S1: Positive Leaders, Positive Change with Graham Keen

Building Better Leaders

In this weeks podcast John & Rachael are joined by the wonderfully engaging and effervescent business psychologist, a former CFO and corporate finance adviser Graham Keen.

Author of Positive Leaders, Positive Change, Graham has studied with the father of positive psychology Dr. Martin Seligman, and through The Positive Profitability Company Graham offers game changing psychological insights into maximising profitability and wellbeing.

If you’ve ever found yourself trapped by a combination of a lack of resources, impossible deadlines and an unreasonable shareholder / or Boss then this podcast will set you on your way to approaching business life and leadership differently.

We discuss a variety of subjects whilst keeping our eye on the psychology elements that drive them:

• Shocking levels of disengaged employees
• Benefits of positivity -PIPO
• Go for “being kind,” being a hardass is easy
• Positivity requires courage and toughness
• How Graham works with organisations
• The power of the unconscious mind
• Creativity through relaxation techniques

He introduces us to CREAMS where we discuss, creativity, resilience, emotional and analytical intelligence, motivations, and self-esteem.

Leadership Essentials:

1. Don’t fall into the trap of following your favourite leaders habits, because you are not them! By creating Positive Emotional Affect you create the right conditions that allow people to follow you! You cannot demand it! If you can get your people to give you discretionary effort, you are onto a winner!

2. Positivity trumps everything else. The maximum impact of effectiveness on one individual or a company cannot be better achieved with anything else other than positivity

3. Think about your Organisational Ethos - a combination of leadership values and behaviours, organisational culture, and the engagement climate; work on these things and keep them at the forefront of your mind, ensuring the fairness of distribution of rewards

Graham has kindly offered to send anyone who emails him a copy of his book. You can contact Graham through LinkedIn, or [e-mail]