The Power Of Positive Leadership: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World

Why does Gordon say, “We are positive because life can be hard” (7)? How does this message manifest throughout the book, and what is its rhetorical effect?

How does Gordon reconcile the idea of servant-leadership with the need for accountability?

Consider the metaphor of the “fruit” and “roots.” How does its meaning evolve over the course of the work?

What allusions does Gordon make to well-known texts (the Bible, Pollyana, etc.)? How do these allusions serve his message?

Consider Gordon’s definition of leadership as a transfer of belief. How does this idea set expectations for the argument that follows?

How can complaining be both good and bad for an organization? What other tensions or paradoxes appear in The Power of Positive Leadership? What elements of Gordon’s message might lend themselves to paradox?

Besides the fact that Gordon’s consulting business often leads him to work with sports teams, why might he so often point to coaches and players as examples of positive leaders? How do sports facilitate his emphasis on teamwork?

Consider the strategies that Gordon suggests for being an effective communicator. How does he put those into practice in this work?