How a Positive Attitude affects your bottom line

A life or death issue!

The month of October is Positive Attitude Month. Are you consciously aware that the culture you create can bring life and joy, or fear and death? In 2012 the business world was shocked with the news that Former France Telecom chief executive Didier Lombard had been indicted by a court in Paris over allegations that he led a corporate culture of bullying and harassment that resulted in the suicide of at least 30 employees.

I would like to think that Mr. Lombard did not set out to create a culture of death. But he failed to see how bullying and harassment could result in suicides. What is even sadder is that he failed to grasp that creating a positive culture not only could have prevented many of those deaths, but could have also created an environment which could have resulted in more profits and engagement.

Why it’s important to create a positive culture?

Besides the obvious lesson from the alleged deadly results of Mr. Lombard negative organizational culture, I want to share with you some of the reasons (backed by research) for creating positive cultures.

A couple of years ago The American Management Association published a report of a global study which they titled: Cultivating effective corporate cultures. Their results do not stand alone. I have read other research report with similar results. Some of the results of creating a positive culture are:

1. Higher performance

A positive corporate culture is associated with higher performance. It also results in doing well in the marketplace.

2. Higher productivity and better talent retention

Positive corporate cultures tend to have more engaged and satisfied workers. Happier workers enhance productivity.

3. More effective change initiatives

Positive corporate cultures are associated with the greater facilitation of change initiatives. This finding is true regardless of conventional wisdom that sees a strong culture as entrenched and resistant to change. Instead, the study found the opposite—positive corporate cultures are more receptive to change and adapt quickly to meet new challenges.

4. More successful mergers

Organizations with positive cultures are more likely to have successful mergers. Yet, it is the rare organization that successfully manages to combine two cultures into a unified culture—only 22% of respondents whose organizations had undergone a merger said they had managed to do so to a high or very high extent. It would be probably better to focus on creating a new positive culture.

5. Better talent management

Success in the area of talent management—as well as its key components—is linked to having a more positive corporate culture. The study found that talent management itself, as well as its various strands (hiring, retention, training, etc.), are all significantly associated with positive corporate cultures.

What about you? Are you ready to take the banner for creating a positive culture? You will need to start by having a positive attitude yourself!

Remember. . .

Setting the standard for a positive corporate culture should be a major focus for leaders in any organization. When employees are in a positive environment, they are more likely to perform better and contribute more. Creating something positive and upbeat within the organization will contribute greatly to organizational effectiveness and success.

I can help you plan for a positive culture. Working with me you will find your best individual path for cultivating a positive attitude. Executive coaching is the best path for leadership development. To find out more, simply click here.