This pandemic has certainly separated the wheat from the chaff in terms of leaders. It is evident from the top leaders who have stood up with grace, integrity, and purpose to unite people, empathize with people and move forward with purpose.
Then sadly you have the opposite – the leaders who have failed their people, failed to unite, and generally flailed about with no sense of purpose, direction, or integrity. I’m sure you have examples in both camps that come immediately to mind.
In the current climate, change is a given. Adaptability is a must. How adaptable are you? Are you willing to innovate? Are you willing to overhaul systems that no longer serve your team?
With regards to those you lead – how are you treating them? Are you aware of how they are coping? Do you empathize with their current situation whatever it may be?
Leaders today need to allow open communication for psychological safety if they want to get the best from their team and their colleagues. They have to acknowledge failure and embrace it, as well as embracing disagreement or alternative points of view. The power-hungry dictator style is never going to work long term.
Great leaders are not threatened by others. Great leaders unite not divide. Great leaders innovate. Great leaders allow and encourage mistakes as opportunities to learn. Great leaders encourage healthy open debate. Great leaders are humble. Great leaders listen intently. Great leaders have a vision. I could go on!
Each year I do my own review of what I have achieved during the year and what I have left undone or failed to achieve. I find it a really useful exercise and it is more about focusing on the positive. Measuring the gain and not the gap as Dr Benjamin Hardy would say.
When asking leaders in organisations to review the year that is ending, I ask them to reflect on these four questions. I hope you find them useful.
- Did I live by my values this year? If not, why not? What is my most important value and do I need to revisit my values?
- What are my current beliefs around my leadership style? Do I need to change any of those beliefs? Did these beliefs help or hinder me in 2021?
- What one area of leadership do I most want to work on going into 2022?
- What was my greatest achievement in 2021? What did I learn about myself from this achievement?
In the Emotions and Behaviours at work psychometric assessment, you will receive an in-depth report of the following 8 traits that predict success in the workplace: Motivation, adaptability, decisiveness, empathy, self-awareness, influence, conscientiousness, and resilience.
When you develop self-awareness and EQ in general, you understand what you need to do in order to be the best version of yourself. You understand what drives you. You understand what areas require development, but also where your strengths lie and how to optimize them for even greater benefits. You understand what you need to do in order to manage your emotions and behaviours to get the best out of yourself and others.
Taking time to review your leadership style and your emotions and behaviours is an excellent use of your time. Now more than ever we need leaders of integrity. What do you want your legacy to be?
