Page 179 - Appreciative Leadership

152 Appreciative Leadership

can tell if you love what you are doing, and with whom you are work-

ing. They want leadership that cares, that leads with love.
I had a mentor who believed in me from day 1. He helped
me see things in such a way that I wanted to be a better
person. He had such a heart! His advice to me was, “If
you are going to be a leader, you’d better love people.” His
encouragement drew people to him like a bee to a fl ower.
And he was not afraid to tell you what you needed to hear.
He could do it in such a way that you accepted it. He truly
loved people, and it made him a great leader.

The ultimate Appreciative Leadership challenge is to love what
you do and with whom you work. When you do, everything else will
follow in a good and meaningful way.

Organizing to a Life-Affirming Purpose

Inspiration abides among people. It activates energy, confi dence, and

hope. Most significantly, however, it points the way to a better life.
Inspiration is evoked when people share stories of success, use ele-
vated language, and paint compelling visions of the future. Th e most
courageous and transformative Appreciative Leadership practices
are those that make it possible, indeed inevitable, for people to orga-

nize around a life-affirming purpose. Consider, for example, Green

Mountain Coffee Roasters, whose inspirational mission is “Brewing

a Better World.” Their Web site states this purpose:

We believe a whole systems approach is the most effective
business model, and we are truly motivated by helping
create a more sustainable world… The ultimate coffee
experience is one that makes a positive difference in every
life we touch from tree to cup. Naturally, coffee lovers are
better off for having a great cup of Green Mountain Coffee;
yet it goes further than that: a woman who picks coffee in