the art of leading

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This post is my contribution to Blog Action Day. The purpose of this initiative is to get thousands of bloggers talking about one topic. This Blog Action Day’s topic is the environment.

The environmental issue is a leadership issue. It involves persuasion, negotiation, inspiration, motivation, and all those other “-asions” and “-ations” that leadership is supposed to address. Therefore, leadership should play a central role in this discussion.

These days, the environment is on everybody’s minds. Obviously, Al Gore has been partly responsible for such attention, with his Nobel Peace Prize and all. Scientist, politicians, economists argue over the actual existence of global warming, its cause, whether it is human-caused or natural, and so on. But hey, let all the science to, umm…the scientists. For the purposes of this article, I’ll take the sensible premise that global warming is a reality and that humans have a significant role in it.

So what role can, and should, leadership play?

It has been drilled into everybody’s mind that one of the most important functions of leaders is to persuade people to adopt a stance and take action. The discussion of environmental issues has a huge need of effective persuasion.

Granted, I don’t believe that it is still a great necessity to persuade people that global warming exists. Even severe critics of global warming discussions admit that it is a reality.

What is more important than that is to persuade people that they can do something to improve what the future holds for our planet. In other words, we need leaders to persuade people to practice what I call personal leadership.

Why?

Put simply, this cause is not one which will advance with a big social movement led by a central leader. It’s too big of a deal for a small group of people In my opinion, the mission of curbing global warming and environmental pollution will be achieved through micro-collaboration. People will have to contribute whatever initiative, however big or small, that is possible.

What kind of initiative?

A classic simple action that may contribute greatly, from lessening dependence on oil to helping the economy, is to use FC light bulbs instead of standard light bulbs. Or perhaps you can use the train instead of the car. In fact, you can use the train instead of the car just one day of the week, and still generate some impact. Using this personal leadership, you can serve as an example to whoever you may influence. You have to urge this micro-collaboration. That is leadership in practice. And that is what will be necessary to change the course of our planet.

And what about the bigger-than-life leaders who will single-handedly change the world?

Occasionally some great individual leader will emerge as a motivating presence. Al Gore has taken a role, regardless of what people think of him, of proactivity. Nevertheless, he nor any other individual will be a savior, regardless of how many awards he wins. In this age of tipping points, long tails, and wikinomics, social micro-collaboration will be the key to reversing the damage that humans have caused to the environment.

Explore Blog Action Day!

Categories : Action, Blog Action Day, Change, Environment, Persuasion, Proactivity // Add Comment »

The main reasons why Hillary Clinton is on top of the Democratic field are NOT found in the following list:

• lots of money
• well-connected husband
• lots of experience
• good looks
• charm
• charisma
• political organization
• some special circumstance
• intelligence
• representing change
• Etc.

I’m not saying the above factors aren’t important. Some of them do contribute to her lead. But there’s another factor that I believe is just as relevant, or perhaps even more so, than the others.

The real reason why Hillary Clinton is on top

It’s contrast. No, not contrast with past candidates. Not even contrast with her Democratic opponents, although candidates should differentiate themselves from the others (after all, how else are we supposed to decide who is the best candidate?).
[Read more →]

Categories : Change, General Leadership, Politics // 2 Comments »

Picture yourself five years ago. What are your dreams? What are your goals? What are your plans? Are you pretty sure that you’re gonna’ reach them? How confident are you? Do you have your next five years planned out to perfection?

Now come back to the present. Did you actually reach them? To what extent? Of course, everything didn’t go exactly as planned. Maybe you achieved all your goals. Or maybe you simply stalled. Or maybe you have been hit by the storms of everyday life, as is normal.

That happens too. We think we’re Supermen or Superwomen and suddenly something happens to change our course. [Read more →]

Categories : Action, Change, Failure, General Leadership, Goals, Personal Development // 2 Comments »

Treatment that produces an emotional and psychological impact is said to have therapeutic effects. Therapists dedicate themselves to help patients reach states of positive emotions and psychological well-being. Leaders can exert those therapeutic effects through their leadership methods. I would call that therapeutic leadership.

Leadership is a social force with concrete consequences. When the level of influence of one person reaches respectable heights, whatever that person does may determine the feelings of an anonymous follower.

Leaders have the capacity to impact people in an emotional and psychological way. I don’t know if this has any scientific value, since I’m neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist. But it seems to me that leaders may be able to exert a very specific emotional or mental impact on any one individual who happens to listen or follow them.

What’s the point, you ask? Well, I’d like for you as a leader to be accountable for what you say and do. You should be aware of the impact that you may have on your followers. I’m not implying that you should be paternalistic and that you should be everyone’s therapist.

At least be conscious of your actions. The shadow that those actions throw over your followers may be bigger than you thought. The first step toward practicing therapeutic leadership, then, is to simply be aware.

Categories : Change, Communication, Personal Development, Relationships, Responsibility // Add Comment »

It’s nice to meet people who get the job done. You can rely on them for many things. But don’t count on ‘responsible’ people when you need true change. People who are merely ‘responsible’ strive to maintain the status quo. Granted, they do it in the best way possible, and run the present state of affairs in a reasonably effective manner. But they will not be too enthused about jumping out of that ever-comfortable box. When faced with opportunities to do so, they will resist change. “Minimum effort” is their maxim. You might spot them because they’re usually the ones who say, “Change isn’t worth it, we’re O.K. as it is”.

Leadership entails another layer above the “responsibility” level. That layer is “proactivity”. Yes, I know it may be an overly used word. But it involves qualities that are important for leadership and change. Proactive people are the ones who will see things based on their potential instead of their present. When faced with a challenge, they will think about what step they might take to overcome it, instead of putting it off. Most importantly, they will not stop at “getting things done”. They will go above the threshold of minimum effort, since it’s obvious to them that change requires maximum effort and creative thinking. It requires initiative.

As a leader, make sure that you are proactive and not just a responsible guy or gal. Develop the mindset that is necessary for change and improvement instead of comfort. Also seek to attract people of that same mentality into your team. They will not only get things done, but contribute to the evolution and realization of your vision as a leader.

Categories : Change, Confidence, General Leadership, Goals, Proactivity, Relationships, Responsibility // Add Comment »