1st Edition
Positive Leadership in Practice A Model for Our Future
This book aims to help leaders become the best versions of themselves, achieve extraordinary results, and help their team accomplish the same. Packed with research and practical advice from real-life positive leaders, it offers an extensive look into both what high-performance leadership is and how it can be achieved.
Positive Leadership in Practice is a resource that all leaders can tap into to be more effective. The book introduces an ALIGHT model that guides leaders through six fundamental resources that can alight their own and their team’s motivation and transform their performance to an extraordinary level. Further breaking down the six resources into 18 core components, the book expands on what constitutes the six resources to make them tangible and accessible. The book also offers leaders the opportunity to self-assess their own levels of resources and levels of positive leadership through a questionnaire, as well as opportunities to reflect on how to further develop these levels of resources and positive leadership. Finally, the book signposts practical strategies to tap into on the back of their reflections to take action to become their best possible positive leader.
This book is for existing and aspiring managers, leaders, and those with people-related roles such as in human resources, coaching, leadership development, and organisational consultants, as well as anyone in more informal leadership positions. After all, we are all leaders.
1. Introduction
2. Abundance
3. Limberness
4. Inspiration
5. Grand-Design
6. Health
7. Tribe
8. How the Alight Model fits together
9. ALIGHT Positive Leadership Resources Scale
10. The Final Word….For Now
Biography
Cornelia Lucey FRSA, is an award-winning leadership psychologist and consultant delivering transformational and bespoke positive psychology development programmes for large-scale multinationals, charities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and start-ups. Her specialisms are in wellbeing, resilience, and positive leadership, and she has published research in all these fields. For more information, go to www.cornelialucey.com.
Jolanta Burke, PhD, is a chartered psychologist specialising in positive psychology and a senior lecturer at the Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, RCSI University of Medicine, and Health Sciences, Ireland. She has authored eight books and was acknowledged by The Irish Times as one of 30 people who make Ireland a better place. For more information, go to www.jolantaburke.com.
"This book equips all current and potential leaders with an actionable approach to unleashing resources to help individuals and teams flourish or move toward optimal functioning. Lucey's and Burke's approach to positive leadership is comprehensive, rooted in the latest research and practically useful. It is a must have resource for anyone aspiring to become more impactful and effective as a leader by bringing out the best in teams and individuals."
Prof. Emerita Jane Dutton, Business Administration and Psychology, University of Michigan
"Original and intellectually stimulating, Positive Leadership in Practice presents to us a new, innovative leadership model, termed Alight. This model enables a leader to make sense of six essential resources, further breaking down into 18 components. Grounded in research and benefiting from great coaching questions, this book is a pleasure to read."
Prof. Ilona Boniwell, Executive Director Positran, Strategic programme leader IMAPP – Anglia Ruskin University, Visiting & Associate Professor – CentraleSupelec, HEC and University of East London
"Sometimes books come along which are ‘right up your street’, and this is one of those books. Lucey and Burke have produced an insightful model for taking positive psychology research to inform daily leadership practice. Fusing research evidence with what managers, leaders, trainers and coaches need to bring this alive through practical actions that can be applied in the dynamic, hybrid-working, diverse world most leaders now find themselves in. A recommended read for 2022."
Prof Jonathan Passmore, Senior Vice President CoachHub
"Written by leading thinkers in the field of positive psychology, this timely and incisive text brings a welcome focus on the practical aspects of positive leadership. This book makes a valuable contribution to the field of positive organisational scholarship."
Prof. Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland"Congratulations Lucey & Burke on a much needed book on Positive Leadership. Building on the groundbreaking work of Professor Kim Cameron, Jane Dutton & Gretchen Spreitzer, this book is a go-to text for leaders, coaches and consultants. Whilst the field of Positive Organisational Scholarship and Positive Leadership are not yet fully embraced in business schools, this book, along with those before it, will provide a guide and inspiration to further develop and apply the many concepts that form part of Lucey & Burke’s own Positive Leadership model ALIGHT. I know it will be a key text in my own professional library."
Dr Suzy Green, D Psych (Clin) MAPS, Founder & CEO The Positivity Institute, Australia
"This book is a timely, insightful, and practical addition to our understanding of leadership. Diving into some of the less well understood or defined aspects of what great leaders do, the authors bring the credibility of powerful research insights, giving us tangible ways to consider our own, and others', approaches. At a time when evidence-informed practice can lead to overly-simplistic analyses, Lucey and Burke have given us a rich resource to navigate some of the more complex dimensions of leadership. With tools to support personal reflection as well as practical action, this book deserves to become a staple of any leader committed to their own, and their organisation's, learning and development."
Liz Robinson, Co-CEO Big Education Trust
"Never has the need for positive leadership been greater in ourselves, our teams, our organisations and our communities. This engaging book demystifies the concept of ‘Positive Leadership’ and fills the existing gap with a comprehensive framework underpinned by a robust evidence base. The six element ALIGHT framework is a clear and practical guide for leaders and aspiring leaders to develop their ‘positive leadership’ approach. This book is a ‘must read’ for anyone serious about developing best practice leadership skills…."
Dr Mary E Collins CPsychol EdD, Senior Executive Development Specialist, Graduate School of Healthcare Management, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
"Positive leaders contribute to the world around them. Their impact is deeply felt by their teams, communities, organisations and beyond. Yet, positive leadership is not sufficiently encouraged or appreciated. This is a timely book for leaders, leadership development practitioners and academics. It proposes a new positive leadership model (ALIGHT), which brings a balanced and well-researched overview of the ingredients of positive leadership. The book is also practical and reflective, and it offers the perspectives and experiences of leaders across different industries."
Dr Ana Paula Nacif, Leadership and Wellbeing coach, Course leader and lecturer, MSc Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology, University of East London
"Every leader or potential leader should read this book! Best practice in leadership is captured beautifully by the authors and the pages are packed full of great content. There is a wonderful mix of evidence based knowledge, and guidance on how to apply this in practice. The logical and consistent structure of Chapters 2-7, guided by the ALIGHT model, made it easy and enjoyable to read, and will make it easy to refer back to as the reader reflects on their practice and growth as a leader in the future. Chapter 8 helps the reader to see how it all fits together, and Chapter 9 provides a plethora of resources that can help leaders to embody positive leadership."
Dr Marie Stopforth, Chartered Psychologist and Coach, Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society, founder of The School of Coaching Psychology
"Positive leadership in Practice is landing on bookshelves at exactly the right time. Lucey and Burke’s book will be one I recommend in my graduate leadership classes and use as a handbook with clients!
Lucey and Burke don’t shy away from the pressure that intersecting social movements and pandemic-related crises are placing on leaders globally. Instead, drawing on their extensive personal, professional and academic experience, they proffer an innovative, evidence-based, and ambitious ALIGHT model of positive leadership. Thankfully, Lucey and Burke do not provide a sugar-coated model of positive leadership. Perfection is not required and the authors approach all topics with positive and negative examples. In short, readers will be hard pressed to walk away from Positive leadership in practice without an expanded or deepened repertoire of leadership knowledge and ambitions.
Burke and Lucey profile each component of the ALIGHT model in its own chapter. Helpful graphic organisers shape each unfolding narrative with infusions of research evidence and thought-provoking snippets from interviews with a cross-section of leaders. Within each chapter, readers are guided to pause and reflect on powerful questions that strike at the heart of individual and collective practices underpinning positive leadership. Throughout, the authors skilfully signpost resources and tools for readers to extend their own learning and reflection. The culmination of their work is the new ALIGHT framework Positive Leadership Resources Scale."
Dr Karen Edge, UCL Centre for Educational Leadership, UCL Institute of Education
"An inspiring, thoughtful and provocative book for leaders, coaches, consultants and change agents interested in helping employees and communities flourish and reach their highest potential."
Dr Andrea Giraldez-Hayes. Director Wellbeing and Psychological Services Clinic, University of East London
