In construction, we make sure that we have deep and wide footings anchored upon solid rock. The larger the building the deeper and wider we go to handle the weight or load.
The same is true for leadership. The more people and responsibility weighted on your leadership foundation the deeper and wider you must go in your personal development as a leader.
There are four (4) corners in laying any building’s foundation that must be strong enough to withstand the weight otherwise it will crack and crumble. Just as there are four (4) corners in laying your leadership foundation.
The four corners of leadership are:
- Personal Development
- Leadership Learning
- Preparation
- Practice: (Being an intentional leader)
Today we are looking just at the first of the four corners — Your personal development. It is the corner where your entire foundation begins.
Personal Development
Every leader has a different style, different life experiences and a unique outlook. The better you understand yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, the better you will be to lead others as well as give them the tools they need to better understand themselves.
Look for tools you can utilize for your own self-leadership development. There is an abundance of reading materials and workshops that will increase or validate your emotional intelligence, your ability to communicate and listen, and increase your ability to stay poised under pressure.
Here are a few of the personal skills that will prepare you as a leader:
- Develop your EQ (emotional intelligence). People with high emotional intelligence (EQ) are consistently the top performers in their organizations. They’re more resilient and flexible when things get tough, and they’re held in the highest regard by their bosses, peers, co-workers and others.A good start is by working through the book “Emotional Intelligence 2.0” by Bradberry & Greaves. Emotional intelligence is the #1 predictor of professional success and personal excellence.I like this book as a jump-start to growing your emotional intelligence. I recommend the proven strategies to increase your self-management, self-awareness, social awareness and relationship management.
- A leader has strong abilities to communicate. I recommend the international non-profit Toastmasters. Join a club that meets weekly. There you will find a supportive and positive learning experience that should empower you to develop your communication skills. As you become a better speaker self-confidence and additional personal growth also takes place.
- Hone your ability to listen. Too many leaders are full of themselves and think they have all the solutions and then wonder why their people aren’t engaged and don’t perform well. Become an active listener.
- Develop strong self-management skills and organizational abilities. Organizational skills focus on prioritizing one’s tasks, and then working accordingly, so that these are achieved.
- Foresight is a skill that comes with practice in working through all potential outcomes. This skill will help you and your team make plans 3 months, 6 months, or a year or more in advance. The key is knowing how to design a winning strategy, and how to execute it effectively using foresight. Exercising your foresight muscles and thinking through what could happen in several circumstances will enable you to respond more quickly and easily, even if you encounter an emerging future that you didn’t foresee. Your resilience and agility are improved because you have thought about several futures and have a number of plans you could build on.
- Tenacity is a skill that enables the leader to push through when things go wrong. Start by finding like-minded, passionate people who can help provide guidance and encouragement.
- Pressure and stress can you handle it and stay poised, calm and effective no matter what. Here are some strategies for staying cool in a heated situation:
- Stay focused in the here and now
- Change your mind-set — visualize the outcome your want and switch your language. For example, instead of saying, “I’m so nervous”, you can tell yourself, “I’ve got this”.
- Switch off the fight or flight by taking a break, breathing and then let go.
Working on you is a high priority and a lifetime pursuit.