The Future is NOW: A 2008 study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Growing Global Executive Talent, pinpointed three leadership qualities that will be critical in the future: The ability to motivate staff (35 percent); the ability to work well across cultures (34 percent); and the ability to facilitate change (32 percent). The successful leader is a thinker, communicator, motivator and champion; he/she is a 3Q Leader who excels at Q1: Enhanced focus and ideation Q2: Enhanced emotional intelligence and communication Q2: Enhanced values, purpose and grit!
Growth is innately appealing, but often takes a back seat in our minds because the sheer velocity of changes, challenges, stressors, opportunities we face is staggering. We are living in turbulent times where everything that was is changing and will continue to change. The trouble is that even if we forward thinking, our primal wiring, automatic setting will not and cannot help us think, lead, grow, communicate and collaborate forward.
Reset your default setting; a primal setting that can put you into fight or flight mode when change, challenges for failures hit you between the eyes. Caveat, neuroscience confirms YOU can rewrite YOUR brain. Yes, small steps, make a small, consistent change in the way you think and deal with change, challenges or stressors can help you reset YOUR GPS
Q1: Adapt:
Leadership is About Adaptation. You need to grow your ability to see problems differently, to focus on what really counts in ways that drive cognitive adaptability. There is an ocean of creativity, innovation in your brain waiting to be tapped. Seize the day and take small steps that will help you develop more adaptive thinking.
A Few Simple, Powerful Ways To Adapt:
1. Identify the path (walking/driving) you prefer, then take a different one.
2. Change at least one routine every day.
3. Embrace new experiences. Focus on learning from everything! What you focus on grows, and a positive focus on learning will expand your learning potential.
Q2: Evolve:
Leadership is About Communicating and Inspiring Change The leader who communicates well succeeds well; communicating well means Leaders must be excellent listeners, learners and communicators who build bridges across diverse groups, internal and external constituencies. Leaders must be motivators and communicators who build bridges; and building a bridge means inspiring oneself first while developing the ability to open the ears and hearts of your constituency.
A Few Simple, Powerful Ways To Evolve
1. Develop a critical life, communication and leadership skill; constructive discontent
2. Break out of your professional or business silo; connect with new people who are not
in your peer group because doing is a learning experience that will also help you
communicate across barriers.
3. Get inspired daily by inspiring/motivating at least one person a day.
Q 3: Thrive
Build enlightened self interest. Purpose equals profit on a multiplicity of levels. Championing the values, integrity and purpose that drive sustainability while creating value for employees, stakeholders and the community you serve is critical, and it starts with walking the talk and developing coaching and mentorship programs that foster intrinsic motivation.
A Few, Simple Ways To Thrive
1. Develop mindfulness, in less than 5 minutes a day. Yes, try “The Pause”. I do it, my clients do it and it is a terrific way to recharge and repower!
2. Laugh more, smile more. Laughing gives your brain an aerobic workout, and is an excellent stress reliever and mood booster. Remember, smiling will automatically elevate your mood; keeping positive is key to ideation, health, longevity and work productivity.
3. Apply courage, integrity and humanity first; focus on one objective at a time and how you can make it real the imperative to find new ways, better and faster ways to optimize the best in yourself and your people is critical and doable. Doing so means recognizing and rewriting habits of thinking (adapting) feeling/communicating (evolving) and leading forward (thriving).
Rest on your current laurels of success and hope they can take you forward in a whole new world of change, challenges, stressors, ambiguity and opportunities that will continue to accelerate. Build your 3Q Edge™, champion your ability and the ability of your people to adapt, evolve and thrive because doing so is the way forward!
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