Enlightened leaders recognize the importance of self-awareness and effective collaborative relationships and they focus their efforts on building connections with the people they lead. The six behavioural attitudes of their strategic approach to quality Cognitive Behaviour Development deserve a closer look:
1. Develop Attentiveness
Enlightened leaders give their people their undivided attention every day. Whether in leader huddles, using the old Hewlett-Packard “leading by wandering around” approach, or health care’s rounding for outcomes, suffice it to say leadership connection begins by being available and genuinely attentive to the needs of the people doing the work of the organization.
2. Develop Alertness
Enlightened leaders have a highly developed empathic sense. They are able to detect when an emotional state of another person is in distress and then they respond to what they see. When you sense a negative state, the skill of Positive Presence equips you with the words and/or behaviour change needed to mitigate and/or entirely eliminate the negative.
3. Develop Appreciation
Enlightened leaders are constantly looking for qualities to praise people for – daily! Great leaders spend a great deal of time identifying what people do right and acknowledging them for it.
4. Develop Thoughtfulness
Successful leaders and good business people know that effective communication is a critical element of execution and peak performance. Enlighted leaders know how to use suggestions and expressed-thoughtfulness as a form of inclusive, participative leadership.
5. Develop a Learner’s Attitude
Your success as a leader is directly related to your ability and willingness to learn, to change, to adapt, and to grow. To learn is to change. Throughout our life there is a constant evolution in the way we think and act, brought about by new understanding, new knowledge, and new skills.
6. Develop Leadership with Humility
Humility is a key factor of leadership character and requires an affirmative answer to the following: Can you be open to new concepts of leader obligation? Can you be open to receiving candid and honest feedback about your behaviour and its impact on those you lead? Can you get excited about letting others help you learn about your own habits and the changes needed to improve the effectiveness of your leadership influence?
Applying a strategic approach to quality cognitive behaviour development will take you and your organization to new and higher levels of performance.
