Prescriptions for leading organizational success are plentiful, often provided by well-known CEOs, political candidates, and consultants. The objective of this book is different. It aims to explain certain strategies that can help leaders reach beyond ordinary success to achieve extraordinary effectiveness, spectacular results, and positively deviant performance.
The four strategies discussed in the book include the cultivation of positive climate, positive relationships, positive communication, and positive meaning. Each strategy is explained and illustrated, and Cameron provides specific actionable guidelines for implementing them, as well as a proven process whereby these four strategies can be implemented in organizations is also described.
While this is a concise, accessible guide meant for a general leadership audience, a distinctive feature of this book is that these strategies and prescriptions rely on rigorous empirical research for their credibility. This research helps ensure the legitimacy and integrity of the prescriptions being advocated. Rather than being based on the personal experiences of a single well-regarded leader, the book relies on scholarly research from multiple investigations to substantiate the recommendations for enabling positive deviance.