Sometimes we get stuck on a path . Our personal values and experiences drive our behaviours and changing course can be one of the most difficult tasks you will encounter.
A foundational trait of strong leaders is the practice of empathy. This is not simply the ability to understand and share the feelings of others but in the context of leadership it is the ability to leverage that understanding. To change approach accordingly.
Collaborating
Your own preconceived understanding of how to act is often very difficult to alter but doing so has a high likelyhood of leading to the best path to achieving a goal.
Recognizing the wants and needs of others, understanding how they are feeling and using your analysis of this information together with your own thoughts will most likely result in better outcomes.
My Way
Practicing empathy requires openness on your part. That is receptivity to others ideas and ways of thinking. Ultimately the key value to this approach is the ability to accept that your way is not neccessarily always the best.
Your Way
Acceptance that other better approaches exist is fundemental to creating a culture of openness. The result will be higher group performance as the strengths and weaknesses of everyone are blended together.
It is an old saying, but carries a lot of wisdom, “the sum of the whole is far more powerful than each of the individual parts alone”.
