You want to become a great leader? Keep a journal
Motivation / / December 19, 2019
Leaders need reflection: self-absorbed man reinvents the experience and see new ways of solving old problems. Keeping a diary helps to look at the world from different angles, to overestimate the event and to find new solutions ahead of the competition.
one study It proved that prominent leaders take the time to immerse themselves in and evaluate their actions. Their success depends on the ability to address the unique vision of the situation and use it to make decisions.
Leaders have the ability to see something before it will see the others understood before everyone will understand and begin to act before others begin. A unique view of the situation - this is an important criterion for creativity and competitive advantage.
But in reality, the pace of life is so fast that we did not have time for you to hear your inner voice. Although this is not so difficult. You just need to make a habit to dive in yourself.
Based on research data and many years of experience as a business consultant, Nancy Adler (Nancy Adler) recommends one simple activity - diary.
Nancy Adler
Professor, researcher and artist. Conducts research and advises people in the area of leadership and cross-cultural management. Author of more than 125 articles, the producer of three films, the author of 10 books and collections.
What you need to start
- Buy the book. Keeping a diary online It does not provide as many benefits as a letter by hand. So buy a notebook or diary.
- Dedicate keeping a diary for 15 minutes a day. This is a hard step. So, if you do not have free 15 minutes, start with three. But be sure to do it.
- Find a quiet placeWhere no one will distract you.
- Select time. Better if it will be one and the same time each day when you do not need to be interrupted to do something else. Carefully guard their 15 minutes of other things to do - it's time for a meeting with yourself.
- Write down everything that comes to mind. Blank page notebook invite you for an honest dialogue with itself. In the diary, you can say anything you like. So give yourself a promise to follow his stream of consciousness without judgment, censorship or attempts to guess where your thoughts lead you. And do not worry about grammar: no matter how you express yourself, it will be correct.
- No one to show your diary. Your thoughts are yours and no one else. They give you something that will not be able to give all the experts, advisors and coaches on the planet - your unique point of view.
Where to start keeping a diary
If you do not know where to start blog, Ask a few questions and write down the answers. Here are your favorite Nancy Adler questions:
- How I feel at the moment?
- What I think about his leadership?
- That deserves my attention in the lead, in life, in the world?
- The most outrageous (or fun) idea, heard in the past 24 hours. What I like about her?
- The most exciting initiative, which I heard (a) in the last week, appeared outside my sphere of activity or in any other part of the world.
- What pleased me the most this week? How can I bring more happiness in my life?
Let the art will awaken your imagination
Art - this is another assistant leader, it allows you to go beyond the usual. Looking at the paintings or enjoying other forms of art, the leader can experiment with new points of view.
If I really concentrate on the picture that I see? If I combine what I see with my situation, which will open new facets of the picture?
This may seem far-fetched, but the unexpected juxtaposition picture and the real problems in life often reveals hidden forces and creates an amazing new ideas. For example, at Yale University found that young doctors have become much better diagnoses after the general course of art history. Why? Because the art teaches a person, whether he is an artist, a doctor or a general manager, to see the meaning in a rich palette of complexity. It allows us to be more careful and creative approach to the search for meaning. At the same time, the art helps to understand that a certain interpretation - it's just one of the many points of view.
Using art as a stimulus for reflection, follow the steps below. You can try to do this exercise, inspired by a painting by Nancy Adler.
- Select a picture (Or other artwork). Stop look at the work that appeals to you for some reason (because you love it, hate or even for some reason).
- Continuously look for the selected artwork at least three minutes. Note the time. It may seem that three minutes - this is a very long time, so it is better to know for sure.
- Develop your ability to see. Describe the picture. What do you see in her? How it is changing as you consider it? What did you see in the picture at the end of three minutes, but did not notice the first minute?
- Ask questions generalizing. What new perspective reveals the picture? For example, as the current situation in the economy (or in my company, my team) is similar to the picture? As the complexity of the picture reflects the hidden complexity of the situation? You will surprise the ideas that will come in answer to such questions.
Do not forget about the purpose
Too many leaders lack the capacity, but suffer from a lack of meaning. Ask questions that takes you back to what's important right now is for you or for the society and the planet as a whole, depending on your goals. For example, you might ask: "What is my job today? What is my life's work? ".
Similarly, can act inspirational words of leaders in your diary.
Speaking... The more carefully you listen to your inner voice, the better you will hear sounds from the outside, without any fear.Dag Hammarskjöld (Dag Hammarskjöld), the United Nations Secretary General in the years 1953-1961
Madeleine Albright (Madeleine Albright), US Secretary of State 1997-2001We are responsible for our time as well as others were responsible for their own, it is important to be held hostage to history, but to do it.
Such statements remind us that our leadership should be significant, not just successful, the strategy and tactics are meaningless without a specific purpose.
Regular self-absorbed with the help of diary entries, you can see the world differently, to understand it from different points of view and to lead the people a new way in which all needed.