The Vital Skill Leaders Need NOW!
Here is a VITAL leadership skill you really need to have during turbulent times and beyond. Since this is a skill most senior executives do not have, this can give you the edge over your peers.
Before we get there, think about this.
- Who are your leadership role models?
- What do you like about them?
- How do you expect them to behave in turbulent times?
Reflect on the above questions for a minute, please. Did you?
Now, ask yourself: Do you lead the way you expect to be led?
Do you lead the way you expect to be led?
A leader should be able to win hearts and minds, gain commitment, and inspire his or her team. They need to be more watchful of what they think, say, and do. Most importantly they need to realize what feelings they invoke in people.
Whether it is turbulent times or not, the following line from Ms. Angelou holds true.
“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you MADE them FEEL.”
Here is the thing:
The keyword is FEEL! It’s all about emotions. Emotion is energy in motion!
What are you doing to keep giving your team the right energy, to connect, to captivate, to inspire, to turbocharge them in turbulent times?
How can you make them FEEL that you care about them?
How can you make them FEEL that you understand their concern?
How can you make them FEEL that they need to follow your directions now more than ever before?
The solution lies in storytelling and leadership narratives. Right stories evoke the right emotions if you are able to find them and tell them well!
The solution lies in storytelling and leadership narratives. Right stories evoke the right emotions if you are able to find them and tell them well!
You need to be able to transfer your experience, transfer your emotions, create emotional contagion so that your words permeate in the minds of the people you lead. They will be inspired enough to tell others. If you mess this up, there will be costs to pay in terms of lack of engagement, loss of productivity, and loss of reputation.
Now, the vital skill you need to learn — Storytelling and Leadership Narratives. Watch what you say and how you are saying it. Throw the useless facts and tell more useful stories — because facts are forgotten, while stories stick.
Throw those useless facts and tell more useful stories — because facts are fast forgotten, while stories stick.
Stories are drivers for the FEELINGS you leave behind.
If I were to alter the words, I would say — “Your people DO NOT remember — what you said or what you did — They will ALWAYS REMEMBER how you made them FEEL”.
To apply to join the upcoming program for Senior Leaders, click on the image below.
Manoj Vasudevan is a Next Level Leadership Readiness expert, management consultant, and the World Champion of Public Speaking. He helps executives and entrepreneurs to break through to the Next Level in career and life. Manoj is known for his expertise in simplifying complex topics into practical strategies. He is the CEO of Thought Expressions and holds an MBA from Imperial College, London. His books include the international bestseller Mastering Leadership The Mousetrap Way. He speaks at international conferences, multinational companies, universities, and around the world. As a coach, Manoj has a proven track record in personal transformation and breakthroughs. CEOs, Senior Executives, UN Diplomats, Celebrities & Professionals from 51 nationalities have benefited from Manoj’s coaching. To contact the author click here.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com/in/manojthecoach.
