There are three keys that we all need to master for effective leadership. It does not matter that we do not have a position in a large company or that we do not have a specific number of employees under our responsibility. Leading is above all, knowing how to inspire so that others feel attached to our vision and our goals.
A leader can emerge at the least thoughtful moment. It happens when someone believes in their beliefs and finds a way to influence others. Because a good leader is not defined only by their personality traits or their ability to impart authority, we are faced with someone who manages to master a series of very specific skills that we can all learn.
Mitchell Russo, who is the founder of the Timeslips Corps and who also started a company with Tony Robbins, has quite a bit of insight into what goes on in making a leader. He has worked with Kevin Harrington on various company launches, and has even written an extensive book on leadership. He has been a leader for several companies, and has worked on many businesses. So, it’s fitting that we take advice from someone who has considerable experience.
Fred Fiedler, one of the most notable researchers in the field of industrial and organizational psychology of the 20th century, points out that there are two types of leaders.
The former are only goal- oriented, to achieve the goals set in the company itself.
The second type of leader focuses exclusively on people, on the employees around him.
The latter’s model is based on training each person in a series of responsibilities, so that each man and woman reaches their full human potential for the good of the group and, ultimately, of the organization.
Thus, the goal-oriented leader has been most common until very recently (and still is in many contexts). Today, by now, the needs have changed and it is essential to understand this set of ideas:
The effective leader is one who trains others to become “leaders” within the framework of their own responsibilities. The goal is to move from vertical leadership to horizontal leadership in which each member collaborates with the others and knows how to respond to each need.
Decision-making should not always be up to the leader. Responsibilities must be decentralized.
In an increasingly complex and changing work scenario, leaders who know how to motivate and awaken skills such as innovation, problem solving are needed.
Therefore, to achieve these goals, it is essential to work on 3 very specific keys to leadership. These are the following:
1. Emotional intelligence, the key to today’s effective leader
In books like Leadership. The power of emotional intelligence or emotional intelligence in business, Daniel Goleman affects the idea that training in this skill (emotional intelligence) will help us create happier and more productive work environments. Now, for many, this is nothing more than a collection of good intentions. But in practice, hardly anyone applies it.
However, within the 3 Keys to Leadership, this is arguably the most important area. Being able to master the dimensions that make up emotional intelligence makes it easier to treat employees and also allows for the best in everyone. The areas to be worked on are:
- Emotional self-awareness (knowing how to manage your emotions)
- Self-regulation (knowing how to control one’s emotions to improve social relations)
- Self-motivation (setting goals and focusing on them to inspire others)
- Social skills
- Empathy
2. Decentralized decision-making: knowing how to delegate
Another of the three keys to current leadership is knowing how to delegate responsibility. Decentralized decision-making is not intended to ease the burden on the central leader. It simply aims to train others to use their knowledge, potential and resources. And to be able to meet the challenges of all.
3. The three keys to leadership: authenticity
Authenticity – closely linked to honesty – is of exceptional human value. Those who manage to be authentic in their ideas, behavior, personality and aspirations manage to inspire others.