10 Personal Skills That Set the Very Best Leaders Apart
Leadership skills that worked in the past won't carry you into the
future.
Do you have the personal qualities you
need to be an effective leader in the coming
decades? Even if you've been successful so far, the answer may be no. The
aggressive personality and hard-driving skill set that got so many leaders
to the top in past years won't keep working in the future.
That warning comes from Sandja
Brügmann, serial entrepreneur and founder of the Passion
Institute, a conscious leadership, strategic purpose, and sustainable
business consultancy for executives and entrepreneurs. "Today, we are
experiencing a shift away from the old, pure capitalist business
principles, where success was measured purely by profits, with a high
disregard for any damaging effects on the environment, health, and
workers," she says. "Instead, the focus is moving to the
bigger interrelated picture and the environmental, cultural, social, and
global impacts a business can have."
Some of that evolution is happening for
a very practical reason: the tight labor pool. With skilled
employees increasingly able to choose among many
employers, 77 percent of Millennials say they select companies they can be
proud of, according to recent research by Deloitte. That means leaders who want
success for the future must pay attention to the bigger picture or risk losing
younger employees to more socially conscious employers.
Developing
the qualities you need to be a "new paradigm" leader will make you
happier as well, she adds. "People who have these leadership skills not
only create stronger interrelations," she says. "They also
live the life they truly want to live." And they help their
businesses make a positive impact in the world at large as well.
Here's
what you'll need.
1.
Courage.
Being courageous is "a winning
skill to master," Brügmann says. Make no mistake, courage isn't the
absence of fear but the ability to act in spite of fear--a skill that can be
learned. "Real change happens outside of our comfort
zone," Brügmann says. So when you feel fear, rather than give in to
it, move strategically forward in the desired direction in spite of it, she
advises. "Practice strengthening that courage muscle."
2.
Radical responsibility.
"Stop the blame game,"
Brügmann advises. Sound easy? "Commit to a week without complaining, and you'll realize
how difficult this is," she says. "On a daily basis, we are
surrounded by complaining and blaming mindsets."
You
can change that dynamic for yourself and your company. "Taking radical
responsibility in every situation, and taking action toward the world you
envision, will drive a proactive mindset of conscious business," she
says.
3.
Healthy anger.
"Anger
has gotten a bad reputation in our society and culture," Brügmann says.
"The truth is, anger holds an incredible amount of power when it
comes to accessing passion and the ability to create and manifest a
vision."
In
today's world of growing discontent with greed-driven businesses, Brügmann
expects a lot more expressions of healthy anger in the coming years. For
leaders, "learning to stay present with anger--which denotes that
something is not OK with you--and then creating a plan of action to remedy
the problem and establish better working efforts will be a key future
skill," she says. "Healthy anger is needed for you to know what works
and doesn't work in the present moment, and that's a skill visionary leaders
need to possess."
4.
Emotional intelligence.
"Leaders
of tomorrow, and preferably already today, need deep emotional awareness
and radical empathy skills in order to behave in a manner that goes beyond
self-interests," Brügmann says. Emotional intelligence reportedly accounts
for 58 percent of performance in all types of jobs, and 83 percent of those
with high self-awareness are top performers. "It's hard to deny that this
is a key skill for success," she says.
5.
Sensuousness.
No,
they don't teach it in MBA programs. But Brügmann argues, "We have
been driven by cultural, capitalistic, and materialistic forces for a very
long time, to the point that we have lost touch with our true nature
as human beings."
You
can get back to your true self by moving away from rational-only decision
making she says. "Moving into a state where we experience the world
through our senses not only allows for healthy emotional connectedness, but
also means better decisions will be made."
6.
Self-care.
Many of us neglect the care of our physical
selves,
especially when leading a business or a team. That's a big mistake.
"Taking good care of your health is a foundational skill in building
sustainable leadership," Brügmann says.
She recommends eating a life-enhancing
diet, and prioritizing regular exercise, "no matter how
crazy your schedule may seem." Think you just don't have time? Take
inspiration from some of the world's most successful leaders. "Richard
Branson stays in shape with kite surfing," she notes. Stella McCartney
(daughter of a former Beatle and a well-known fashion designer) says thinking
about her four kids inspires her to exercise--and she runs, dances, bikes, and
goes to the gym. "India's fourth-richest billionaire, Anil Ambani, is a
marathon runner," she adds.
And
don't neglect sleep--another mistake busy entrepreneurs and executives often
make. "Sleep is another foundational physical health
skill," Brügmann says.
7.
Determination.
Being
committed to a larger vision helps you handle the hard times and avoid
being thrown off by temporary ups and downs, Brügmann says.
"Be a goal digger! Recommit to your goal often--daily is preferred--and
consistently consider how committed you are to reaching this vision." The
more committed you are, the likelier your vision will come true.
8.
Vulnerability.
In her inspiring TED Talk,
researcher Brené Brown describes how people who fully embrace
vulnerability believe that quality is what makes themselves and other
beautiful. "Allowing your team to see you as a whole and imperfect person,
as well as a role model, will inspire the kind of atmosphere where teams
thrive, and where creativity and innovation is flourishing," Brügmann
says.
9.
Risk tolerance.
Failure is an
opportunity to learn and grow, Brügmann says. "Allowing for room to
fail is the same as allowing for room to succeed. This seedling space requires
creativity, play, trial and error, and thus imperfection."
Ironically, while accepting failure
and risk-taking are in vogue
throughout the business world and especially the startup world, younger
entrepreneurs are more financially fragile and risk-averse than
ever, Brügmann notes. Perhaps this is because so many are now saddled
with huge college debt.
Whatever the cause, she says,
"leaders who not only understand how to work with the strengths of the
millennial cohort, but also support strengthening their weaknesses, will be in
demand."
10.
Playful curiosity.
"Seek out potential opportunities
and get curious," Brügmann advises. And when conflict arises,
approach that conflict from a place of
curiosity rather than feeling victimized.
"First,
look inward--how did you cause this situation to happen?" she says.
"Then look outward and get curious about the other person's reaction and
think about how that person might see the world from a playful attitude."
If you can do this, she says, "creative solutions will appear in a playful
space that is otherwise not available."
BY MINDA
ZETLIN
http://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/10-personal-skills-that-set-the-very-best-leaders-apart-.html?cid=em01016week02a
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