In The Energy Bus, Jon Gordon lays out a map containing the 10 rules for the ride of your life that will lead your district/school to success. Each rule focuses on our need to stay positive in the midst of all the events taking place in our busy lives. This “Positive Energy” is not everyone sitting around, holding hands, singing Kumbayah.
When talking about positive energy, here is what Jon Gordon says: “We are talking about real positive energy that helps you to overcome obstacles and challenges to create success. We’re talking about trust, faith, enthusiasm, purpose, joy, and happiness. We’re talking about the positive energy to inspire and lead others. We’re talking about the positive energy that makes you feel great instead of the negative energy that drains you.”
“Every morning you have a choice. Are you going to be a positive thinker or a negative thinker? Positive thinking will energize you. When you get to work, you have another choice. You can catch people doing things right, or you can catch them doing things wrong. Guess which one of those two activities energizes people more?”
- Jon Gordon
The truth is that as leaders we set the tone for our school/district. If we want our staff to focus on the positives, then we must model this behavior. We must also assist our staff in focusing on the positives. Positivity breeds optimism and research has proven that optimism leads to greater individual and team success.
Jon Gordon shares that, “Positive people and positive teams produce positive results, and the essential ingredient is positive energy.”
Question for discussion:
What strategies do you use as a leader to catch people doing things right? How do you let them know?