Positive Leadership

Our world is changing dramatically. It is becoming faster, more complex, and more interconnected. Innovation is taking place everywhere. Everywhere? No! In many organisations "leadership" still defies all innovation. It still follows concepts that date back to the time of early industrialisation, when individuals and organisations were regarded as machines and control was considered a linear input-output process.

Change is visible in some organisations, though. They are beginning to perceive individuals and organisations as living systems, where leadership tackles issues of complexity, energy, and meaning. New techniques and new learning methods are used to generate a new understanding of leadership and a new organisational culture.

trainconsulting has been working on this topic for many years, doing profound research, and has come across many positive examples of how leadership can be rethought and redesigned. Our customers have become more successful and more self-assured.

How to create a framework for leadership

Leadership mission statements provide the day-to-day leadership practice with a framework of values and meaning. They are designed to offer orientation and a code of conduct for leaders and managers in their ways to practise leadership.

While developing a leadership mission statement we do not put the emphasis on getting a result in terms of individual paradigms. The goal is the evolutionary process as such. To let a leadership mission statement evolve gives managers and leaders an opportunity to generate an ongoing "leadership dialogue" that opens the ground for a shared understanding of leadership, its guiding principles, values and standards. This can generate a "community of leaders" who join forces to help the organisation evolve.

How to transform into a "learning organisation"

Action Learning is a method which links the learning processes of individuals to "learning effects" in organisations. We call it a "learning organisation" if its "learning effects" not only focus on solving problems (repair), but if the organisation is capable of developing new methods to tackle challenges (learn). This approach has become an essential tool, especially in the course of change processes.

The Action Learning Process

• The management defines the objectives and contents of the learning process (based on an organisational analysis and/or the Leadership Check)
• One or more project groups are established, which are called to reflect on themselves with the aim to identify new ideas for self-development
• The project groups define their own project type and work methods. In order to ensure that the outputs generated by individuals, groups and the organisation are properly preserved the work process involves learning and reflection loops. The project groups receive assistance and advice from external consultants.
• The results will be presented to the management as soon as the work process has been concluded.

How to develop solutions together

Peer consulting is a structured setting of learning and reflection where managers and leaders collectively try to find solutions for difficulties they face in their everyday leadership practice. This setting enables managers and executives to recognise and use their own skills and resources while simultaneously developing a self-aware confidence within their role as leaders.

Peer consulting is performed in small, regular, mostly one-day workshops. Initially, these workshops receive assistance from external consultants. Later on, participating experts or managers can assume a leading role.

Positive Leadership is a new understanding of leadership which employs new leadership tools and methods. It has its roots in solid scientific research and is the answer to many questions arising in a quickly changing global, social and economic environment.

Positive leadership is based on two fundamental principles:

1. All leadership actions focus exclusively and consistently on the resources, potentials and good qualities of individuals and organisations.
2. The "positive" approach unties leadership from traditional concepts: Leadership is not considered a position (a "post" in the organisation), but a function (a task of the entire organisation). Also, leadership is not linked to a specific person ("leader", "manager", "executive"), but to a desirable role and a behaviour which many individuals can show.

In-house seminars are meant for managers and management teams, i.e. individual leaders or groups. To achieve a maximum reach and impact, the organisational and leadership culture should evolve in the same direction.

We therefore offer organisations the opportunity of an intensive workshop where we introduce the principles, instruments and practical implementations of positive leadership. They can then decide whether this approach is viable for their organisation and their tasks.

Workshop leader

Ruth Seliger

If you would like to learn more about positive leadership, do not hesitate to contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or get in touch directly with Dr. Ruth Seliger at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..