1Today, I want to talk about self-regulatory focus theory
2and how the actions of leaders can affect the way followers approach different situations.
3Self-regulatory focus theory is a theory developed by Tori Higgins.
4He says that a person's focus at any given time is to either approach pleasure or avoid pain.
5These are two basic motivations that each and every one of us has,
6and they cause us to have different kinds of goals.
7Promotion goals in different life situations emphasise achievement.
8Prevention goals are oriented towards the avoidance of punishment.
9In a specific situation,
10our thoughts might focus more on promotion goals or more on prevention goals.
11The theory suggests that two factors affect which goals we are focusing on.
12First, there is a chronic factor.
13This factor is connected to a person's personality
14and says that each person has a basic tendency to either focus more on promotion goals
15or focus more on prevention goals as part of his or her personality.
16Second, there is a situational factor
17which means that the context we are in can make us more likely to focus on one set of goals or the other.
18For example, we are more likely to be thinking about pleasure and to have promotion goals
19when we are spending time with a friend.
20In contrast, if we are working on an important project for our boss,
21we are more likely to try to avoid making mistakes
22and therefore have more prevention goals in our mind.
23Research has shown that the goals we are focusing on at a given time affect the way we think.
24For example, when focusing on promotion goals,
25people consider their ideal self, their aspirations and gains.
26They don't think about what they can lose,
27so they think in a happier mode.
28They feel more inspired to change.
29When people are focusing on prevention goals,
30they think about their "ought" self.
31What are they supposed to be?
32What are people expecting from them?
33They consider their obligations to others.
34As a result, they experience more anxiety and try to avoid situations where they could lose.
35Now that I have talked about the two focuses and how they affect people,
36I want to look at the idea that the way leaders behave, or their style of leading,
37can affect the focus that followers adopt in a specific situation.
38In talking about leadership,
39we often mention transformational leaders and transactional leaders.
40Transformational leaders, when interacting with their followers, focus on their development.
41In their words and actions transformational leaders highlight change.
42Their speech is passionate and conveys a definitive vision.
43All of these things can encourage followers to think about what could be.
44In other words, they inspire a promotion focus in their followers.
45In contrast, transactional leaders focus on developing clear structures
46that tell their followers exactly what is expected of them.
47While they do explain the rewards people will get for following orders,
48they emphasise more how a follower will be punished
49or that a follower won't get rewarded
50if his or her behaviour doesn't change.
51In short, they emphasise the consequences of making a mistake.
52This emphasis will clearly lead followers to focus on avoiding punishment and problems.
53This is clearly a prevention focus.
54In conclusion, it is important to understand that one focus is not necessarily better than the other one.
55For a designer who works in a field where a lot of innovation is needed,
56a promotion focus is probably better.
57In contrast, a prevention focus which causes people to work more cautiously and produce higher quality work
58might be very appropriate for a job like a surgeon, for example.
59The main point of the research, though, is that the actions of leaders
60can greatly influence whether people approach a situation
61with more of a promotion focus or more of a prevention focus.