Are you an example of a person who looks at yourself as powerful, dominant, and authoritative? Is that your definition of being in a higher position? Or are you the one who entirely knows that you are a person who has complete responsibility for other people’s will of success? If you are the definition of an individual who seems too focused on himself, then you might want to reconsider your status. But if you are the person who values your leadership commitment to others, then you are what they call a leader.

Alan Lyons, a business psychologist says, “This connection is supported by research showing that emotional skills are critical to the successful performance of individuals at the executive level. Further, the more someone progresses through the organizational hierarchy, the more important emotional skills become in their success.”

Real Talk

The misconception of leadership is that a lot of people think of it as a rank or a top position. However, it is not. Leadership is a decision one take to fully comply with other people’s needs and desire to succeed in life. Leaders are instruments that allow others to understand their potential. They are other people’s guides to better self-development and growth. Leadership is a choice, and it has nothing to do with people’s capability to stay relevant. It is all about the ability to remain reliable all the time for the benefit of others.

Robert Nauert Ph.D. quoted in his article, “Leadership support is essential in any workplace change, including wellness. Most employee wellness initiatives don’t utilize the power of manager leadership — this strategy is unique in that it really taps into the manager’s ability to lead their team to wellness,”

What some leaders do not understand is their lack of overall potential. Yes, some leaders are born with great talent, skills, and abilities. However, those positive traits do not often guarantee a strong position of becoming a responsible individual, especially when handling people with different opinions and beliefs. Leadership is not something someone would think of as being smarter than the rest. It is not about people’s above-average capabilities that take them to the top position. It is their willingness to help and offer value to other people’s lives. It is all about commitment, selfless love.

Bad Leadership

Leadership does not mean power. It does not disrespect others just because they cannot come up with better contributions to the team. If that is how current leaders picture things, then they are not qualified to become leaders. Because when things get tough, they never usually make it. With that, they blame everyone and everything else except for themselves. It becomes a lousy leadership because the people in the position never take accountability for their actions. In addition to the damage, most of these bad leadership usually take credit for the things they do not do. It becomes a problem because the consistency of this negative behavior results in the teams’ instant collapse.

Bad leaders are usually not accessible. Psychologist Nikki Martinez, Psy.D. explains, “Part of being a manager includes being available to answer questions, help you work through tasks you might be struggling with, and generally be your go-to adviser, so it’s a problem when managers make themselves inaccessible. You might not be able to trust your boss if they don’t seem approachable.”

Leadership must have to be a balance equation. The people in the position should understand that for people to follow them, they must set an example. They must promise to provide a reliable source of positive energy that can make the team appreciate their effort and capabilities. Leadership is not something one can impose instantly. It requires experience and a lot of learning. Leaders should understand the importance of thinking about leadership differently. It is not about how smart people are or how capable they can be. It is always all about their ability to help those who are in need.

Leaders are influential because they create a higher level of organizational goals. They keep the team intact, and they allow everyone’s growth. These people help manage the efficiency of the group by creating a healthy human relationship. Their skills are beneficial in providing a better system that allows industry, a business, or a community to have a better social and goal-oriented foundation. With all the great qualities leaders could have, have you ever wonder what supports their better leadership? Let’s talk about some of those.

Radiation Of Positive Energy

Great leaders function well when there is a radiation of positive energy inside and out. That is especially when it comes to the people surrounding them. For these individuals, the trust that people give is essential in keeping these leaders’ ability to concentrate on their duties. The radiations of positive energy from everyone around help these leaders to become more committed and reliable in their ways. It allows them to have a higher standard for their quality services, boosts the teams’ morale, as well as productivity.

“I’m convinced that the ultimate measure of a leader includes the leader’s track record, their pattern of behavior, contribution, aspiration, and accomplishment over time—across multiple platforms and contexts,” says Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D.

Presence Of Proactive Attitude

It becomes easy to blame someone else when something goes wrong. But for most leaders who handle complicated situations, their leadership gets based on a proactive attitude. It is where the leadership mentality tries to shift focus to the entire better view of the situation. A proactive approach helps leaders to become more aware of solving the problem instead of complaining too much about it. The attitude allows leaders to take charge of the consequences and handle the damages of wrong decisions as well.

According to Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., “The transformational leader makes sure that “we are all working together for a shared purpose and the good of all.”

Better Communication

There is no such thing as great leaders without better communication. People in the position know that communication is the best support for their leadership needs. It is where these individuals in the position can have a better understanding of the teams’ wants and needs. By merely having a conversation of what needs to get done, leaders and the followers can work together. That is because communication allows more significant ideas and resolutions to any team matters.

Complete And Reliable Delegation

Leaders fully understand that they cannot work on any task alone. That is why delegation is essential to their leadership. No, delegating a job does not mean leaders are trying to stay out of their responsibilities. Instead, it allows everyone to participate in the team’s matter concerning the group’s ability and skills. It means trusting everyone in the team without micromanaging their moves but only focuses on their contribution.

“Leadership by example can be powerful and inspiring. Inspiring personal stories of overcoming personal and organizational challenges and adversity can help “show the way” to move the organization to a new level.” – Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D. 

There is nothing more important in a team than passion, and everyone’s will to succeed. So when everyone shares the same goal, people are most likely to achieve it together. Understand that leaders cannot do it alone. They need help from everyone on the team. People should realize that not because they are the leaders, they are worthy of creating decisions and finish the task all by themselves. These people also require assistance and support, which the team can wholeheartedly offer.

The position of being a leader is not something you can get any time you want. You have to earn it. You have to make sure that you deserve the position and that you are capable of handling people. You need to require yourself to become the best so that people will follow your every word and action. It is your sole responsibility to allow individuals to choose to listen to your principles. But to be able to do that, you need more than just skills, the right attitude, self-confidence, and ideas. You need a better version of yourself, and here is how you can do it.

Listen To Others

Great leaders do not create a decision based on what these people personally think is right. These individuals manage and build their judgment based on people’s suggestions and opinions. These people know how to listen carefully to what the team feels. So as you see yourself in the leadership position, make sure you understand the importance of listening as you take charge. It is essential to help you make better judgment and solutions. It makes connections smooth. Also, listening to others allow you to learn more by bringing people’s idea forward to the table. It creates opportunities not only for your growth but for everyone else’s development as well.

Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D. says, “Great leadership involves bringing out the best in your followers. You need to create an organizational culture in which the strengths and potential of each individual are valued and recognized; one with sufficient flexibility to motivate different types of people and allow them to thrive.”

Learn To Delegate

Leading people is not at all equivalent to you taking and working on the entire task. To accomplish more things and reach a higher percentage of productivity, you have to learn how to delegate. Not only you create a responsible environment for everyone, but you are also adding value to each of your team members. It means you are considering the skills of everyone that you trust them enough to work on their tasks accordingly. Delegation stands for considering people’s capabilities equally or even better than what they can. But note that when things do not go your way, always be patient and be considerate in lending a helping hand.

Treat People With Respect

To become a leader is something that puts you in a dominant position where you can create a reliable representation of your capabilities and abilities. However, that particular position does not serve to disrespect others. Leadership gets associated with respect, and that is something you always have to understand. If you want people to follow you, you need to adhere to their needs. Never think less of your team for whatever reason, even if you think you can do a better job. Always respect people because they deserve that. “The transformational leader,” says Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D., “makes sure that “we are all working together for a shared purpose and the good of all.”

Be Yourself

When establishing yourself to become an excellent leader, always remember to be yourself. Be your own leader, and never aspire to become someone else. That is even if the leadership strategy of others pretty much worked before because it does not guarantee the same amount of respect and productivity once you’re in the position. You need to do things your way to understand your situation well. Create a maximum benefit for yourself and the team by allowing personal development.

According to Alan Lyons, a business psychologist, “The understanding, regulation, and use of emotions by leaders can have a substantial impact on their ability to lead. This connection is supported by research showing that emotional skills are critical to the successful performance of individuals at the executive level. Further, the more someone progresses through the organizational hierarchy, the more important emotional skills become in their success.”

In leadership, it is always the best option to start within establishing yourself.

A leader is a position that a lot of people admire. It takes power and control over what they want and where they want things to go. A lot of people look up to them because leaders often have twice as many responsibilities rather than rewards. But not every individual can become a leader whenever they want. That is because leadership requires skills and hard work that pretty much does not appeal to every person moving towards their goals. So if you’re going to step up and encourage yourself to become one, consider some tips that genuinely help a lot.

“I’m convinced that the ultimate measure of a leader includes the leader’s track record, their pattern of behavior, contribution, aspiration, and accomplishment over time—across multiple platforms and contexts.” – Paul G. Stoltz, Ph.D. 

Useful Tips

Learn From Other Leaders – The journey that a lot of leaders take is different from each other. However, one thing that these people share in common is a failure. Yes, all leaders experience the struggle and hardship of building something worthy of their time, motivation, and effort. A lot of them fail in all these aspects because there are instances that they can no longer control unfortunate situations. Some obstacles and challenges somehow make some of them quit their leadership. As an aspiring one, learn from these leaders’ experiences, note their mistakes, and internalize their resolution process. With that, you can have an idea of how others fail and succeed. As psychologist Lily Kelly-Radford explained, “We believe that leaders learn and they grow, but they don’t learn and grow in the same ways” as each other.”

Believe That You Are Capable – One thing that separates real leaders from others is their belief towards their capabilities. These leaders bring the energy and motivation to the whole team all the time. That is the reason why there is a lot of productivity when there is effective leadership. Therefore, it is vital that you look at yourself as a leader and that you are reliable, confident, skillful, and responsible. Listen to yourself when it tells you that you are worthy of becoming one. Because when you are positive and confident, people will automatically follow you.

Build The Applicable Skills – There are tons of leadership skills out there that apply to different industries. It is necessary to note that understanding the required skills for a particular purpose is essential in building leadership. Meaning, it is vital that you don’t waste your time learning and mastering an art that is not related to the industry you are handling. So to get in the position you see yourself in, you have to prepare yourself in a leadership role even if that takes you to work behind the scenes.

Share Your Ideas – Not all leaders are good at planning. Not all of them are great at decision-making as well. But the thing that makes these people worthy of their position is their ability to share ideas with the group. These people have a vision that they want others to know and understand what it is all about. So if you’re going to become a leader, do not be afraid to share your ideas with the team. Let them know that you are mentally and ideally present.

Remember that it is not easy to become a leader. But the right attitude will eventually lead you to the position.

Former psychotherapist Professor Hannah Greenwood conveys this powerful message: “Business leaders must have a clear personal vision, says Greenwood. They must have a strong sense of purpose and a desire to create a better future. Why? Because the key task of leadership is to bring hope to those that follow them.”

There are things that people do not understand when it comes to leadership. It is not all exciting and moral decision-making that changes a company, people, and industry altogether. But instead, it is a task that creates significant overall value in its societal involvement. There are physical, emotional, and mental pressures in it that bring unfavorable scenarios. That is the reason why a lot of therapists consider an emphasis on social and emotional intelligence to allow organizations to function.

Online therapy platforms such as BetterHelp employ the best therapists to help you with these problems. You will be surprised by how therapy can help you with improving the organization.

The Dilemma

All the complaint and failure of every organization comes from toxic leadership. According to Alan Goldman, Ph.D., “The misbehavior of a boss not only causes upheaval and a variety of negative responses, but it also can negatively impact the organizational culture and model abusive behavior for a department, division, or company.”  That is because there’s no social and emotional intelligence involved in the process. A toxic leadership will not only cause the whole system to fall but will also end up losing its talented assets. That is because there is no better listening. Toxic leaders only focus on telling what they think is correct all the time. Yes, there are instances that these individuals know what their subordinates are capable of doing, but they don’t care enough to appreciate it. The primitive behavior of toxic leadership creates a dysfunctional system in an overall picture.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence refers to how people handle themselves. There is an awareness of feelings and passion. It allows people to take control of the things that turn them on and off. There is an emotional capability that supports the individual to become competent in handling situations. Without emotional intelligence, there are tendencies that pressure and other destructive things interrupt the ability to focus. It makes individuals upset. Therefore, it begins to hamper people’s ability to process information. So with that, there is the expectation of less effective work and production.

John D. Mayer, Ph.D. says, “High EI people, for example, can accurately perceive emotions in faces. Such individuals also know how to use emotional episodes in their lives to promote specific types of thinking. They know, for example, that sadness promotes analytical thought and so they may prefer to analyze things when they are in a sad mood (given the choice).” Recognizing other people’s emotions is vital in social relations. It allows individuals to know how individuals see things, how they are feeling, and how they use emotions to interact with each other. Leaders in businesses around the world incorporate emotional intelligence for specific reasons. That includes better decision-making, stable organizational production, better social interaction, as well as consistent industrial growth.

Social Intelligence

The ability of social intelligence focuses on listening skills instead of “communication” as a whole. However, a lot of leaders and executives often don’t recognize that listening skills are more likely as necessary as understanding. Yes, these leaders know a lot, but they often ignore the fact there are things they can’t control. There are things they don’t know too. But because they are the boss, they do not consider that. They want people to follow and look up to them without questions and hesitations. With that, these people become close-minded and self-centered. Without social intelligence, leaders and executives’ performance along with their units result in a much lesser value. It severely affects not only the company but the overall development of each person in the workplace.

“You can easily spot someone with lots of SI at a party or social gathering because he or she knows how to “work the room,” explains Ronald E. Riggio, Ph.D. “The highly socially intelligent person can carry on conversations with a wide variety of people and is tactful and appropriate in what is said. Combined, these represent what are called “social expressiveness skills.”

In unfortunate cases, people don’t often see the correlation between social and emotional intelligence of leadership to every level of organizations’ performances. That’s because most of them don’t care about attachments and relationships. The only focus is on professional career growth, self- motivation, and personal goals. Most of these individuals are not aware of how they are impacting each other in a common scenario. Some executives and leaders also don’t understand the need to depend on other people’s ability to gain success. There is this mentality that their role in the company is more than enough to reach their specific goals. With that, some of these leaders fail to compromise and create better decisions for everybody including themselves. But if all leaders can only choose to get better in listening to their subordinates and assist them in developing skills that are essential for better performance, things can turn out differently. With better listening, companies will not only achieve quality organizational results but will also promote everyone’s emotional and mental strength.

So to put together a higher level of integration in assessing social and emotional intelligence, leaders should learn to listen with their peers and engage with their positive ideas. They need to undergo coaching and become open to constructive criticism as well. That is the only way they can change. That’s the only way they can perform and do their jobs well.

Everyone can lead, but certainly, not all can be great leaders because that road is not an easy path to travel.  Leadership is a roller coaster ride concerning emotions, mentality, and circumstances.  In an article he wrote, John D. Moore, Ph.D. mentioned, “To be blunt, just because you supervise people doesn’t make you a leader. That’s not to say managers can’t be leaders. They absolutely can. I’m simply suggesting that a title alone doesn’t bestow leadership qualities.”  There are times that it makes you feel good and confident, but most often becoming a leader is a stressful and dreadful task that sometimes you just want to quit.  It is in the toughest of times that a great leader emerges.   For whatever the circumstances are, he will lead his people to success.

Continue reading What Qualities Define A Great Leader

When a person lands a managerial or executive position for the first time – whether it’s a small business or a growing empire – his or her confidantes may say the same things. “Follow your gut.” “Do not let others’ opinions dictate your actions.” “Try not to have sleepless nights due to a single decision that you need to make.”

Larina Kase, PsyD, wrote in her article, “Great leaders understand how to balance emotion with reason and make decisions that positively impact themselves, their employees, their customers and stakeholders, and their organizations.”

Although these are all thoughtful comments, the latter sounds too good to be true. It practically tells someone that you should never overthink about some issues, which is not an entirely acceptable recommendation. In truth, leaders should embrace overthinking sometimes so that:

1. You Can Nitpick A Situation

An individual who switches from being chill to worrywart in one snap tends to be very cautious about things that they agree to do. For instance, a colleague asks for their signature on a lengthy document. No matter how busy the person may be – and regardless of how trustworthy the other fellow is – the boss may request for half or full day to read the content on every page before signing the papers.

To some, this habit seems like a waste of time. However, if you become nitpicky when it comes to important subjects, it lessens the possibility of going on a faulty agreement in actuality.

2. Your Imagination Will Flow

When you are overthinking, your mind appears to be no different from stagnant water. It gets stuck in your head for hours or days; the same idea plays over and over even with your eyes closed. What happens here is something called analysis paralysis, which entails that you are aware of your goal, but you cannot seem to figure out how to reach it.

According to Dr. Jeffrey Huttman, a licensed psychologist, “In a very general and non-scientific sense, people with a Type A personality are more likely to be more ambitious, competitive, and intense,” Huttman says. “Those with a Type B personality are alleged to be more relaxed—less frantic and reactive. [Those with] Type A [personalities] would certainly be more likely to engage in overthinking.”

While that can be scary when you experience it for the first time, your imagination will start to flow once the realization that you are merely using your creativity negatively hits. That is when you get to redirect your energy towards thoughts that may resolve issues in the company.

3. You May Put Everything Into Perspective

For clinical psychologist Seth Gillihan, “Overthinking can take many forms: endlessly deliberating when making a decision (and then questioning the decision), attempting to read minds, trying to predict the future, reading into the smallest of details—the list goes on.”

A leader who overthinks more than anyone within the office may be the most compassionate person there too. The reason is that the act pushes you to put everything – and everyone – into perspective before coming up with a decision. Since you are the boss, you know that your words will not only affect you now but also the members of your team or perhaps all the employees in the building.

If we are honest, that is an excellent side effect of overthinking. Someone who is extremely confident about himself or herself will never do that and drop a memorandum without thinking twice. Nevertheless, a worrywart tends to slow down to consider every factor or option out there to ensure that the decision will be the best for all.

4. You Manage To Become Less Regretful

Many people praise leaders who can decide on vital topics immediately. They say that they have more capability than others to rule because it takes them no time to “resolve” issues. Nevertheless, if you follow these folks throughout their administration, you may notice that some of their projects fail or they need to withdraw the words they spoke in public.

The thing is because overthinkers ponder about various matters for too long, it is rare to find them in such a sticky situation. They assume every scenario, as well as the possible outcome of different decisions. Hence, when they impose regulation or initiate a project, you can tell that it won’t be something they will ever regret.

Final Thoughts

Of course, overthinking day and night can never be acceptable. That may lead to physical and mental conditions later since you use every fiber in your body to think about stuff. At times, though, it may be good to embrace the act for leaders or anyone who wants to succeed in their endeavor.

If you constantly find yourself overthinking, there are online counseling platforms such as BetterHelp to help you. They have well-experienced and licensed therapists to help you manage your thoughts.