The #1 Question for Exceptional Leadership
People constantly ask me, “What is the number one thing that can make their leadership exceptional?” You could be asking this same question too if you are feeling stuck in life or slugging through the status quo of doing the same things over and over again everyday.
Usually, they expect the answer to involve expensive training programmes or a secret formula passed down by a Nelson Mandela or Steve Jobs of the world.
But the best advice I can give is a deceivingly simple formula that will catapult your leadership from languishing to flourishing immediately…without costing a penny: Apply to Self - Be congruent and walk your talk!
Talk is cheap and actions always speak louder than words. Your ethos and how you lead yourself make ALL the difference.
“What you do speaks so loudly I can barely hear what you are saying.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Walking your talk is all about saying what you mean and meaning what you say, in your action and deed. It’s the hallmark of great leaders.
Congruency emerges from your ability to “apply to self”. It is walking the talk!
A leader who lacks self-leadership and congruency tends to ask others to do what they are not willing to do themselves. That is not leading, but misleading. An exceptional leader models the behaviour he desires from others.
To begin modelling the behaviours, try out these leadership practices:
Close the gap. I practise a Chinese martial arts called Wing Chun (詠春). It is designed to use the least amount of energy to deliver the most effective blow to the opponent in the shortest amount of time. It works on the notion that a straight line is the shortest distance between one and his opponent. The premise of Wing Chun reinforces the fact that the closer the practitioner is to their opponent, the higher the chance of taking the opponent down. If there is a gap, then one is hitting nothing but air.
Today, is there a gap between who you present to the world and the real, authentic you? Is there a gap between your intentions and your performance? Do you have a knowing-doing gap? Does your knowingness of what needs to be done frequently fail to result in actions or behaviours consistent with that knowledge?
Just as in Wing Chun, the key is to “eat up” the space and “close the gap of uncertainty” between you and your opponent, the same applies to your life at work and outside work.
Be Authentic: You can tell when a person is not real and that they are living a lie or acting out a facade. There is a sense that they are not being truthful, legitimate or honest about something. The way out of being an in-authentic leader is found in the technique of applying to self. Applying to self is about receiving feedback and integrating the feedback to further shape your character and skill sets as a leader. It enables you to fix the wrongs and shape your character. The ultimate goal is that you can be transparent and demonstrate your true self as a leader to those you influence and lead.
Cultivate Emotional Intelligence. Leaders of the past commanded and controlled, but times have changed. If leaders are serious about exciting their followers to exceptional performance, they must connect and cooperate with others. Leadership is not a collection of followers, but a connection of spirits inspired towards a worthy vision. The aim of leadership is to ennoble life. When was the last time you left your office knowing that you were fully engaged with those you valued the most? Are you tuning in to be more aware of your own emotions so that you can slow down to be more intentional in your interactions with other? Do you know how to step forward to be more purposeful?
Take an inventory today…Are you successfully leading yourself? Are you leading or being led by habit? When the various constituencies inside your head collide, which ones usually win? Do you have a victor’s mentality or a victim’s mentality? Are you busy living a glorious life or are you busy dying a silent death?
✅Author：Joshua 🇹🇼
12-year of experiences in business management consultant
cooperation partners：Standard Chartered, AIA, Dunhill, Burberry etc.
✅For further informations, please contact：
Bernice
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