Page 20 - Appreciative Leadership

Introduction xix

hard-core, quick-deciding, bottom-line leaders that rise to
the top in corporate America, it just might be life changing,
for the better.

3. These leaders truly believed in the power of the positive. For
executives like Theresa Bertram (then executive director of

the Cathedral Foundation) and John Oechsle (former CIO for
IHS), the positive was a direct line to high performance. When
faced with low levels of employee morale and engagement, they
both chose positive approaches to change. Th ey understood
that by studying what was successful and promising in their
organizations, people would gain confidence and hope; but

also that morale and performance would improve. Similarly,
Margaret Browne, former manager of budget and finance for the

city and county of Denver, Colorado, chose Appreciative Inquiry
to address a $70 million budget shortfall, thereby achieving truly

positive results. As these cases illustrate, belief in the power of

the positive pays off in social as well as fi nancial matters.
4. These leaders cared about people, often describing the work of

their organization or business in terms of helping people learn,
grow, and develop. Carolyn Miller, executive director of the
Community Development Institute (CDI), is an exemplar of this
kind of leadership. Leading from a stance of coach and mentor,
she actively solicits people’s hopes and dreams for their future,
then supports them in taking on work that is consistent with
those dreams. Her commitment to personal development is also

reflected in the company’s robust training budget, as well the
regular, ongoing coaching that she and her fellow leaders engage
in with their staff s.

As a result of our work with these exemplary leaders and others, we
began to see that people and organizations could learn, grow, and

change through a purposefully affi rmative process. The old “no pain,
no gain” view of personal development is not a requirement for people
engaged in Appreciative Inquiry. When leaders participate with people