman’s collection of writings called
Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence explains
that positive work environments outperform negative work
environments. So be a positive leader so that you will have
a more successful future! You will have the high school life
you have always wanted! You will be smarter, play better,
have more friends, and be happier!
3
4
What a positive leader is.
Now that I have convinced you that you need to become a positive leader let’s see what
that entails. The items listed below are qualities that Brian Tracy, motivational speaker and
author, says every positive leader possess.
3
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
RCL MAGAZINE
A positive leader:
- Sees opportunities and possibilities in everything that happens, positive or negative.
- Looks for the good in every situation and in every person.
- Seeks the valuable lessons contained in every problem or setback
- Never experiences “failures;” instead, write them off as “learning experiences.”
- Thinks about the opportunities of tomorrow rather than focusing on the problems
of the past.
- Inspires other people, their friends, customer, associates and even their children
because they are inspired themselves.
Basically as Jon Gordan—business consultant and author on the topics of leadership,
culture, sales, and teamwork— put it, positive leaderships means, “remaining purposeful in the
face of adversity.” I know the list above sounds somewhat intense and challenging. I am not saying
that you have to Mahatma Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr.
or even Steve Jobs. To be a positive leader you have to be willing to sit back, take a breath,
and find the good in every situation presented to you. When you start being positive people will
start following and listening to you, similar to how they did with me. Who would you rather
listen to? Someone who is upbeat, enthusiastic and believes in you and your ideas? Or
someone who says you can’t do something?
5
7
6
How can you become a positive leader?
Now the question arises of how do you become a positive leader? No it does not require
inspirational speeches, I mean I guess it could, but there are small things you can do. Check
off () the steps below as you become a positive leader!
4
POSITIVE LEADERSHIP
RCL MAGAZINE
☐ STEP ONE: Do Something!
This is the most important step! In order to become a positive
leader you have to be involved in something. There are endless
possible ways to get involved. You are probably involved and you
don’t even realize it.
It would be easier to be a positive leader if you enjoyed what
you are involved in, so put yourself out there and find something you
truly enjoy doing! Try out for a play, join a sports team, get involved
in student government, create a club, join a club, babysit, stack books
at the local library, volunteer at a food pantry, join Big Brothers Big
Sisters, coach flag football, tutor, read at a nursery, learn to knit
blankets for the local hospital, help at the local animal shelter. If none
of these are sparking something in your head, go to volunteermatch.org
and see what you get paired with.
8
☐ STEP TWO: Be Open!
Being a leader you will always require working with other
people. Make sure that you are open to other people’s ideas and that
you look like you are open to their ideas. Look them in the eyes when
they are talking. Smile. Ask questions about their ideas. Have open
body language (aka. No slouching and crossing of the arms). You can
find more information on how to look approachable here. You also
have to be open to change. Change can be hard to deal with, but that is
why you are the leader. You see that change brings progress and new
opportunities. Get excited about change. If you struggle with opening
your mind to change check out this website with 8 strategies to help you
open your mind to change.
9
☐ STEP THREE: Be Enthusiastic!!!!
According to synonym.com some synonyms for positive are
encouraging, upbeat and enthusiastic so be ECOURAGING, UPBEAT and
ENTHUSIASTIC! Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night, drink plenty of
water, and eat healthy so that you can have a lot of energy. Set small and
achievable goals within your main goal. Be excited about success, progress!
If someone did something right, tell them how awesome they are! Be excited
and pumped for the future! Don’t ever say, “I can’t” or “we can’t”. Always
say, “I can” and “we can”. ALWAYS SMILE! For more information on
bringing enthusiasm into your life check out this link.
5
10
☐ STEP FOUR: Always see the good!
Always see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everything happens
for a reason, you just have to find the reason. When you run into a
problem don’t dwell on it. Sit back. Take a breath. Now ask your self,
what can I learn from this? What went well? How can we improve?
Even if you started thinking something pessimistic, just take a deep breath
and remember you are alive, well, and nothing is the end of the world.
Tell people what they’re doing right before telling them they’re
doing something wrong. Always be hopeful and expect good things to
happen. You need to fully believe that good things will happen for them
to happen. Talk about the endless possibilities and opportunities in the
future. Always strive for more. Understand that no one is perfect but
everyone does have good qualities.
11
YOU ARE READY!
Follow these steps and you will be a positive leader! Don’t worry if you slip up
once or twice, like everything, being a positive leader takes practice. But once you master
it you will be able to get those higher grades, make more friends and accomplish
anything! Learning to be a positive leader will not only help you survive high school but
also be a skill that you can utilize for college, your careers, and the rest of your life. So, go
out and be a positive leader! Leave your mark on the people and world around you!
12
Picture Links:
1.http://youngyetwise.com/say-i-think-i-can-and-you-knowwhat-you-will/
2. Mine
3. http://www.solongmediocrity.com/ten-key-concepts-forsuccess/positivity-is-key/
4.https://afl.salsalabs.com/o/4013/c/464/t/0/blastContent.jsp?
email_blast_KEY=161886
5. http://www.mountvernon.org/georgewashington
6. http://www.ozkentvetaysever.com/sonbegendiklerimiz/gandi-tarzi-i-novasyon/
7.http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2013/12/06/2
0-inspirational-quotes-from-nelson-mandela/
8. http://bigsunfoundation.org/volunteer-match/
9. http://www.vebidoo.de/anneliese+nemetz
10.http://www.printable-alphabets.com/shop/symbol-printtemplates-solid-black/exclamation-mark/
11. http://josephshaub.com/blog/2010/03/divorce-as-a-processover-time/light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/
12. http://www.puremotovation.com/tag/happiness-2/