The Power of Positive Leadership book club questions

1. 1.

   Gordon distinguishes positive leadership from false positivity. Think of a leader in your experience who modeled the former — what did they actually do differently?

2. 2.

   What is your honest ratio of positive to critical communication with your team in any given week? How does that compare to what you intend?

3. 3.

   He argues that negativity must be actively transformed, not ignored. Where is negativity currently living in your team or organization, and what would addressing it directly look like?

4. 4.

   Purpose beyond compensation: do you believe your team understands why their work matters beyond the paycheck? What's the evidence?

5. 5.

   Gordon's model distinguishes excellence from perfection. Which one does your current environment reward, and what are the consequences of that?

6. 6.

   Think of a time when your own emotional state set the tone for your team in a negative way. What happened, and what would you do differently?

7. 7.

   Love as leadership practice: is genuine care for your direct reports visible in your day-to-day behavior, or mostly in your intentions?

8. 8.

   Gordon's approach is often used in sports contexts. What translates well from sport to your organizational environment? What doesn't?

9. 9.

   If you left your current organization tomorrow, what culture would you leave behind — and is that the culture you want to be known for building?

10. 10.

    The book is short and accessible. Is brevity an asset or a liability when dealing with leadership challenges as complex as the ones Gordon describes?

11. 11.

    Which of Gordon's practices — culture, optimism, transforming negativity, love, excellence, connection — is most underdeveloped in your current leadership?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.