Leadership by itself sounds very ambigious a topic to discuss and an element of creativity to it makes it more abstract as possible:-) Here I like to share a few creatives approaches to leadership.
A leader has to meet up with people at where they are and then attempt to get them where you want them to be.
This is a profound insight. Many a times we struggle our way to push our way of thinking on the others. And when it is not taken well, we take objection to it. In fact resistance or objection to our ideas or way of thinking should be positively acknowledged and paid attention to. It does not come easily but we need to remember it will open doors to explore new possiblities. It breeds a sense of freedom to think beyond boundaries in teams. And once the team experiences this freedom they will give nothing but their best! To get there we could use a skill called Frame of Reference.
Now what is Frame of Reference? It is about undertanding the way I see an issue and how the other person or people see it. The more we are aware of this and make it an effort to have an inclusive approach of the other the better we are at engaging and leading. But a caveat to practice this skill would need us to be aware of our own perceptions and assumptions before attempting to understand that of the other.
In our journey of exploring the frame of reference of each other, there is a high necessity to be open and vulnerable to experiences. Vulnerable! this may sound a big NO NO for a leader but this is the thing which is required. In our presence context, it is not required of a leader to be all strong and correct all the time. It is fine for him / her to commit mistakes, acknowledge the mistakes and learn from his subordinates and be one amongst them. By placing oneself on a high pestral to be called a leader is a way to alienate onself from the team.
Another creative approach to leadership would be to explore using Narrative Listening - this is about inviting the other person to share his or her story (point of view) and you extending a deep listening without interrupting. The focus in this conversation is completing on the person sharing the story. As a listener you don't need to prepare yourself to reaction or respond to this person. Sometimes people expect you to just lend them your ears and not necessarily propose or give a solution or an advice!
Many a times I have heard my mother say this to me - "I don't want you to fix things for me but just listen out to me" I was always so confused wondering what is that she wants from me. But now I get it . It relieves a lot of pain and anxiety in people when they find someone to just speak their minds.
Yes, you could extend a helping hand and work with the person to find solutions if requested by the person. This does not come easy to us, we are such experts ready anytime to hand out our ready made prescribitions!
Enjoy reading and share your thoughts!
