Emotional openness: No, it doesn't mean crying in meetings.
Being a leader today isn't just about making decisions and giving motivational speeches. If you really want a team that doesn't plot your downfall while you're preparing your next PowerPoint presentation, you need to learn the art of emotional openness. And no, that doesn't mean bursting into tears every time the budget doesn't add up.
Being emotionally open means understanding that your colleagues aren't robots (even if they sometimes seem that way on Zoom calls). Recognizing and managing emotions—yours and others'—helps you build authentic relationships, the kind that makes people truly want to work with you, not just respond to emails because they have to.
Adaptive communication: either you learn to talk to everyone or you talk to yourself.
You know what the problem is with many leaders? They all talk the same way to everyone. That's fine if your team is made up of clones, but in reality, it doesn't work. Adaptive communication is the art of understanding. who is in front of you? and shape your speech accordingly.
Do you have a team of engineers? Go for data and logic. Do you have a team of creatives? Prepare metaphors and inspiration. Do you have a mix of both? Congratulations.
Flexible Thinking: Why Rigidity Only Works for Statues
If you like to be in control and always be right, I have news for you: the world doesn't work that way. Flexible thinking is what allows you to face change without going crazy and find solutions when plan A (and B and C) goes up in smoke.
Being flexible doesn't mean being indecisive, but being smart enough to understand that things change. And if you want to lead a team in a world where today's a trend is obsolete tomorrow, you must be willing to revisit your ideas and strategies.
Perspective seeking and coordination: or, stop thinking you're always right
An effective leader is not the one who always has the right answer, but the one who knows how to gather the best ideas to find the right one. there Right answer. This is called coordinating perspective, and it's why some companies innovate while others remain stuck in their ways (and then wonder why they're out of business).
If you really want to make decisions that work, you need to listen to different perspectives, not just your own. Creating spaces where your team feels free to speak without fear of judgment is key to gathering better ideas, not just what people think you want to hear.
Bottom line: Being a leader doesn't mean having a bigger desk.
Leadership is not synonymous with control. It is the ability to create an environment where people give their best because they want, not because they have to.
If you want to be a leader who makes an impact (and not just a shadow in Monday morning meetings), develop these skills: open yourself emotionally, communicate adaptively, learn to think flexibly, and welcome other people's perspectives.
Oh, and one last piece of advice: if your team never says anything negative to you, it doesn't mean you're perfect. It means they're afraid to talk to you. And there's a lot of work to be done on that.
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