Successful Leadership

There is a common belief that most successful leaders are extroverts with big egos. There certainly are some of those folks but the truth is most successful leaders who build great companies and organizations that last tend to be introverts who exhibit humility.

There are many models and theories of leadership. I have been influenced and informed by the following three models: Generative Leadership, Authentic Leadership and Transformational Leadership. These emphasize the leader’s self awareness, emotional intelligence and mindful presence.

Leadership and  Emotional Intelligence

Several studies have found a strong association between a leader’s emotional intelligence (EI), their ability to drive change, and the impact of their visionary leadership. To excel, leaders need to develop a balance of strengths across the suite of EI competencies. When they do, excellent business results follow. To be effective, leaders must have a solid understanding of how their emotions and actions affect the people around them. Coaching is the most effective method for improving areas of deficit.

Leadership, Mindfulness and Self Awareness

Not enough can be said about increasing self-awareness and how it impacts work and life. Learning to witness our thoughts, behaviors, opinions, stories and assess what serves us best is of great value. To see the workings of our consciousness through a mindfulness practice gets us to see our limitations and be able to grow. Developmental growth of all kinds involves being able to take multiple perspectives (first-, second-, third-person perspectives and beyond). It’s beneficial, too, to solicit feedback from those who can help us see our blind spots

Working with Leaders and Their Teams

Leading successful teams, like growing successful organizations, requires employee engagement. Successful team leaders considers and the opinions of others. This kind of leader is not ego driven but recognizes, values, and respects the strength of the group. Successful leaders embody and coach their teams to embody the following:

• Take Clear Stands: To be an excellent leader you advocate for what’s important. Amid competing priorities, you articulate clearly what you stand for and have the courage to speak what’s true even if it’s difficult or unpopular. When every member of your team has this capacity, you focus on the real issues and move work forward in a way that builds commitment.
• Connect Authentically: For teams to achieve their best, every member – and especially the leader – has to build connections with others, even when facing disagreements. You need to operate with empathy, can tolerate the discomfort of strong emotion, and skillfully communicate in order to build common agreement. Team members who can disagree openly and still care about the perspectives and priorities of others creates cohesion and higher quality decisions and products.
• Manage Reactivity: The best leaders have the capacity to manage their reactivity (an EI competency), even in high-intensity situations, and engage from a place of centered confidence. This centered, non-reactive presence brought on by mindfulness practices helps you access a still point and find the skillful action that engages and motivates others. When your team members also manage their reactivity skillfully and operate from a place of presence and confidence, they can stay focused on the real work and speak truth without blame, uncovering and resolving problems quickly and effectively.