Positive and negative forces are always at play in the world. The power comes when we are able to pull negative energy to a more positive focus.
SHOW NOTES
Jason introduces Season 8 episode 25 of the podcast, Positive Leadership Lessons from your AA Battery. Welcome back to the podcast on corporate culture and leadership and thank you for listening. We engage thought leaders like CEOs, CFOs, managers, VPs, directors, and more for this podcast. We wish to create content that engages your mind and heart and allows you to step back and think and add some positivity to your life. We deep dive into today’s topic.
We can’t control everything but what we can control is our response. Still a lot of work to do but wanted to remind the audience what is within our control is the temperature we create in the organizations and teams we work with.
Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!
If any of these topics are interesting to you please or you want a deep dive on any specific topics, please reach out to us at info@jasonvbarger.com
Season 8, Episode 25: Positive Leadership Lessons from your AA BatteryTransforming Negativity into Power: A Guide for Leaders
In the latest episode of The Thermostat Podcast, leadership expert Jason V. Barger explores the concept of positive leadership and how it can energize teams and organizations. Using the analogy of an AA battery, he offers valuable insights into turning negative situations into opportunities for growth.
Positive Leadership: More Than Just Being Nice
Barger emphasizes that positive leadership isn’t about ignoring challenges or forcing a smile. It’s about acknowledging obstacles while maintaining optimism about the future. As he puts it:
“Positive leadership is about the ability to name the obstacles or challenges we might be facing and still choose to be optimistic about the future we are creating together.”
The AA Battery Analogy
The analogy of an AA battery illustrates how both positive and negative elements are necessary to generate power.
“The way the battery gets its power is when the electrons are pulled from the negative side to the positive.”
Similarly, negative tension within teams is inevitable and can even be beneficial. It’s the leader’s role to redirect this negative energy into positive momentum.
Pulling, Not Pushing
Barger stresses the importance of “pulling” energy towards solutions, rather than “pushing” against resistance. Effective leaders inspire collaboration and shared ownership, ensuring everyone feels empowered to contribute.
“The best leaders get everyone looking in the same direction and they understand why we’re doing this… and they’re going to pull the energy towards solutions toward optimism, towards progress towards that positive action.”
The Tug-of-War Story: A Lesson in Teamwork
To drive home the importance of alignment, Barger shares an anecdote from his daughter’s field day. A disorganized group of boys loses a tug-of-war to a team of girls who strategize and work together. This story highlights the power of shared vision and coordinated effort.
Cultivating a Positive Leadership Mindset
The podcast emphasizes that fostering a positive leadership mindset requires proactive effort. Leaders must invest time in developing their team, shaping culture, and creating a shared understanding of the organization’s mission and values.
Notable Quotes
- “Negative tension exists from time to time. We’re not going to totally get rid of it, and in fact, in some ways it belongs because it helps us figure out and realize when there might be tension or there may be might be opportunities to improve.”
- “The best leaders and teams seek out the negative and proactively pull it to the positive.”
- “The best places, the best teams, the best organizations, the best cultures are the ones that where everyone does understand their place on the rope and they do. They are equipped and empowered to use their greatest strengths and gifts to pull in the direction they have clarity of how we’re going to pull the rope together.”
Questions to Ponder
- Who are the key players in your team, and are they pulling in the same direction?
- How can you proactively shift energy from negative to positive within your team?
- What steps can you take to create a culture where everyone understands their role and feels empowered to contribute?
By reflecting on these questions and applying the insights from this podcast episode, you can develop a positive leadership style that empowers your team, fosters a vibrant culture, and drives your organization towards success.
Links and References
For more insights and practical tips, be sure to check out Jason V Barger’s book Breathing Oxygen. This book dives deeper into the concepts discussed in this episode and provides additional strategies for fostering a positive mindset and effective leadership.
By incorporating these practices into your summer routine, you can breathe new life into your personal and professional endeavors. Remember, as Jason says, “The best leaders, teams, and cultures on the planet stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.”
The Upcoming episode will feature Deliberate Rest Increases Performance. Stay Tuned!
Please leave a review for the podcast It really helps the podcast to spread these messages out into the world. Please share this podcast with your organization, on your team, or in your life to help spread these messages. Thank you!
If any of these topics are interesting to you please or you want a deep dive on any specific topics, please reach out to us at info@jasonvbarger.com
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Remember, the best leaders, teams, & cultures stimulate progress by recalibrating their thermostat together.
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ABOUT THE THERMOSTAT
Conversations and micro-thoughts to engage your mind and heart.
A thermostat is proactive. It sets the temperature in a room. Controls the temperature. Regulates the temperature. But in today’s distracted, fast-paced and digital world, it’s easy for individuals and organizations to act more like thermometers, slipping into reactionary thinking, becoming scattered and inconsistent. The most compelling leaders, teams, organizations, families, or collection of humans of any kind operate in thermostat mode. They calibrate their mind and heart to set the temperature for the vision and culture they want to create. Jason Barger, globally celebrated author, keynote speaker, and founder of Step Back Leadership Consulting, is the host of The Thermostat, a podcast journey to discover authentic leadership, create compelling cultures and find clarity of mission, vision, and values.