Applying Positive Leadership Principles During COVID-19 Crisis

The principles of positive leadership become even more important during times of crisis — and the current pandemic illustrates how these ideas can be applied, according to a new journal article. 

Writing in Academic Radiology, Michigan Ross faculty member Amy Young and her coauthors outline the core principles of positive leadership and offer concrete examples of how they have been implemented at the U-M Department of Radiology. “Be Transparent,” “Be Accountable,” and “Be Flexible” are among the points covered.

“Whether we acknowledge it or not, we are shaping the culture of our departments for years to come in how we show up to lead our departments during this time. Not only is the virus contagious, but so are our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors,” the authors write.

The article concludes, “We are called to bring the very best version of ourselves to work; the one that we aspire to be and the one that we can be if we were to rise to the challenge. Showing up as positive leaders today will help to make us a stronger and more unified department in the days and years to come.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Amy Young is a lecturer in business communication at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, as well as the consortium faculty director and member of the core faculty at the Center for Positive Organizations. Coauthor David Fessell is a CPO faculty associate.

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