Leadership, a topic that I am passionate about, as I have mentioned in previous articles. Great leaders are not born; they are made with the steadfast conviction of wanting to become one. According to my academic and professional experience, one of the biggest problems people face is the fear of commitment, the avoidance of responsibility, and the lack of good habits reflected in their behavior.
A good leader is someone who can develop others, enhance the capabilities of their team, and position them at a higher level of competence. In this article, I will talk about the 3 most important habits that every leader should possess.
- The Habit of Listening Listening involves paying attention to a person and focusing on the main elements of their communication. When you develop the skill of listening, you learn to listen to what is relevant and fundamental for decision-making, for bringing about change.
There are different levels of listening that will help you identify where you stand and make the necessary changes to develop this habit.
- Superficial Listening: Your level of listening in the conversation indicates that you haven’t managed to quiet your internal noise and are still listening to your thoughts instead of what the other person is saying.
- Participative Listening: At this level, you still hear your thoughts in your head, but you have short interventions with the other person that show you are paying attention.
- Attentive Listening: You are only listening to what the person is saying; you are guided solely by their words.
- Deep Listening: This is the level of listening where you truly pay attention to what the other person is saying. You go beyond what is said, also focusing on gestures, expressions, body movements, etc.
- The Habit of Flexibility Have you heard Stephen R. Covey’s fifth habit, which mentions “seek first to understand, then to be understood”? Well, this habit is related. Every leader must have the ability to flex their behaviors in relation to their circumstances and not fall into the extremism of the authoritarian leader who insists that only what he says goes. Each person is unique, and therefore, they must be managed differently.
- The Habit of Recognition From their earliest stages, people need the respect and affection of those around them. The leader recognizes this need and understands that recognition is the ability to see and enhance the skills of their team in a evaluative and objective way, as the famous saying goes, “Praise in public and correct in private.”
Put these habits into practice and discover the great potential within you.