The unbearable lightness of leadership
Random Thoughts
By Dr. Anastasia Artemiou
16:28:01,04/15/2020
When I hear the world “leader”, I think of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King. They were enlightened, inspired people who influenced humanity with their words and deeds.
Today, many are reluctantly anointed or, even worse, self-appointed leaders. Today’s “leaders” are, above all leading the way. I would say, they are very similar to Chancellor Merkel. They are smart, capable, impartial, hardcore, altruistic and underrated. They do not put their selfish interests or agendas above all but give priority to what is good for their followers. They are not very charismatic but underestimated to the point where they are quite boring.
Have you met executives who can’t get along with their teams? Have you seen a boss who has lost touch with reality? Are you perhaps the “leader” and have you noticed a slow but sure disconnection from your team?
Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care (Theodore Roosevelt)
If we wanted to convey Roosevelt’s words in one word, that would be empathy. The leader must be able to apply his awareness of other people’s feelings and understand how these feelings affect their needs regardless of whether he agrees with them.
Gifted leaders will not use cell phones and will never work on their computer when they listen. They pay full attention to the speaker in front of them. Besides, a good doctor dedicates 80% of a visit to listening to the patient and only 20% to making the diagnosis.
This does not mean that talkative people cannot become capable leaders. It all starts and stops if the words a person says are known to other people’s emotions. These types of people know when to listen and when to speak, and most importantly, what to say when they speak.
Charismatic leaders are emotionally intelligent. They can move away from their feelings and other people and objectively analyze these emotions. However, they will not allow the feelings of others to affect the outcome of a situation. Nor will they constantly see enemy ghosts harassing and stalking them.
Enlightened leaders never sue the people against their subordinates, ready to condemn them or expose themselves as the ultimate example to be imitated.
If the staff doesn’t trust you, you’re not a leader.
You’re just a boss.
One of the most common signs of lack of emotional intelligence in leadership is when a leader expects staff members to think the same way. I’m sure you’ve seen situations where leaders expect their teams to work very consistently for a long time although each person’s situation is very different.
However, to become a true leader, you must not only be able to be in the shoes of others but also to have been in the place of others. The charismatic personality is built slowly, with the experience, the mistakes, the realization of them, the failures but also the successes, the curbing of the passions, the sense of justice.
After all, if you want to manage, you must first learn to be managed.
©Typologos.com 2020
