As a leadership enthusiastic I have been familiarizing to multiple leadership styles, methods and ways to lead people. All the leaderships styles may have their times or environments where they work. Each company and it’s targets may also require different leadership style. And also each leader has their unique way of leading even they might have selected some style that works best for them.
Appreciative leadership has become my favorite over the years. It has also not been applied that much in Finland. There are multiple ways to define appreciative leadership, but there are the one’s I find most comprehensive.
Whitney & Trosten-Bloom (2010) defines appreciative leadership being capability to encourage creative potential and transform it positive power by increasing confidence, energy, performance and enthusiasm to do make a positive difference in the world.
Appreciative leadership are defined as being relational. Appreciative leadership is based on transformational leadership. Appreciative leadership is positive and having potential to turn as positive power. It also has tripling effects.
Appreciative leadership can be defined also as:
providing support, valuing professionalism, moral leadership, rewarding, good personal relationships, leadership style and working conditions and working environment.
My thesis interviews
I am currently doing my second master thesis on the appreciative leadership between CEO and Chairman of the Board. In the anonymous thesis interviews, it came quite clear that the appreciation in that context is merely towards the results, not the individual CEO.
As the leadership style is generally coming from top down, it might some times be difficult for the CEO to implement appreciative leaderships tyle if that is not done towards to him/her.
Also the board now aways at least in smaller firms is more in contact with other persons than the CEO and reflection of their way of working can be seen. As we are moving towards tighter candidate markets with smaller generations and more family moving abroad, the way Board is working comes more meaningful.
Appreciative leadership is formed in a way that if in place, it can be seen in the ways of working, organizational policies, structures and in leadership style. However, also the absence of appreciation can also be seen, as said below.
”It would be nice to hear the words Thank you even once. It has now been over a year and yet nobody hasn’t thanked me for any work or results I have done for the business and our people”
unnamed CEO on the appreciative leadership interviews
Vastaa