Some bosses bring you down. Others launch you higher than you could jump alone.

The first kind is far more common. A FlexJobs survey found 87% of employees have worked for at least one toxic manager. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that a toxic manager won’t launch you or your career higher.

But there is more than one leadership style.

In our research on effective leadership for Building the Best, we identified five primary styles, defined by how caring and demanding a leader is.

The elevate leadership style produces the best results and feels like a trampoline and provides a double bounce for team members.

A double bounce happens when someone else lands on the trampoline at just the right moment and sends you higher than you could ever jump alone. The best leaders see it as their job to lead like a trampoline and provide that double bounce, so their team reaches its potential.

However, most managers don’t see it that way. They treat the title as a way to extract, or to bounce themselves higher. It’s not that they don’t want to see someone else succeed, but they aren’t driven daily to overcome the challenges related to elevating others and instead focus on elevating themselves.

If you’re even mildly intrigued, let’s get real. Leading like a trampoline is not being a doormat; in fact, it’s the opposite. Iron sharpens iron. A person doesn’t get in better condition without tough workouts. Leading like a trampoline is similar, and it requires three things.

1. Set high standards. Decide what great looks like and say it out loud, so nobody has to guess. Make it specific enough that the person can tell whether they hit it. A standard that stays in your head quickly builds into resentment.

2. Give consistent feedback and coaching. A high standard without feedback and coaching is just a speed limit sign, and no one likes those. Observe the effort, coach the skills, and have the hard conversation when it’s required. This is the double bounce and the springs of the trampoline in action.

3. Bring optimistic energy. In the Optimistic Outlook newsletter, I define optimism as the habit of expecting good outcomes while acknowledging the reality of the current situation. It isn’t pretending everything is fine. It means walking in believing someone’s best is ahead of them, not behind them, and saying so, especially on the days the results aren’t there yet.

None of these three are always comfortable, but neither is flying high through the air on a trampoline. However, it is worth it, because people don’t meet their potential without the help of other people.

So the question isn’t whether you have the title. It’s whether you are the reason someone jumps higher.

Use your gifts,

John Eades

Founder of LearnLoft | The Sales Infrastructure

P.S. Take the free leadership style quiz here to see which of the five styles you are leading like today.

Anyone who answers the poll question is entered to win a free copy of the Optimistic Outlook book.

If you missed last week’s column, Confident Leaders Need to Stop Saying Yes

Leaders must choose positivity on purpose.

Then, if negativity infiltrates their team, they must root it out aggressively. Because it spreads like wildfire.

The Optimistic Outlook is a daily newsletter that reminds you to focus on the bright side, one day at a time. Join 1500+ leaders already improving their mindset, one lesson at a time.

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