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Leadership is observed as a significant driver for success in organizations. The phenomena have been presented to us through many literature perspectives, and many training and learning opportunities often with the focus on how to become a good leader? how to be an effective leader? how the leader should engage an employee?... and many others. But from my observation, the practice of leadership should start from the individual work of own roots of development and process of growth. The patterns of when and how we make decisions throughout our life and the intention we are driven by will give insight through our analysis journey. Being able to query how we apply the practice towards achieving our vision will be an indication of our settled inner intention. Leadership is something that cannot be measured. It's because the art of it is something you cannot place in the definitions or frameworks. These are tools to give us directions and support to understand ourselves because every human being is different and everyone has other reasons to be the way he or she is.
Over the years, I’ve realized the vital connection between sociology and leadership. Organizations shape the environments in which their members operate, and their inherent complexity means leadership cannot adhere to a single preferred style. The industry of an organization often dictates the attitudes and behaviors best suited to its workplace infrastructure. In highly technical, production-based settings, traditional philanthropic leadership styles may not fit; however, there remains space for sociological considerations. Leaders can still apply empathetic approaches to employee interactions within these rigid frameworks.
In other business areas, experts focus on enhancing processes not just for innovation and management but also to better serve employees. This holistic improvement elevates the role of leadership, highlighting its importance in fostering a supportive organizational culture.
The effectiveness of your leadership will be defined by the level of attention you give to the surrounding environment. MZ
What is your purpose?
It's about being aware of yourself first: What is your purpose? What is the inspiration you want to create for other people? What kind of change do you want to make for them?
But how often is leadership in such practice? Is it focusing on job, where the strategic leadership team have expectations’ list? Or KPIs, famous these days? What kind of impact do we have on people? Our attention should be on the real meaning - not only through salary improvements, vouchers, or promotions for holidays. It is, of course, a better something than nothing, but leadership starts with honest reflection; what kind of person are you? What do you have to offer to the people with whom you work? Are you an inspiration to those people? Do they learn from you? Did you tutor your people something this month? Did you teach your people something this year? Are you a mentor towards better satisfaction in life? Considering this reflection movement that should lead us to development, I have designed the road map “Roadmap of Development: How I become Me” based on my observation and work experience in my routine. This framework helped not only leaders struggling with their effectiveness, but also individuals to understand their process of thinking for decision-making.
As adults, we go through so many stages of our evolution, and for our growth, we should reflect on our purpose of ourselves in the work environment, in life; what kind of level of attention do we give to people? Is this money, buying goods or giving life skills, more - Quality time conversations? How many hours a day do we speak to our beloved ones?
Sociology.
It's the science of the environment. And since we are born, we will be surrounded by the specific nature. We will also be associated with this construct through the lens of cultural, behavioural and religious traditions. We will be developing ourselves based on the drivers we receive from the surrounding environment. And in different words, it will be the content of the knowledge we obtain from the people around us based on their level of attention, the possibility of development, acceptance or not, and freedom versus rigid rules. Starting from being born while we are developing, our brain is elementary, and there will be a massive difference between the child's brain and the way it grows based on the level of received consideration. We go to kindergarten, which will impact how we absorb words and our ability to express ourselves—the first step to learning how we manage our emotions. There will always be a system or process in our life that will influence how we develop our perception and how we decide on our attitude towards others. It is the process of evolution of our character - The reasons why we are honest, the reasons why we are lying, and the reasons why we are introverts and extroverts. Developing this awareness is the another important step.
Neuroscience
Emotions are the primary driver of our actions, and different facts will drive our decision. Can this make us good leaders? The next step should be the reflection - how I see the importance of neuroscience in and for business. Thinking on own purpose can allow us to screen ourselves through the lens of maturity. It is essential because it's about something else than being perfect but being aware of an intention. These two elements will enable us to visualize our cognitive map, which is the foundation of who we are today. During this exercise, we develop a conceptual knowledge about our self-being and objective. The outcome will foster another activity that is incredibly supportive of the practice - personal SWOT analysis. Focusing on writing about the weaknesses and threats will take you on a fantastic, exploratory journey and lead you to discover that your weaknesses are opportunities and threats will appear as strengths.
I know - I accept... then what?
The acknowledgement is the next step to change and becoming even more mature. This practice strongly correlates to our confidence level, driving our attitude towards life and people. What you have created can be your tool to dive effectively into your personal work because leadership is not a definition closed-in box but a philanthropy. It's flexible. It requires lots of work around emotional intelligence, and you cannot develop it through training. It's more than that.
Emotional Intelligence is a daily practice of awareness, and reflection.MZ
Last final remark - read! - books are the best source of energy to fuel your change towards confidence in the skin of a great leader. Apply your conceptual knowledge daily and do good for people and their growth.
©Magdalena, VLM
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