Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Redefining Leadership

In the 70’s and 80’s, we talked mostly about the strong and tough leader, the courageous leader, the results-driven leader and the leader who measured success by how many people followed.

During the past 15 years, our view of leadership has changed. We have redefined great leadership by adding more human capabilities and capacities, including behaviors such as empathy. Supporting and developing others and caring about the impact we have on those who look up to us.

“Co-creating” is a new and different word. Its meaning is not about negotiating, giving in or accommodating one time so I can get what I want another time. Co-creating is a state of mind and a way of working with others that is much more inclusive than what most leaders previously thought. It requires that leaders learn how to facilitate conversations with others in a new way. It requires that leaders are aware of themselves to correct behaviors that can ruin relationships.

As a consultant or HR professional, it can be difficult to address these issues. Survey data is key. Measuring the level of how in synch a leader is with his/her team in all the critical measures is imperative for co-creating. Many times, leaders see the world through "rose-colored glasses" but reality cannot be subjective.
If you are a leader, ask yourself, "does your team see the world as you do?".

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