Before the corona virus emergency, WOW! he promoted the Positive Leadership Challenge survey organized by Human Realization, Innovation Colors and Nova Marketing with the goal of gathering managers’ opinions on “lights and shadows” of positive leadership.
The lockdown prevented the presentation of the results scheduled on March 5 at CUF Milano, but we wish to share the points of view emerged from the answers of 140 managers – 33 CEOs- who accepted to reflect on their own leadership style and on organizational culture of their companies.
Download the full report in Italian here.
The aim of the investigation is to investigate what managers’ aspirations are towards positive leadership, what drives and motivates them, but also the main obstacles they face.
The answers were collected pre-covid, but reading them now they show how the leadership skills are valuable during and after the pandemic and can help people and organizations develop resilience in moments of great uncertainty and difficulty.
Do you consider yourself a positive leader?
The sample is made up of 140 respondents, mainly employees (74%) and other entrepreneurs or freelancers. 24% of respondents are CEOs or company leaders. To the question “Do you consider yourself a positive leader?” 73% of the sample replied “very” or “enough”.
How do you decline positive leadership in your work?
In the open answers to this question, many have underlined some fundamental ingredients such as listening, taking care, empathy, growing the talent of their collaborators.
Answers in line with another data emerged from the research: 89% consider their leadership at the service of their collaborators.
Is Emotional Intelligence important for leadership quality?
Emotional intelligence for almost all of the sample (95%) is considered “very” or “quite relevant”.
In the open answers, someone gave a practical interpretation to this competence: “I emotionally support my collaborators in times of difficulty”, “I am not afraid to apologize when I am wrong”, “Positive leadership makes the other feel better not vice versa “,” I accept the weaknesses of others by enhancing the forces “.
What processes help to exercise positive leadership?
Transparency of information (35%), collective brainstorming (23%), feedback management methods (16%), celebration of success (9%) are among the practices and processes that help to exercise Positive Leadership the most. . “Do you take action in the face of behavior and practices not in line with company values?” 70% answered yes.
Happiness Advantage.
91% of the sample replied that there are advantages in implementing positive leadership. The answers highlighted how one of the advantages is productivity, confirming the Happiness Advantage theory that in positive organizations that care about people’s happiness, the business results are superior.
Text by Ilaria Santambrogio (Human Realization) and Silvia Nova (Nova Marketing).
