Brainwriting is “scientifically proven to get better creativity from anyone” says Leigh Thompson, professor at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Brainwriting is the precursor to brainstorming. Write your ideas before you share them, as a way to navigate team dynamics. Seems like a technique most suited to those exhibiting greater introversion.
Check out the post here.
To be recognize as a true leader, one has To Be, To Do and To Relate.
This is the final of a 3-part series on leadership.
The value of experience is not in seeing much, but in seeing wisely. ~ William Osler
Experience is a great teacher. Yet we couldn’t possibly experience all that we need to lead wisely. We stumble and we make mistakes, and we look with wise eyes at the mishaps.
How do we learn? To what do we reference our words and deeds? We look to other lives lived in effective leadership, and considering what went wrong, what could be improved and how. In this process, we do not so much follow but reflect and analyse.
To lead wisely, we do not look at mere strategies and techniques, following blindly. We find what works with heart, we approach with the spirit of integrity and authenticity.
With empathy, integrity and authenticity – this is how leaders relate.
Authenticity
Know your self. What do you stand for? What is your vision for your organization, your team, your group, yourself in relation to each and every member? How will you motivate, encourage or lift another?
Be an observer of yourself. Watch your words and actions, are they congruent? Do they reflect your values?
Integrity
Be real. Are you consistent, in thought, word and deed? Do you walk the talk? Are you accountable? Do others trust you to hold firm to your beliefs? Are you worthy of trust?
Have courage. To be integritas (Latin origin, meaning “the whole”), often we have to be steadfast, to stand tall in the face of challenges and temptations to be otherwise.
Empathy
Seek to understand. Listen with your heart. Open your mind and be curious. There is much to learn and we may not know what would come our way at any moment, or from whomever.
Be in communication. Be with the people whom you work with and rely upon to get the job done. We cannot lead in isolation. Do you have the skills to convey your message? Are you approachable and supportive?
Before we lead, we must first be in genuine relationship and to engage our colleagues’ minds and hearts. Before we do, we are.
(M)en decide far more problems by hate, or love, or lust, or rage, or sorrow, or joy, or hope, or fear, or illusion, or some other inward emotion, than by reality or authority or any legal standard, or judicial precedent, or statute.
If you are curious whose quote that is, it’s Cicero – the Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator, political theorist, consul, and constitutionalist. As it turns out, human nature hasn’t changed much in two thousand years.
We’re still profoundly emotional beings. EI (emotional intelligence) has come a long way since Yale research (1990) and popular books by Goleman (1995). Like the study of “mindfulness”, EI has more mainstream recognition and a greater amount of professional “success” attributed to it than IQ and technical skills.
Gone are the days where law firms and the corporate world recruits by academic achievements and IQ alone. So what in brief, is emotional intelligence good for in the professional workplace, business and law?
Specifically for law firms and the daily lives of lawyers, EI can have a significant impact. Historically, the legal profession has been heavily influenced by the Stoic/Puritan frame of reference and an emphasis on ‘reason’, this is changing towards a more holistic model of human behavior.
How might emotional intelligence help those in the Legal Profession?
Clearly EI embodies a broad spectrum of rather holistic “soft skills” that are essential to all professional industry for leaders, managers, consultants and employees.
In the “real world” of corporate hierarchies and law firm politics, given that candidates have comparable IQ, experience and technical skills, EQ then becomes the unique qualifying differentiator (UQD).
There’s a significant moment now for MBA programs among others, to actively integrate EI and soft skills training in their curriculum, sometimes called applied human science.
Professional efficacy is no longer solely correlated with IQ, so what then can it be attributed to?
For CEOs and top executives, EI has a lot to offer in terms of global corporate identity.
EI underpins the ability to inspire discretionary effort—the extent to which employees and team members go above and beyond the call of duty.
This is an “intangible” of the charismatic CEO, who champions the corporate entity internally, much as some CEOs harness their personal brand for effective PR external to the organization and corporate brand.
To earn the respect and fidelity, and to motivate and mobilize talent, are what true visionaries do.
Many HR recruiters and analytics talk about a “skills gap”, EI could well be this “gap”. What we might be seeing as well is a “leadership shortage”.
Never in human history has Emotional Intelligence been at such a higher premium. Never has leadership been such a corporate differentiator in its ability to drive ROI.
[An earlier version of this article was published on LinkedIn.]
“Innovative thinking, after all, comes from extended concentration…” as MIT neuroscience professor discloses that multi-tasking is an illusion.
Humans have limited capacity for simultaneous thought, rather what we perceive as multi-tasking is rapid sequential processing which Prof. Miller states lacks depth and impedes concentration.
If you want to be a leader in your field, try taking long periods of time to focus on the one thing that truly matters.
See this article from Fortune magazine.
Your personality traits impact on your success at work and thus your income. What are the traits which are found to positively influence income?
As Adrian Furnham stated, ‘[S]table, conscientious, bright people do better, particularly in more complex jobs. Personality is related to an ability to establish and maintain happy, healthy relationships which is at the heart of business leadership.”
Why and how? Read Furnham’s article “Personality and Income“.
As a leader, you have to be visible.
One cannot be a leader on one’s own. To be a leader is to be recognized as one.
And to be recognized as a leader, one has to Be, to Do and to Relate.
This is the second post on leadership, about ‘doing’ leadership.
Leadership can be learned. It is a series of skills which, practiced over time, becomes ‘natural’… as neuroscience indicates, habit-forming. The time and effort invested to learn to lead and to lead often go unrecognized unless we truly see.
How does a leader lead?
A leader aspires and is seen to be aspirational. Bearing the qualities set out in the first post about being in leadership, a leader seeks knowledge. Leaders are humble and ever prepare to admit that we do not have all the answers, that we are researching or obtaining more information, and that we are open to new idea and propositions.
Leaders will be those who seek continuous personal growth, encourage authentic interpersonal relationships, to contemplate product and ways of working beyond what is known.
Leaders are those who create a safe space within work groups or organisations to allow for creativity to emerge and risk-taking to occur. Creative ventures can fail and this alone will be terrifying for anyone working in an environment that is not tolerant of this. Unless one knows that her job will not be jeopardised for voicing a creative new idea, for trialling an innovative process, for being herself while doing so, nothing will be proffered and all will remain the same.
By being visible in making mistakes, in admitting to mistakes, a leader demonstrates the acceptance of make mistakes, to have gotten it ‘wrong’. A leader will speak of the learning to be had and how to overcome thus signifying the will to continue the good work.
Leaders see the people around us – people with real emotions, with personal aspirations, hopes and joys, people who face personal trials and challenges. Most importantly, leaders see the strengths, resources and skills of those with whom we work.
With empathy and understanding, leaders challenge and support our colleagues to growth, to aspire, to improve, to be better at what they do and how they contribute to the workplace.
Little can be achieved without our deciding to step into it. Our attention and intention to go into a space of improvement, development and innovation are critical to our leadership abilities. We take risks, we stand convicted of our decisions and we act.
The mark of a leader is one of astute discernment, borne from constant practice of intellectual, emotional and spiritual intelligence; and of incisive unwavering action.
Leadership is not without its turbulence… the buzz, I call it, is what informs us. The buzz could be from our personal excitement, nerves… yes, leaders are human after all; or the resistance from within the organization; or an instinctive warning. Listen, evaluate and learn. Positive and negative buzz have lessons to teach.
Leaders engage with emotions and feelings, our own and of those around us. And instead of being a cauldron of emotions or feelings, we communicate them in a constructive way, by asking questions and listening to the answers, without judgement and prior expectations. Leaders have real conversations.
It is also through conversations that leaders uphold visions. It is easy with everyday humdrum of routine, unavoidable passivity and pessimism to distract us from our vision.
Leaders maintain vision and see how something fits into that vision, not welded to rigidity, instead are prepared to be reflexive.
Leadership requires generosity of spirit, dynamic adaptability and grounded vision, all of which are within our grasps, if we commit to it. Yes, leadership can be learned, as every element of what I have indicated above can be learned.
An article by Alain de Botton speaks of the need for us to be introspective and empathic in order to release our business creativity leading to innovation.
Introspection – because until we reflect on what we need or want or desire, ‘new’ creations cannot come alive. He quoted Emerson who wrote, ‘[I]n the minds of geniuses we find, once more, our own neglected thoughts.’
Empathy – because until we are able to imagine and appreciate someone else’ need or want or desire, innovation is unlikely to be successful.
We come to these through being mindful.
As a leader, you have to be visible.
One cannot be a leader on one’s own. To be a leader is to be recognized as one.
And to be recognized as a leader, one has to Be, to Do and to Relate. This post is the first of three posts on the leader within us.
Living in a world focused on productivity and efficiency, I want to speak about being in a space where the essence of our self matters as much as, if not more than, what we do and what we achieve.
What does a leader embody?
1. Be human
Leaders are first and foremost, human beings with the human need to make meaning and find purpose in life. To make meaning of our professional life requires us to be aware of who we are and why we are here, to know our raison d’être and the values which inform each of them. Take time to ponder and reflect on these. There is a time and place for stillness, quiet and solitude. Practice it.
2. Be courageous
Leaders have courage to envision a future where we can make a difference, a future where we can be of service and on a journey that is uniquely ours. We cannot ‘get’ courage, it is gained through experience. The more we practice courage, the more we feel courageous and the more we are. So say ‘yes’ to being ‘volunteered’ to present the team’s outcomes, put your hand up to organize the staff retreat, speak up for what you believe in. Every step, no matter its size, counts.
3. Be committed
Leaders are committed to the journey we have envisioned, and see with clarity the destination ahead. We are also adaptable to the challenges occurring at any moment on that journey. We are open to the possibilities that present themselves and thus responsive to the events occurring sometimes beyond our control. Do what you love. And if what you do isn’t all that you love, find within what you do, the one aspect, that gem which gives your heart a skip, that brings a smile to your face. There is always one.
4. Be curious
Leaders have a desire for life-long learning. By this, I don’t mean the next formal qualification. It is about being curious of our world, being attentive to the changes. Leaders are curious about everything and all the time. We want to know why something is so, why something must be so, how one thing can be something else, how to get something to work… And through our learning, we can sensibly anticipate what is coming. The next time someone provides you with information, adopt a curious posture, almost child-like, and ask ‘why’ and ‘how’. Go beyond the surface, probe and seek to understand.
5. Be humble
Leaders are not afraid to admit their mistakes, to take responsibility for their words and acts. Leaders are open to new, different and better ideas and solutions. Ultimately it is not about whose is better but rather about reaching our goal. Ego battles have no place in a leader’s repertoire. When you next feel threatened, when your heart constricts and your stomach is in knots, when you just want to say ‘no’, don’t. Stop and consider if it is about your ego or do you have a valid reason for those sensations.
6. Be vulnerable
To be a leader is to be in a vulnerable state. I say this because to be human is to be open to all that life throws at us, to be courageous necessarily means we will sometimes fail, by being committed we may be confronted with betrayal, being curious can lead us to paths we ought not to have taken, to be humble may expose us to ridicule and derision. Yet it is only through our vulnerability that we can experience our greatest courage, that we make authentic connections. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, there is no better or truer alternative.
7. Be mindful
Perhaps because of all the ‘be’ above, it would serve leaders well to be mindful. We need to develop a focused awareness on the present moment, to attend to what we do or say and how we carry our role, to be empathic and compassionate to those with whom we work, to model self-compassion and self-care when they are required.
Being a leader is thus about travelling deep within our self to realise that which is us, to be unafraid to show who we truly are and in that, to be vulnerable in our strength.
It is only when we know our self that we can know others, and this is crucial to being a leader.
Leaders don’t have all the answers. We don’t need to. We are the glue that holds the team together, the gentle force that progresses the goal, the presence that facilitates growth and achievement.
Culture impacts on how you are as a leader. To gain insight into what your ‘culture’ is and how it influences the effectiveness of your leadership is a must. ‘Know thyself’, to quote Socrates.
Explore what leadership looks like in different cultures.
https://hbr.org/2016/05/what-leadership-looks-like-in-different-cultures
