Page 157 - Appreciative Leadership

130 Appreciative Leadership

it in many ways. I didn’t want to disappoint her. When I came
to the United States, I had only $250; so it was not as if I had the
resources to easily make this happen. Her belief in me made me
drive toward success.

It takes courage to choose the positive as a daily leadership prac-
tice—especially in the face of poor performance. We know that it is
hard to let go of the tendency to criticize and instead be positive, car-
ing, and supportive. And we know the results are worth it. A director
of sales put it this way:

Over the years I have learned that if people perform poorly
and I criticize them, I will get a defensive response and there
will be no improvement in performance. If I instead approach

them with care, offering whatever support they need—train-

ing, counseling, time off—they will turn on a dime. Th ey will
quickly be back to performing positively.
For example, last month, Patty—who had not sold any-
thing in a couple of months—told me that she was afraid that
she would lose her job. She was very upset. I asked her, “How
can we help you?” Her response surprised me: she wanted a

day off to get her lawn ready for a new swing set for her chil-
dren, to which I said yes.
I was even more surprised by what happened next. Patty

took a day off, came back happily energized, and had her
best week of sales in over four months. If I had criticized her,
I would have made the situation worse. She was not really
upset about work. She was worried about the swing set and
her children. It is rarely about work.