The Heart Of Business

Last week we attempted to dispel myths regarding leadership. Today, we will explore several characteristics which are found in some of our most effective leaders.

1. Effective leaders have the ability to develop empathy.

It has been said that people don’t care what you know until they know that you care. This applies to leadership as well. We expect our leaders to demonstrate they care by empathizing with us and the situations we are in. It is a human need to be understood. A good leader listens, and through listening, gains insight into situations, enabling him to connect with the hearts of those he is leading.

2. Effective leaders access their intuition and are not afraid to follow it.

Leaders are always accessing their talents and experiences, but truly great leaders access their intuition, too, and are not afraid to follow it. Intuition is one of those things that is too often overlooked in our rationalized world. I know that nine times out of ten, my heart will tell me the right albeit unknown path, even though my head might try to rationalize another, usually safer direction.

Accessing intuition is not difficult. We all do it. But following your intuition is more difficult because it takes courage and conviction to do so. It takes a strong belief in yourself and your ability to sense each situation. Remember, if all of the facts are present, decisions become easy. One of a leader’s responsibilities is to help bridge situations when not all the facts are known. Intuition helps.

3. Effective leaders spend time each day in reflection.

As the pace of business has continually sped up, many of us have found ourselves caught in the grind of day-to-day activities. Doing, doing, doing! One of the most important things effective leaders can do is work reflection into their daily routine—to step back and contemplate issues and ideas regarding their respective businesses. Reflection gives us time to see the possibilities. Reflective time should not be used to play devil’s advocate, punching holes in our ideas. It should be used to let concepts emerge, blossom, and build upon one another. Staying positive in our reflective time allows us to focus on all possibilities.

I often wonder how many good ideas I have talked myself out of over the years because I did not stay positive in my reflection. How many ideas were squashed before they were allowed to germinate and take form? Reflective time should be used to let your mind soar, connect with your heart, and let go of all your preconceptions.

4. Effective leaders bring a “beginner’s mind” to situations.

When you are young and in the process of learning, you will take the time necessary to understand your subject, paying special attention to the concept. As we age and gain experiences, however, we may too often condition ourselves to jump to conclusions and make decisions before we truly understand the situation. Instead of bringing a “beginner’s mind,” we bring the experienced, sometimes cynical mindset.

Effective leaders find a way to suspend their beliefs and experience when they approach a situation. They bring their “beginner’s mind.” This mindset allows them to fully appreciate the issue or situation before jumping to a conclusion, to potentially see something they might not have seen had they filtered the situation solely through their experiences. A “beginner’s mind” allows them to then apply their experiences in a meaningful way.

Next week we will explore defining and staying true to our organizational purpose.

Questions for reflection:

1. Are there times when you have followed your intuition and things worked out?
2. How do you work reflection into your daily routine?
3. Can you develop “beginners mind?”

Until next week . . .

Craig

This entry was posted on Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 10:10 am and is filed under Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.