The authors briefly review the literature on occupational health, including occupational medicine, occupational health psychology, and occupational safety, framing the current convergence of these from their scientific origins in preventive medicine and its most basic science of epidemiology, in psychology, and in engineering. They give attention to the burden of suffering, which concerns issues of morbidity and mortality within a population group, and consider both the economic and humanitarian perspectives of the burden of suffering, which may occur within a working population as a result of poor occupational health. The authors see reason for optimism for the future and identify two sets of emerging trends: one set that includes four positive advances-positive health, leadership, mood and emotions, and interventions-and one that falls under the authors' rubric of new horizons-technology, virtual work, globalization, and aging. The authors conclude with attention to zest at work, along with cardiovascular health and well-being.

This introductory article recollects The Call for this Special Issue, which framed the development of the work and the review process. In addition, the article discusses the concept of organizational health, addressing both issues of healthy individuals and healthy organizations. The heart of the article is a discussion of the Goolsby Leadership Model, one healthy model of leadership. We suggest that the healthy leader is the touchstone for organizational health. The article includes a section which introduces the six competitively selected manuscripts included in the special issue. An agenda for closing gaps in scientific knowledge and in contemporary practice provides the conclusion for the article. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2007.

SummaryWe propose to bridge the domains of positive health and leadership. We suggest that a ''positive'' health model helps explain highly effective leadership. The leader must strive for health and facilitate health in his/her followers. We look at leadership through this new and positive lens, that of ''positive'' health promotion.

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Executives, especially chief executives, can be egocentric, action-oriented, competitive risk takers with above average anger and hostility (J. D. Quick, Cooper, Gavin, & Quick, 2002). Power is a prime motivator for executives, who are not typically introspective personalities (Nelson, 2003).Therefore, an executive's role can become a mask that traps him or her into communication and behaviors that come from neither the heart nor the soul. Communication and behavior that fail to originate in the core of who we are and what we believe lack personal integrity and fail the test of authenticity. Luthans and Avolio (2003) traced the historical roots of authenticity to ancient Greek philosophy ("To thine own self be true"). For them, authentic leadership best represents a confluence of positive organizational behavior that emerges from positive psychology, transformational leadership, and ethical and moral perspective taking. Executives and leaders who are authentic display good character, personal integrity, optimism, and a sense of direction.