Page 25 - Appreciative Leadership

xxiv Introduction

Chapter 2, “From Potential to Positive Power: The Five Core Strat-

egies,” briefly presents the fi ndings of our research into Appreciative
Leadership and positive power. We make the case, through stories and
quotes, that people want leadership that is positively powerful. We
draw distinctions between potential and power, and we offer a variety

of ways through which human, organization, and community poten-
tial is relationally liberated and turned into positive power. Finally, we
introduce the Five Core Strategies of Appreciative Leadership: inquiry,
illumination, inclusion, inspiration, and integrity.
Chapters 3 through 7 present the Five Core Strategies in detail.
A chapter is dedicated to each, complete with defi nitions, exemplary
case examples, and specific Appreciative Leadership practices. Each

of these five chapters ends with a summary of practices and a list of
books and Web sites for further consideration.
In Chapter 3, “The Wisdom of Inquiry: Leading with Positively

Powerful Questions,” we make it clear that the questions leaders ask

are very influential—for better or for worse. And we off er specifi c

Appreciative Leadership practices for crafting and asking positively
powerful questions.

Chapter 4, “The Art of Illumination: Bringing out the Best of
People and Situations,” establishes the strengths-based orientation of
Appreciative Leadership. We ground it in the concept of Appreciative
Intelligence—the capacity to see inherent positive potential—and we
offer a wide range of practices for discovering strengths, identifying

the root causes of success, and elevating performance.

In Chapter 5, “The Genius of Inclusion: Engaging with People to
Cocreate the Future,” we make the case for including all the people
whose future it is in dialogue and decisions about the future. We take
a stand that says Appreciative Leadership is about including people
whose voices have not previously been in the conversation. We off er
up practices to engage others—ranging from one other person to
thousands.

Chapter 6, “The Courage of Inspiration: Awakening the Creative
Spirit,” shows you that creativity, inspiration, and hope are essential
for high performance and positive change. We describe the elements