Lolly Daskal's Blog, page 58

August 16, 2022

Every Leader Must Master This One Very Important Skill

A practical approach to leadership is to look at it as a collection of skills. The specifics are slightly different for everyone, depending on individual strengths and direction. But there’s one important skill that every leader needs to master—something that will benefit you no matter what your leadership style may be, what your specific role is or what field you’re working in. Once you master it, you’re positioned to make a huge difference for your organization and the people you lead.

The skill of connecting is the secret sauce of great leadership. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

When you connect, you get involved. When you’re connected, you become immersed in everything that’s going on—with your organization and with your people. You can’t possibly understand the scope of your leadership without leaving the executive floor and diving into the details of the operation. The best leaders are present and involved with their people.

When you connect, you hear better. Connected leaders make the time to listen thoughtfully and follow up with questions that dig deeper. They’re constantly paying attention not only to what’s being said but also to why it’s being said. Spending time every day truly listening to your people creates a sense of mutual understanding and shared success. It builds trust and creates opportunities for candor and understanding.

When you connect, you value and appreciate. When you master the art of connection, you’re positioned to see people’s strengths and accomplishments firsthand. You begin to build relationships, and those relationships make it more meaningful when you express your appreciation. We all want to feel valued, and expressing a deeply held appreciation for what people do is the best way to make them feel valued—which in turn motivates them to keep learning and growing.

When you connect, you show care. When you focus your leadership on connection, you create an environment that fosters loyalty and encourages retention. When you understand people as individuals, you’re better prepared to help them set ambitious goals and coach hem in doing great things.

When you connect, you make it personal. Employees value personal connection—nobody wants to follow a leader they don’t know or understand. When people perceive a gap between themselves and their leaders, it creates a climate of opposition and mistrust. But that gap disappears when a leader works to create mutual respect, understanding and a sense of camaraderie.

When you connect, you get curious. When you’re genuinely connecting with someone, questions come naturally. As a result, you learn more, gain new insights and ideas, and get an early sense of upcoming opportunities and challenges.

Lead from within: When you make a connection with your people, you’ll notice a significant difference in your employees—and in every aspect of your leadership.

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

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Published on August 16, 2022 01:00

August 9, 2022

What The Best Leaders Are Doing About Change Exhaustion

For organizations to be successful they must always be evolving. Even in the best of times, the shifts and changes of that evolution often take a toll on people. The best leaders understand the nature of change exhaustion and act to reduce it, especially in times of great change and stress.

Of course any new processes and structures come with their own set of problems. But understanding how those changes affect your team is the first step in leading them through. I coach my clients to embrace the following principles:

Show empathy. I cannot overstate the importance of empathy. When people are stressed and exhausted, it’s the most important step you can take. Resist telling your team “This is how it’s going to be.” Instead, show true leadership by listening and responding from the heart. Let your people know you’re in this with them.

Communicate constantly. When people don’t know what’s going on, they quickly become frustrated. Especially in times of change, communicate constantly and consistently. Too many leaders worry that they’re saying too much. But don’t be afraid to repeat important points, even daily. Allow for candid discussion so people can safely speak their mind.

Manage expectations. Most people resist change. That’s human nature. But we’re in a world of constant change, and there’s no going back. So work to manage expectations and guide people carefully through changes. Keep the pace of change reasonable by focusing on the highest priorities.

Foster resilience. Change is never easy, but the way your team responds—as individuals and collectively—will shape the culture of the organization into the future. Try to help your team learn to view change positively, as an opportunity for building and using new skills in the face of high demand.

If you want to build a legacy organization, part of your charge as a leader is to ingrain in your team that there is no end point. Show that continued success requires constant evolution. Model resilience and agility and help your team understand that those qualities are directly linked to new opportunities and growth. Change the message of exhaustion into one of energy—the energy that fuels innovation and success.

Lead from Within: The best leaders know it takes energy to be excited by change. And by generating excitement and positive messages around new initiatives, they help their employees and organizations embrace change and disruption with ease.

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

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Published on August 09, 2022 01:00

August 2, 2022

How the Best Leaders Get Their People to Take Ownership

Running a company or leading an organization is a huge task. Even the best leader can’t do it on their own—it takes a group of people coming together with commitment and a shared purpose.

An important part of leadership, then, is giving each member of your team a sense of ownership in that purpose and their role in making it happen. Here are some of the ways the best leaders inspire others to own their work and take responsibility for their part in accomplishing something great:

They know their own role—and their limits. Great leaders understand that their role is essential, but they also understand its limits. They know when they need to be less involved, get out of the way, and let their people do what they were hired to do. They avoid over-involvement, and they know when and how to step away. Establishing and sticking to healthy boundaries is an essential part of giving people ownership and accountability for their work.

 They value talent. The best leaders hire the best talent, which in turn creates a culture built on confidence and ownership. Talented, competent people understand the dynamics of success. They’re willing to take risks and they know that failure is inevitable—not a source of fear or shame but part of the creative process. Prioritize investing in your team to make sure you’re getting—and keeping—the most talented people in your field.

They delegate effectively. Many leaders are prone to the mindset that the only way to make sure something is done right is to do it yourself, which is why delegation and micromanagement are often a struggle. But effective leaders know that micromanagement only serves to undermine their people’s creativity, energy, productivity, and ownership. When you delegate by truly handing over ownership, you free people to give their best.

They inspire commitment. The best leaders understand that people find motivation in undertaking a meaningful task, and in clearly understanding what’s expected of them, why it’s important and how it fits into the big picture. Make sure you take the time to define the work, clarify its scope and communicate expectations in light of the broader mission and goals. Communication and clarity make ownership possible.

They align and assess. The most effective leaders put their people first, and that means taking care to align people with projects that will help them develop their strengths and give them room to excel and grow. Make sure you’re putting care and energy into making assignments, with input from those involved. Once you’ve got the right people focused on the right project, excellent work and ownership naturally follow.

 Lead from within: The best leaders know that encouraging ownership is one of the most important ways they can empower their people.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

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Published on August 02, 2022 01:00

July 26, 2022

How Great Leaders Acknowledge Their Employees Effectively

Every great leader knows the benefits of investing in their employees, but too many don’t know how to carry out one of the strongest forms of employee investments: acknowledgement.

In my work as a leadership coach, I’m able to work closely with leaders who are engaged in using acknowledgement to create a culture that keeps employees engaged, productive and fulfilled. It’s an approach with many benefits—including its effectiveness as a retention strategy. Here are some of the most important things you can do to acknowledge your employees:

Give feedback that is actually a gift. For many leaders, giving feedback means advising employees about areas for improvement. But I am a big believer in the idea that if you give feedback on what works, you’ll get more of it in return. No one is perfect and it’s important to guide people in improvement, but recognition and praise make your feedback a valued gift.

Listen to learn. My clients tend to be extremely smart. Like many leaders, they think they have all the answers—and sometimes they do. They lead with knowing what to say and do. But the best leaders make a point of listening to learn. They’re open to taking suggestions and they honor other people’s opinions. This kind of listening is foundation of making people feel valued.

Make it personal. Leaders are busy people. But when you take the time to connect personally, you make people feel special. It may be a phone call, a handwritten note, or recognition of a personal achievement outside work. What are your employees interested in? How are they giving back to their communities? Practice appreciating and celebrating these achievements.

Invest in their professional development. Employees who excel are always looking for ways to take themselves to the next level. If you can recognize and help meet this need, you can help them flourish and grow. If you don’t have funding for classwork and seminars, look for mentorships, professional associations, and other low-cost solutions.

Promote self-care. People may be willing to give everything they have to a job they love, but the result of that dedication is often a lack of work–life balance. It’s important that you send the right message with your behavior as well as your words. If you’re the kind of leader who works seven days a week and responds to emails and messages 24/7, your behavior is adding to your employees’ stress. Don’t just talk about self-care and the importance of taking time away from work—set an example and create a culture that reflects those priorities.

The bottom line of showing appreciation is letting your employees know you care about them. And there’s no better way to make that happen than to begin implementing some of these ideas. The results may change your organization and your leadership.

Lead from within: Follow the best practices of great leaders by giving your employees the acknowledgement and recognition they deserve.

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

The post How Great Leaders Acknowledge Their Employees Effectively appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

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Published on July 26, 2022 01:00

July 19, 2022

4 Reasons Why Talent Development Is So Important To Your Business

An important part of my work as an executive leadership coach involves coaching my clients in the areas where they need to be focusing their attention. One important area that many leaders overlook is talent development: finding ways to keep your employees engaged, learning, and growing in directions that benefit both their personal goals and the organization.

For me, talent development is like taking in nourishment—it’s not a matter of whether or not you should do it but of when and how to do it best. If talent development isn’t already among your top priorities, here are four reasons why it should be:

It helps you attract and retain top talent in a competitive market. In the age of employee turnover and the Great Resignation, organizations in nearly every field are finding it more difficult than ever to attract and retain top talent. As a leader, you need to make talent development a personal priority to stay competitive in recruiting and keeping the best people. Have a solid plan and communicate it widely to both prospective recruits and current employees. A truly thoughtful talent developing program lets people know how much you value them.

It strengthens talent in new directions. Employees want to know that their leader sees their potential, and it’s important to be intentional about recognizing and reinforcing the strengths of your people. A one-size-fits-all approach to talent development isn’t good enough—you need to design a program for each individual based on their strengths, their goals and the organization’s needs. When you strengthen your talent, you strengthen your leadership.

It improves productivity. According to a recent Gallup study, helping your employees make full use of their employees skills and strengths, and providing them with opportunities for growth and improvement, can make them up to six times more productive. And that increased productivity is a strong case for creating a talent development program. The return is exponential and the value is clear.

It increases employee engagement. In my own research, I have found that a lack of talent development opportunities contributes to as much as 45 percent of attrition in companies worldwide. If you’re serious about retaining and engaging your best employees, it’s important to give them the direction and resources they need to develop and grow. The more you invest in your people, the more engaged and committed they become. And in this highly competitive and volatile business climate, building a culture of engagement and shared growth is an important way to maintain your organization’s stability and sustainability.

Leaders need to understand that nurturing their top talent will foster an organization that’s flexible and well equipped to face change, with a productive and engaged workforce. And that kind of organization has an important competitive edge.

Lead from within: If you want to lead from strength, you have to strengthen the people you lead.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

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Published on July 19, 2022 01:00

July 12, 2022

7 Ways To Gain Influence In Your Company Without Having A Title

Workplaces are changing, with many organizations shifting from a structured top-down hierarchy to a more collaborative team-centered dynamic. One result of that shift is a growing demand for leaders at all levels.

In a complex and evolving workplace culture, you have the ability to lead, whatever your role. Here are seven sure-fire ways to gain influence up, down and across your organization without having a title:

Embrace who you are: Your thoughts influence not only your feelings but also your actions. In fact, our inner monologues have a tendency to become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The path to influence starts within you. Who you are, and who you tell yourself you’re becoming, will help determine your impact.

Cultivate meaningful relationships: Making connections and building relationships are key to any form of influence. If you are serious about leaving your mark, work on cultivating meaningful relationships at every level. That means being your same authentic self and expressing a genuine interest in people at every level. Relationships and connections are an important part of influence.

Build trust. Meaningful influence is built on trust. The more people trust you, the more they’ll respect you and the more influence you’ll wield. Build a reputation for being reliable, straightforward, and principled in everything you do, and trust will naturally follow.

Manage your knowledge. In every organization information is power, and the more information you have the more valuable you are. So find ways to increase your store of information that’s valuable to the organization and its leadership. Learn a new skill, think through strategic solutions, become familiar with the latest technology. Use your knowledge to streamline challenges and your value will grow.

Sharpen your strength. Focus on your strengths by perfecting, sharing and utilizing your talents. Never pass up a chance to use your expertise to help others. Sharpen your strengths and share them generously.

Give the gift of time: Many people are too busy with their own concerns to give their time to others. Spend some time each day getting to know the people in your organization, learning who they are and how you can support them.

Make people feel valued:. It is one of the deepest human desires to be recognized, and one of the best ways to influence people is to make them feel they are appreciated. Work to see people for who they are and what they do. People enjoy those rare moments when others make them feel valued.

You can gain influence in your organization without power, authority or a title. It’s all about your character, knowledge, and helpfulness. What you do with those inner powers will make all the difference.

Lead from within: Leadership comes only from influence, and influence has to be earned.

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

The post 7 Ways To Gain Influence In Your Company Without Having A Title appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

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Published on July 12, 2022 01:00

July 5, 2022

How The Best Leaders Overcome Their Own Defense Mechanisms

Defense mechanisms—the unconscious reactions that protect us from anxiety and internal conflict—are a part of being human. We all have them. And while they frequently do harm, in some situations they can actually be useful. What matters, in life and in leadership, is what we do about them.

Failing to understand and deal with your defense mechanisms is especially harmful in leadership work, where relationships with others are critically important and you’re setting the standard for the workplace culture of your entire team.

Defense mechanisms work differently for everybody. But whatever form they take, it’s possible to master defensive responses and damaging habits—to harness them in a way that helps you rather than holding you back.

Here are the top ideas I share with my executive leadership coaching clients for overcoming their own defense mechanisms:

Cultivate self-awareness. The necessary first stop is to understand how you use defense mechanisms when you’re feeling vulnerable. Think about what situations tend to trigger defense responses and how you typically respond. Consider the ways that your behavior may be harming you and those around you, and imagine other ways to respond to situations that seem threatening.

Make room for acceptance. When you feel yourself moving toward a defensive response, stop and give yourself a brief time out. Spend a few moments giving space to what you’re thinking and feeling. Identify those thoughts and feelings and work to accept them without judgment. From there you can focus on a healthy response.

Hold yourself accountable. Defense mechanisms are often a way of making excuses or blaming others for things we cannot be responsible for. Remind yourself often that you can’t control anybody else’s actions or responses—but you can control your own. Then spend some time every day reflecting on your own actions and whether they were effective, reasonable, and in line with your values and goals. If you need help with accountability, consider recruiting a a mentor or a leadership coach to guide you.

Break the code. As human beings, we’re inclined to follow certain coded patterns of behavior—and defense mechanisms are among those patterns. But if something isn’t serving you well, it’s possible to break out of the unhealthy pattern and rewire new, more useful patterns and habits.

From my decades of experience as a leadership executive coach, I know that even top leaders around the world sometimes struggle to overcome defense mechanisms and other problem habits. And I know it takes effort and practice to overcome them. But I’ve also seen the results, and I know it’s an effort worth making.

Lead from within: Everyone deals with defense mechanisms. But when you rely on negative patterns of behavior and make excuses when you could be making progress, it’s time to reassess your behavior and make the changes you need to make to become the leader you’re meant to be.

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

The post How The Best Leaders Overcome Their Own Defense Mechanisms appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

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Published on July 05, 2022 01:00

June 28, 2022

10 Leadership Qualities That Will Make You A Great Leader

Every leader is different, with their own style and skills. But there are some qualities they all share—qualities are essential to success in leadership. In my work coaching leaders around the world, these leadership qualities are the ones I emphasize as most important:

Focused energy. Distraction is a constant, so knowing how to focus your energy and time is critically important. Focus is the key to balancing goal-oriented planning with the flexibility to face the unexpected. It allows you to be mindful and decisive.

Self-confidence. To inspire confidence in your leadership, you first have to feel it yourself. Confidence is contagious, and people are naturally inclined to have faith in a leader who shows confidence without crossing the line into arrogance and rigidity.

A purposeful vision. A clear, purposeful, well-expressed vision helps others resonate with your ideas; seeing and understanding the big picture gives purpose to their loyalty and hard work. A leader is only a leader when others are following them toward something.

Effective communication. The greatest leaders understand the power of words—to inspire and empower or to confuse and alienate. And they know that great communication often means listening rather than speaking and responding with thoughtful questions rather than their own ideas.

Resilience. Resilience allows you to challenge yourself as a leader every day with the willingness to do your best and fail and then get back up and fail again. It’s a perspective that allows you to see every experience as a valued teacher.

Decisiveness. Leadership requires the ability to be decisive—to trust your experience, knowledge and instincts and make decisions under pressure. It means knowing that the right decision is almost never the easy one, and that failing to decide is the worst decision you can make.

Positivity. Great leaders give off a sense of positivity and optimism that energizes everyone around them. If you can approach every challenge with a positive attitude, you naturally elevate others by showing them how to approach their own setbacks.

Responsibility. As a leader, you’re going to make mistakes, and blaming others or pretending the missteps never happened only serves to erode trust. Taking responsibility for your actions shows true leadership. It models accountability and makes it easier for others to face their own mistakes.

Humility. Often misunderstood as false modesty, humility shapes your character by allowing you to embrace your own limits while maintaining self-confidence. It opens the door to collaboration and to seeking input and ideas from others.

Creativity. Creativity is the frequently overlooked skill that turns good leaders into great leaders. Fostering creativity—your own and your team’s—leads to risk-taking, innovation, and the big ideas that lead to big accomplishments.

Lead from within: Leadership isn’t something people are born with—it’s a set of skills that can be cultivated over time. When you work to develop strong leadership qualities, you’re positioning yourself to achieve greatness and to inspire it in others.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

The post 10 Leadership Qualities That Will Make You A Great Leader appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

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Published on June 28, 2022 01:00

June 21, 2022

Uncharted Waters: How to Navigate the Future of Leadership and Business

Business always includes an element of unpredictability, and agility and flexibility are enduring requirements for successful leadership. But more than ever before we are operating in uncharted waters, and building long-term success in business and leadership means not just implementing new methods but creating a whole new mindset.

When change comes this hard and fast, those of us who practice leadership need to move beyond working to complete the tasks before us and achieve the goals we’ve set. We need to be especially mindful of developing and nurturing sustainable leadership practices.

The form of those practices can vary widely. In my work as a leadership coach, these are some of the points I’ve been making to my clients who are navigating new realities:

Work to foster deeper and more enduring collaboration. In a world that’s daily growing more challenging, we need to rethink the ways we collaborate. New problems require new ideas, and often those ideas come from outside the usual channels. People working outside their area see things differently and can contribute a fresh vision that complements that of insiders. The key to bringing together a team with diverse backgrounds is to get them interacting around a central motivating factor—an approach that requires them to focus on the core nature of the business itself as well as the issue at hand. When you can create new partnerships and deeper bonds between people who have never worked together before, you maximize the collective intelligence of your team. The results? Innovation, success and longevity.

Be relentlessly innovative. In the past, we may not have known exactly what the future would hold, but we knew—or thought we knew—its general shape. These days, when most of us look ahead all we can see is uncertainty. Business has become not only more complicated but also more complex. Complicated things are often still linear, with patterns you can see and control. In a complicated environment, efficiency is your friend. But complexity is different beast that above all requires creativity and innovation.

Embrace adaptability. A leader who is agile and flexible is comfortable with being uncomfortable. They are resilient in face of adversity, and they aren’t fazed by disruption. I know many leaders who have given in to leading from fear. They’re hunkered down waiting for things to go back to normal. But as a coach, my job is to help my clients remember that what they do today is creating their future. Instead of hiding or playing wait-and-see, I help them learn to honor these moments and use them to drive change and innovation.

In business and leadership as in all of live, the future may not be something we can predict, but it will always be something we can invent.

Lead from within: To be the best leader you can be today, do the things that your future business and people will thank you for.

 

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

 

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

The post Uncharted Waters: How to Navigate the Future of Leadership and Business appeared first on Lolly Daskal.

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Published on June 21, 2022 01:00

June 14, 2022

How The Best Leaders Take Charge Of Their Emotions

Emotions play a critical role in leadership, especially in influencing and engaging with others. It’s important to reflect on the ways you experience emotion and how it affects your behavior. When you take charge of your emotions, they can’t take charge of you.

In my work as an leadership executive coach, I guide my clients to master their emotions with six simple steps:

Understand how emotion affects you physically. Learn the physical cues that tend to come ahead of feelings of anger, sadness or frustration. Your stomach may tighten, your hands may get sweaty or your legs may get fidgety. You may feel hot or cold. If you can slow down your reactions and notice these indicators early on, you’ll have a head start on maintaining control.

Identify what you’re feeling. According to some studies, humans experience as many as 27 different emotions. But most of the time what you’re feeling is more routine: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, anger, pride, embarrassment, or excitement. Whatever you’re feeling, just taking a moment to name it’s always helpful.

Be inquisitive. In a sense, every emotion is a message. For example, anger often expresses a sense of injustice. Get curious and ask yourself what your feelings are telling you. Knowing the source helps you understand and stay in charge of what’s happening.

Go deeper. Now back up and think about the bigger picture of what’s triggering your emotion. Maybe you’re furious and disappointed because you were counting on someone who let you down. Ask yourself, Was it a fair request? Was I too demanding or authoritative? When you respond to your emotions instead of just reacting to them, you can begin to make positive changes in yourself.

Build confidence. As you get more comfortable with taking charge of your emotions, it will become easier to stay focused on what you’re trying to achieve. Staying the course with your emotions, helps you build confidence of your feelings so not be afraid of the message it’s trying to convey.

Stay consistent. Make the steps of emotional control a daily habit, and practice them with small things as well as big ones. It’s like lifting emotional weights—keep working to build the muscle you need to take charge of your feelings successfully.

Emotions are among our greatest gifts. You don’t want to get rid of them or suppress them, but you do want understand and be in charge of them. The best leaders learn how to master their emotions instead of letting emotions master their leadership.

Lead from within: Take charge of your emotions and become the best leader you can be.

#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

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Additional Reading you might enjoy:

12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow OldA Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To GreatnessHow to Succeed as A New Leader12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great LeadersThe One Quality Every Leader Needs To SucceedThe Deception Trap of Leadership

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Published on June 14, 2022 01:40