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Can Self-Leadership Truly Be Learned?

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Self-leadership

CAN SELF-LEADERSHIP TRULY BE LEARNED

Do you feel like you’re good at leading and influencing other people but secretly struggling with managing your thoughts and actions and reining yourself? And you might frequently ask yourself, “Am I fit to be a leader when I wasn’t born with leadership skills? If so, you could be among the many leaders grappling with self-leadership! ” Fret not because self-leadership can be developed over time.

Self-leadership can be learned, provided you’re intentional and patient with yourself. The first step is to develop self-confidence and self-awareness, both crucial aspects of successful self-regulation. Remember, the end goal is to be an effective role model that others will be inspired to emulate. 

Stick around to find out why self-leadership is crucial in business and what can happen if you don’t strive to possess this vital skill. You will also come across some tips on beginning your journey toward effective self-leadership, particularly on how to work toward a better understanding and acceptance of your limitations. Let’s begin!

Is Self-Leadership a Natural Skill?

Is self-leadership a natural skill?
Is self-leadership a natural skill?

Self-leadership is only sometimes a hardwired skill that people are born with and which sets natural-born leaders apart from the rest of the pack. It is a skill that can be learned and developed over time. It takes a lot of effort, patience, and determination to master the art of self-leadership.

It involves managing and controlling your thoughts and actions with minimal to no outside influence. You push yourself to move forward, reward yourself for big and small wins, make decisions, and arrive at sound solutions to various problems. 

Self-leadership is not necessarily essential in effectively managing a team, but it is a skill that will significantly boost your leadership skills. It would be highly advantageous for you to learn how to handle yourself before attempting to manage a team expertly.

Self-leadership is not necessarily essential in effectively managing a team, but it is a skill that will significantly boost your leadership skills.

What Happens When You Don’t Possess Self-Leadership Skills

What happens when you don't possess self-leadership skills
What happens when you don’t possess self-leadership skills

Self-leadership is a concept that has been introduced previously. Even the best traditional leaders possess this crucial skill because it is a way through which they can better command the respect and compliance of their team. Without it, leaders will have a more challenging time functioning in their roles in the business.

Here’s what can happen when you don’t have solid self-leadership abilities:

  • Low employability. The lack of self-leadership will clearly show in your leadership style. Statistics show that in 2019, 77% of companies experienced leadership gaps in their hiring process since they sought individuals with strong leadership skills to join their teams.  
  • Poor job satisfaction. Not being able to control your thoughts, emotions, and actions will leave you constantly stressed and burned out.
  • Low team engagement. Employees can differentiate influential, confident leaders from those who seem unsure. 
  • High employee turnover. Employees who feel disillusioned, disappointed, and frustrated with their leaders will seek better opportunities elsewhere. 
Effect of no solid self-leadership abilitiesDescription
Low employabilityThe lack of self-leadership will clearly show in your leadership style. Statistics show that in 2019, 77% of companies experienced leadership gaps in their hiring process since they sought individuals with strong leadership skills to join their teams.  
Poor job satisfactionNot being able to control your thoughts, emotions, and actions will leave you constantly stressed and burned out.
Low team engagementEmployees can differentiate influential, confident leaders from those who seem unsure. 
High employee turnover.Employees who feel disillusioned, disappointed, and frustrated with their leaders will look for better opportunities elsewhere. 
Effect of not having a solid self-leadership abilities

What You Can Gain from Learning Self-Leadership

What you can gain from learning self-leadership
What you can gain from learning self-leadership

Learning self-leadership can open up new avenues and opportunities for you. It can also help make you a more effective leader, especially since the ability to self-direct enables you to walk the talk and become a person worth emulating. 

Mastering this crucial skill triggers these benefits:

  • You learn how to react to various scenarios efficiently.
  • You know how to be an independent thinker.
  • You train yourself to be a doer. 
  • You’re able to hone your creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. 
  • You know how to self-regulate.
  • You become more resilient, especially when faced with challenges.
  • You’ll empower your team to be independent and innovative.
  • You’ll inspire your team members to follow your lead. 

How To Develop Self-Leadership

How to develop self-leadership
How to develop self-leadership

Self-leadership is seen as an enabler of successful businesses. It is a crucial skill that can make a significant difference in both your personal and career growth. Strong self-leadership skills will set you apart as a credible, respectable, and influential leader.

Strong self-leadership skills will set you apart as a credible, respectable, and influential leader.

How to develop self-leadership
How to develop self-leadership

Here are some tips on how to begin your journey toward developing self-leadership skills:

1. Develop Your Confidence

It would help if you learned to trust yourself when drafting plans, making decisions, and formulating strategies. Self-confidence is critical to successful self-leadership because if you lack this vital virtue, you risk struggling to direct yourself toward progress and success. 

Always be clear-headed, calm, and focused, even during challenging scenarios and crises. Remaining collected and practicing allows you to assess strategies to develop the best solutions to dilemmas logically. You’ll be able to keep your head above water even when others around you succumb to anxiety, stress, and failure. 

2. Develop a Healthy Sense of Compassion and Self-Awareness

Compassion for yourself and your team members allows you to take stock of your strengths and weaknesses so you can acknowledge and accept that everyone has limitations. Being aware of these can help you become more realistic and grounded about your capabilities. 

Developing a healthy sense of compassion and self-awareness also lets you establish a strong sense of ownership for your work, making you quick to admit faults and lapses in judgment and eager to rectify these mistakes. 

Self-awareness also gives rise to better self-regulation and higher emotional intelligence. People possessing these skills are honest, adaptable, and realistically hopeful, allowing them to achieve set goals more efficiently.

3. Harness Your Thoughts

Don’t let your thoughts run wild. Learn how to control your thoughts, ideas, emotions, perceptions, judgments, and beliefs. Self-talk is healthy, but only when it is constructive and productive. 

Don’t let your thoughts run wild. Learn how to control your thoughts, ideas, emotions, perceptions, judgments, and beliefs.

Self-talk also has a way of reflecting on your image, attitude, and actions. Your subconscious has a surprisingly strong influence over your outlook. Negative self-talk hurts your ability to handle stress, challenges, and failures.

Learn how to self-regulate and strive to convert negative thoughts into affirmative convictions. Utilize them to push yourself toward improvement better and successfully master the art of self-leadership. Remember, if you can’t control yourself, you’ll find leading and managing others extremely challenging. 

4. Establish Connectedness 

Acknowledge that although you aim to be independent and autonomous, you’re still strongly linked to a larger unit (your team and the organization you work with). Remember, when all is said and done concerning learning self-leadership, you must work harmoniously and synergistically with your team.

5. Define Your Whys

As a leader, you must know that your team looks up to you as a role model. You must demonstrate the skills, behaviors, and attitudes you expect others to adopt. 

Please identify what you want to achieve for yourself so you can easily translate it into how you lead your team. Self-leadership isn’t simply about managing yourself — think of it as a gateway to setting your team up for success by being a great role model for them. Being conscious of why you’re striving to master self-leadership will help make the journey more purposeful and give you a sense of fulfillment when you succeed. 

6. Talk to a Mentor or Coach

If you’re struggling to get a firm grip on the basic concepts of self-leadership, having a mentor or coach to guide and support you every step will make a massive difference in how quickly you can reach your goals.

At Sancus Leadership, we acknowledge and promote the value of self-leadership. Book a call with us now to discuss how we can help you achieve your full leadership potential!

Leadership and Management expert Lolly Daskal, in this TED talk, explains how to empower and lead others effectively by first nurturing leadership from within yourself.

You must first lead from within before you can empower and lead others.

Final Thoughts

Leaders who don’t possess strong self-leadership abilities are at risk of being ineffective in their roles in the team. When your team members see that you’re struggling with managing your thoughts, emotions, and outlook, they’ll feel disinclined to respect and honor your leadership brand. The good news is that self-leadership can be developed over time.

Self-awareness and self-regulation are vital aspects involved in learning self-leadership. These crucial skills allow you to become a more realistic, practical leader and will enable you to become more intentional and pragmatic with the way you handle your team.

The Perfect 30-day Plan For New Leaders & Managers (Do’s and Don’ts)

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in New Leaders

The perfect 30-day plan for new leaders and managers

We performed a study (Sancus Leadership) and interviewed experienced small team leaders about the biggest mistake you can make during your first 30 days as a new manager. The consensus is that concentrating too much effort on logistics and practicalities and disturbing the order is worse than any other action you can take.

The perfect 30-day plan for new leaders and managers includes implementing minimal changes and low-value tasks, such as organizing their workplace perfectly. New managers must also focus on getting to know their colleagues and understanding the organization.

Stick around if you want to know what other small team leaders and managers did when they first started. This article discusses the perfect 30-day plan you’ll want to follow when you begin a new leadership role.

What New Leaders and Managers Get Wrong

What new leaders and managers get wrong
What new leaders and managers get wrong

You need to understand the importance of relationships and the organization to avoid finding yourself where building trust with your team takes much more time than you have. 

Remember, you can’t effectively implement significant changes until you’ve proven to your team that they can trust your judgment. They also need to know that you are working in the best interest of your team and the business.

Mellinger defined trust as an “individual’s confidence in another person’s intentions and motives and the sincerity of that person’s word.“

The definition is interestingly specific. To trust someone, we need to know they are telling the truth and their intentions are known, but it doesn’t mean we have to agree with the purposes.

So what do other managers and leaders say are the most important things to do when starting a new role?

Survey Results

Our survey prompted some exciting results about what is essential during the first 30 days of being in a management position.

Here’s what the participants said:

  • Implementing change is the least important. (70%)
  • Understanding the organization is the most important. (50%)
  • Social relationships are the most important. (40%)
  • Understanding both organizational and social relationships is the most important. (75%)

This leads us to the first and most crucial step of your 30-day plan as a new leader or manager. And if you need help getting established, contact me for a free leadership development session.

The First 10 Days: Get To Know People With The Intent Of Building Trust

The first 10 days: get to know people with the intent of building trust
The first 10 days: get to know people with the intent of building trust

“I think ensuring you’ve spoken to all employees is extremely important. Start building relationships with everyone and make everyone understand they can turn to you for feedback.”

Most people think that trust is built through team-building exercises or just spending time together, and it’s something that merely happens. But, since you’re here reading this article, I’m willing to bet you have the experience to tell you otherwise.

We have many people in our lives that we have spent much time with that we don’t trust. Can you think of a few in your life?

Most of us have also been to those team-building events and cringed our way through some weird “teamwork activity” with ropes and quizzes that are supposed to build “trust and resilience in teams.”

This doesn’t work because we start trusting people when they choose to do something in our favor, even though it negatively impacts their situation. For us to trust someone, they must have “skin in the game,” something to lose, but still, choose to go through.

For example, the leader of a nation who chooses to go to war even though they know their sons and daughters will be on the frontline is much more worthy of our trust than someone who has nothing to lose from their decisions.

A Better Way to Build Trust

Whether you call it earning or building trust, there’s a much better way than with old-school team-building activities.

As a new leader, you must put yourself in situations where you have something to lose from your decisions and do what is right for the team and the organization. One example is putting assets on the line, like your time or reputation.

It would be best if you acted in a risky but not foolish manner, and having skin in the game puts your awareness on alert and forces you to be smart about choosing a direction for your team.

It would be best if you acted in a risky but not foolish manner, and having skin in the game puts your awareness on alert and forces you to be smart about choosing a direction for your team.

When your team sees that you are willing to risk personal losses and are in the trenches with them, they will be much more likely to accept you as a team member, and trust will soon follow.

The Second 10 Days: Get To Know The Organization

The second 10 days: get to know the organization
The second 10 days: get to know the organization

“Continue to learn routines, participate in meetings and processes to learn culture and language.”

In our study, half of the respondents said that understanding the organization is the highest priority these first 30 days as a manager. However, understanding the organization is more than just knowing what products are produced, where the office is, and what the official vision is.

If this is your approach, you’ll likely misunderstand the driving force behind its success. Often, companies have beautiful visions and missions written on some fancy walls, but when you look close enough, you’ll see there is something far more profound than that.

In military teams, we often talk about doing good and helping people out, but we all know that when bullets start flying and things get incredibly intense, all of that goes out the window. The only thing that matters right here, right now, is the person next to you, the friend, the colleague, the warfighter.

Business is the same. When times are tough, and tasks are boring and mundane, most people show up to work because they value who they’re working with. They might even hate their boss, but hopefully, this won’t happen to you.

But they show up and get things done because they know their colleagues will do the same. In this example, the real purpose or driving force isn’t some fancy meme on a wall but the trust and family spirit built into the organization’s fabric.

Understanding the organization is also about learning what people truly mean when they say something. In the military, this is easy, as the most important words have already been given a specific definition. For example, “fire” always means to shoot and never to “make a fire.” 

Look at the type of definitions your organization uses. You’ll likely find some unique words that don’t make much sense to you, so be curious and see what they truly mean.

Look at the type of definitions your organization uses. You’ll likely find some unique words that don’t make much sense to you, so be curious and see what they truly mean.

You can better understand the organization by doing the following:

  • Read official policies.
  • Read informal discussions, such as on Slack channels.
  • Participate in meetings outside of your area of responsibility.
  • Look for language that has an implicit meaning.
You can better understand the organization by doing the followingDescription
Read official policies.To gain a comprehensive understanding of an organization, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with its official policies.
Read informal discussions, such as on Slack channels.In addition to official policies, informal discussions can provide valuable insights into the organization’s culture and dynamics.
Participate in meetings outside of your area of responsibility.Attending meetings beyond your specific responsibilities can broaden your perspective on the organization.
Look for language that has an implicit meaning.Pay attention to the language used within the organization, as it often carries implicit meanings.
You can better understand the organization by doing the following

The Last 10 Days: Implement Small Changes

The last 10 days: implement small changes
The last 10 days: implement small changes

Although almost all of our respondents said that the worst thing you can do as a manager during your first 30 days as a leader is implement big changes, you still need to start doing your job. 

By the end of the day, you are the new manager in charge of keeping things running. Implementing significant changes will likely be criticized brutally, especially if you have nothing to lose. However, your team has something to lose, which usually only works sometimes.

A much better way is to start small, or as one respondent said:

“Another important thing is to create structures (meetings, information emails, etc.) so that those involved in the business know what they can expect from you.“

These are some great examples of where you can start to change things up and do the things you believe will benefit the organization without relying too much on the trust of your team to make it happen.

View the small changes as a way for you to prove that you can lead and improve the business. Always ask for, and listen to, feedback, but be smart regarding what feedback you enforce. And if you need help, a free leadership session might be needed.

View the small changes as a way for you to prove that you can lead and improve the business. Always ask for, and listen to, feedback, but be smart regarding what feedback you enforce.

The perfect 30-day plan for new leaders & managers
The perfect 30-day plan for new leaders & managers

If you’re a new manager, here is a helpful video sharing practical tips to help you organize and be successful during your first 30 days.

Get to know your team and organization during your first 30 days as a new manager.

Conclusion

When you start a new role in a leadership position, you don’t want to focus on inconsequential matters. Getting to know your team and what they want or need while doing their job can go a long way to helping you get established.

Can a Leader Be Too Empathetic? (Signs & Treatment)

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Skills,Uncategorized

Can a Leader Be Too Empathetic (Signs & Treatment)

Are you constantly asking yourself, “How would I feel if this happened to me?” If so, compliments to you because this may be a sign that you’re an empathetic leader — a genuinely admirable leadership quality. Even so, consider taking this as a warning that you might also be taking empathy too far — unbridled compassion can cost you your team’s respect. It may adversely affect the business’ productivity. 

Leaders can be too empathetic, especially when genuinely wanting to help others. Clear signs of toxic empathy include values and ethics being compromised and personal time and needs being sacrificed. Too much sympathy can lead to anxiety, burnout, poor accountability, and low productivity. 

Stick around to find out what toxic empathy is all about and how it can harm your team’s dynamics, the business’ productivity, and your mental health. We will also talk about the benefits of finding the right level of empathy and what steps you can take to get there. Let’s begin!

Can a Leader Be Too Empathetic?

Can a leader be too empathetic?
Can a leader be too empathetic?

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people. It is regarded as a critical leadership value that promotes engagement, commitment, and collaboration in a team. When a leader is empathetic, they acknowledge and try to understand the other person’s point of view, whether they agree with them or not. 

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people. It is regarded as a critical leadership value that promotes engagement, commitment, and collaboration in a team.

The lack of empathy in a leader gives rise to many unfavorable scenarios that the team has practically no choice but to weather. These may include:

  • Narcissistic behavior 
  • Inadequate openness and transparency within the team
  • Cruelty and injustice
  • Heightened tendency to shame, ridicule, or embarrass team members 

Many leaders think that fully empathizing with their employees will earn them their team’s respect, trust, and loyalty. In reality, too much empathy is not good either. Much of it involves jeopardizing your authority, influence, and power as a leader, and this is not worth taking a risk on.

A leader can be too empathetic in the eagerness to establish solid relationships within the team. If you’re constantly sacrificing your own needs for those of others, you might be demonstrating excessive empathy. This is a precarious predicament since it can evoke resentment for you and affect the job performance of your team.

What Happens with Too Much Empathy?

Although empathy is critical in effectively leading and managing a team, too much of it can have disastrous effects on your employees, the organization, and even you. This is where toxic empathy enters the scene.

There are different types of empathy:

Types of empathyDescription
Cognitive empathyYou can imagine what it would be like in the other person’s shoes and relate to their perspectives without necessarily feeling the same emotions they do.
Emotional empathyYou can share other people’s feelings and emotions deeply.
Affective empathyYou’re often profoundly affected by other people’s emotions and perspectives.
Somatic empathyYou react physically to other people’s shared perspectives, often mimicking their actions and behavior.
Different types of empathy

Toxic empathy is a predicament where you constantly strive to genuinely relate to other people’s situations and perspectives on all levels, so much so that you sacrifice your own needs and well-being for the sake of others.

Toxic empathy is a predicament where you constantly strive to genuinely relate to other people’s situations and perspectives on all levels, so much so that you sacrifice your own needs and well-being for the sake of others.

Here are some things that can happen when you demonstrate toxic empathy in your leadership style:

Effects on you as the leader:

  • Anxiety
  • Stress
  • Burnout 
  • Notions of trauma
  • Feeling drained and fatigued
  • Compromised ethics
  • Sacrificed personal and family time
  • Loss of the team’s respect

Effects on your team: 

  • Reduced motivation levels
  • Low engagement
  • Increased absenteeism
  • Lack of accountability
  • Reduced productivity

What Is an Example of Toxic Empathy?

What is an example of toxic empathy?
What is an example of toxic empathy?

It may be challenging to differentiate practical empathy from toxic empathy and determine where to draw the line as a leader. So here are some examples of poisonous compassion to help you determine whether or not you’re becoming too empathetic with your team:

  1. You’re too invested in your employees’ problems and concerns that you often feel a strong need to solve their issues for them. 
  2. Hearing a sad story from an employee affects your mood throughout the day, and you often imagine scenarios that make the tragic situation even more poignant.
  3. When employees fail at a task or make mistakes, you choose not to hold them accountable for their blunders, making up excuses for why they behaved a particular way.
  4. You expect and convince others to feel the same way you do and become more invested in other people’s concerns.
  5. Your needs, concerns, and responsibilities take a back seat just so you can cater to your employees’ issues (for instance, you skip lunch to covertly edit an employee’s work to make it look more impressive than it is).

Why Empathy is Essential in a Team

Why empathy is essential in a team
Why empathy is essential in a team

Practical empathy is a vital element of successful leadership which allows a leader to meet the emotional needs of employees while promoting teamwork, high engagement, efficiency, and productivity.

Practical empathy is a vital element of successful leadership which allows a leader to meet the emotional needs of employees while promoting teamwork, high engagement, efficiency, and productivity.

Here are some other benefits of adopting empathetic leadership:

  • Encourages teamwork
  • Enhances commitment
  • Promotes faster conflict resolution
  • Develops strong bonds within the team
  • Promotes efficiency in resolving conflicts
  • Helps generate collaborative strategies and equitable solutions

How To Be an Effective Empathetic Leader

How to be an effective empathetic leader
Strike a good balance between empathy and professionalism.

Embracing empathetic leadership means you must strike a good balance between empathy and professionalism. You must be there for your team members and walk in their shoes when needed. Still, upholding critical aspects of the team’s dynamics, such as accountability, transparency, and respecting boundaries, would be best.

When you’re ready to discuss striking that perfect balance between empathy and professionalism, don’t hesitate to book a call! We at Sancus Leadership can help you become the practical, empathetic leader you’ve always wanted to be.

But first, let’s talk about what you can do to ensure compassionate leadership remains beneficial for your team:

How to be an effective empathetic leader
How to be an effective empathetic leader

1. Delegate 

Rather than directly engaging with everyone, developing relationships with them, and empathizing with practically every employee, split up responsibilities by creating pocket groups within your team. 

One group can take charge of customer services, another can handle employee concerns, and another can oversee internal quality control. This way, the burden of developing relationships, gathering perspectives, and “care” obligations are distributed, and you don’t risk developing toxic empathy.

2. Aim for Win-Win Solutions

Don’t associate empathy with making sacrifices for others. Too much compassion will leave you feeling drained and exhausted and will put you at risk of losing your team’s respect.

A friend shared a story about a colleague who was a crowd favorite in the office. He was a popular and well-liked leader, with many employees wanting to work with him on his team. Management attributed it to his amiability, as well as his efficiency, professionalism, and aptitude for managing people.

One day, everyone was surprised when this colleague exploded at a team meeting — he slammed his fists on the table, shouted expletives, and stormed out of the room, leaving everyone with their jaws on the floor.

When asked what happened, his team said he got upset when a team member failed to deliver a report on time, saying she had a sleepless night with her newborn baby. Their leader usually didn’t mind stepping in for them when they had “valid” excuses, so this sudden behavior change caught them off guard. 

My friend’s colleague was feeling drained, utterly burned out with work, and experiencing “compassion fatigue.” His mental resources and sympathy were depleted, all because he had been demonstrating too much empathy throughout his leadership career.  

You can share a finite amount of empathy with your team as a leader. Make sure to maintain your reserves by always aiming for win-win situations when faced with difficult circumstances.

In the above example, it would have been more sensible for the leader to compromise with his team rather than stepping in and doing their work for them when they can’t. He probably wouldn’t have felt used and abused if he had insisted on making them feel more accountable for their lapses. 

3. Avoid Making Assumptions

It’s easy and tempting to sensationalize situations in our minds, making them seem sadder, more complicated, or more dire than they are. Rather than succumbing to this intriguing habit, talk to people and ask pertinent questions that can help make the situation more vivid and unambiguous for you. 

This is a more brilliant, more constructive, and less taxing way of empathizing with people. It focuses on gathering facts and information rather than speculating and imagining what it would be like in their shoes.

4. Set Boundaries (and Stick To Them)

Setting reasonable boundaries is a great way to demonstrate empathy without compromising your team’s efficiency, productivity, and work quality. Here are some tips on how you can carry this through:

  • Never assume the role of a therapist or psychiatrist with upset employees.
  • Mutually commit to equitable action plans when coming up with solutions to dilemmas.
  • When you agree to make compromises, enforce the conditions attached to them.  
  • Ensure that you always have the final say (remember, you occupy the position of authority in the team) when conflicts arise. 
  • Ensure your employees know and understand corporate policies and their specific roles in the team — fostering a strong sense of ownership in their work ensures business continuity despite challenges and obstacles. 

In this video, Simon Sinek explains why leaders must practice genuine and sincere empathy.

How to Lead With Empathy

Final Thoughts

Many leaders have crossed the line between practical and toxic empathy because they genuinely want to help others. Remember that a poisonous heart can harm the business and even you. 

What happens when you have too much empathy as a leader? You can experience burnout, anxiety, and high-stress levels. You may also sacrifice your own needs and personal time.

The key is ensuring you enforce the right level of empathy by promoting transparency and accountability, setting boundaries, and providing you never compromise your ethical standards.

Do Outdoor Activities Really Improve Leadership Skills? (Examples, Pros & Cons)

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Skills

Do outdoor activities really improve leadership skills

Will you believe me when I tell you that going on a camping trip with your team will considerably improve your leadership skills, and you’ll return to the office a more effective leader? I know this to be true after 12 years as an Army Officer. It won’t be about finding the perfect camping spot, pitching the perfect tent, or catching the biggest fish. These seemingly irrelevant tasks all work together in training you on proper planning and execution — valuable skills essential in the workplace.

Outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and sports can help improve your leadership skills by exposing you to unique scenarios where you must plan, assess risks, and make snap decisions for your team. You’ll emerge from these experiences as a more well-rounded, empathetic, and effective leader. 

Stick around to discover how relevant and profitable outdoor activities can be for your team and your quest to improve your leadership skills continually. We will discuss what benefits experiential pursuits offer your business, how they can help develop your core leadership competencies, and some ideas on the kinds of outdoor activities you can plan for your team. Let’s start!

Are Outdoor Activities Really Helpful for Leaders?

Are outdoor activities really helpful for leaders?
Are outdoor activities really helpful for leaders?

Some leaders, mainly traditional figureheads, avoid outdoor experiential activities for their team, thinking these wastes time, effort, and resources. Many employees shy away from these, too, because they see these activities simply as obligatory opportunities for them to connect with their team and build rapport through games.

They’re not entirely wrong. What comes to mind when you hear, “We’re heading out next week for some team-building activities!” How do you feel when you hear someone say, “Next Monday will be packed with fun because we’re all going to spend it outdoors for some team fun!”

Do you jump up for joy and can hardly wait for the auspicious day to arrive? Or are you among the many people who cringe when you hear these words? After all, you already know what to expect.

  • Relay games that supposedly nurture teamwork.
  • Blindfolded activities that foster trust within the team.
  • Open forums where everyone can share their thoughts about each team member to fortify relationships.

Are these team-building activities genuinely practical? Or do they force people into spending time together without accomplishing what they were designed for?

The key to a genuinely productive outdoor team-building activity is the element of risk. People must feel that something is on the line — their safety, sense of fulfillment, or even the idea that they can accomplish an extremely challenging feat. For an outdoor activity to be truly successful, it has to be challenging enough for people to want to get in on the excitement.  

Consequences of Disengaging from Outdoor Team Activities

Relevant outdoor activities benefit leaders and the team by providing creative opportunities to establish trust, respect, and better interpersonal relationships. For leaders, outdoor activities are great venues for enhancing core competencies such as decision-making, problem-solving, and risk management. 

Choosing not to take advantage of all the benefits extended by well-planned outdoor experiential activities exposes your business to these risks:

Higher Employee Turnover

Boredom from monotony, a lack of excitement, and the inability to connect with the rest of the team can lead some employees to consider greener pastures. 

When an employee quits, expenses of the turnover of roles and responsibilities, separation pay, lost business opportunities, screening of potential candidates, and the hiring and training new employees accumulate.

The average cost of replacing an employee is about $6,000. Imagine spending this much on restoring standard workflow within the team when you could spend this amount on more productive pursuits. 

Poor Performance

When employees are unhappy and unsatisfied with their jobs, efficiency suffers. They are more inclined to be lackadaisical and deliver mediocre work. You may start noticing increased absenteeism, missed deadlines, and abandoned tasks. 

Decreased Productivity

High employee morale and motivation translate to better engagement and collaboration. All of these result in increased productivity for the business. 

If your employees are uninspired and bored at work, you will soon see your numbers in company sales and new clients plummet because of your team’s lack of drive to aspire for progress.

Consequences of Disengaging from Outdoor Team ActivitiesDescription
Higher Employee TurnoverThe inability to connect with the rest of the team can lead some employees to consider greener pastures. 
Poor PerformanceWhen employees are unhappy and unsatisfied with their jobs, efficiency suffers.
Decreased ProductivityIf your employees are uninspired and bored at work, you will soon see your numbers in company sales and new clients plummet because of your team’s lack of drive to aspire for progress.
Consequences of disengaging from outdoor team activities

How Outdoor Activities Can Help You Become a Better Leader

How outdoor activities can help you become a better leader
How outdoor activities can help you become a better leader

Imagine planning the logistics of, say, a camping trip for your team. You’ll have to consider the most suitable venue, the appropriate tools and equipment to bring, the transportation arrangements, food, water, safety, and even provisions in an emergency.

Will it be worth all the effort, time, and money required to complete a successful activity? Will you essentially send your team to a purely recreational pursuit where they’ll gain more than better rapport and camaraderie? Will you waste your precious time bonding with your team when you could be more productive by staying in the office and dutifully accomplishing your tasks?

Outdoor activities, provided they are challenging and exciting enough, can help you become a better leader by placing you in situations that demand careful planning, precise execution, and fast decision-making. All the skills you hone and the experiences you acquire in outdoor activities can easily translate into how you function as a leader in the workplace. 

All the skills you hone and the experiences you acquire in outdoor activities can easily translate into how you function as a leader in the workplace. 

Here are eight competencies you can sharpen outdoors and bring into play in your daily work life as a leader:

1. Communication skills 

Whether verbal or non-verbal, your communication skills will be tested outdoors. From the planning stage to the preparation phase to the actual day of the activity, practical communication skills will be pivotal in ensuring that the event is a success.

2. Risk assessment

Things won’t always go as planned, and as a leader, your team expects you to make the best decisions to keep them safe and secure.

3. Decision-making

Outdoor scenarios help you think on your feet, assess situations, and make decisions beneficial to the team. 

4. Problem-solving

Your ability to strategize will be tested in outdoor scenarios where you often have to think out of the box to develop the most innovative solutions to problems at hand. 

5. Conflict-resolution

Disagreements, friction, and altercations will undoubtedly arise in any outdoor setting, especially when people feel outside their comfort zone. As a leader, you will be responsible for keeping the peace and arriving at amicable solutions to the most pressing disputes.

6. Coaching

Influential leaders are keen on bringing out the best in their teams. Outdoor activities can help you pinpoint each team member’s strengths and weaknesses so you can better guide them in achieving their full potential. You can delegate responsibilities to those you deem best suited for specific tasks.

7. Adaptability

It would help if you were quick to react and adjust to unexpected scenarios in which you might suddenly find yourself. Sometimes, being able to adapt fast is crucial to survival. It would be best to be flexible, reactive, and prepared to face positive and negative developments.

8. Resilience

Outdoor activities can be immensely challenging, requiring you to recover from setbacks quickly, maintain a positive outlook, and strive to move forward with your team. All these are crucial in the workplace, too.

4 Practical Outdoor Activities To Improve Leadership Skills

4 practical outdoor activities to improve leadership skills
4 practical outdoor activities to improve leadership skills

Spending time in the great outdoors is a surprisingly enriching way to improve your leadership skills while having fun, enjoying nature, and engaging in physical exercise all at the same time. Having skin in the game is crucial because direct involvement allows you to influence outcomes and achieve your precise goals directly.

Spending time in the great outdoors is a surprisingly enriching way to improve your leadership skills while having fun, enjoying nature, and engaging in physical exercise all at the same time.

Your leadership skills will be tested and sharpened so you can effectively employ them straight from the wilderness to the boardroom. Here are some outdoor activities you might want to try:

1. Organize a Camping Trip

Camping trips are great venues for leaders and employees to take a breather from the humdrum of office work to recharge and focus on building better interpersonal relationships among themselves. 

As a leader, it’s an excellent opportunity for you to put your planning and execution skills to the test. Looking for a suitable campsite, setting up camp, preparing meals, and being equipped to handle sudden weather changes are all part and parcel of your responsibilities in spearheading such an activity. 

2. Go Hiking with Your Team

Hiking is a great way to learn more about how you can make decisions and work together as a team. Traversing challenging terrain will help build your team members’ physical and mental fortitude, encouraging them to be more collaborative and supportive of each other. 

In leading your team, you must assess your planned route, study the terrain, figure out how to overcome obstacles and inspire your team to push forward despite difficulties. You must study and visualize your course, always with the end goal in mind and taking advantage of smaller objectives. After all, hiking is also about enjoying the little pleasantries you find.

Stop by a lake, pause to admire the landscape at a strategic location, or take a rest by a scenic field. It’s a great way to teach your team that it’s not always about the destination — how to get there also matters. 

3. Play Team Sports

When your team plays sports, they can creatively put their communication skills to good use. They can also polish their collaboration, teamwork, and analytical competencies under extreme pressure.

As a leader, playing sports is an excellent opportunity for you to enhance your motivational skills and inspire your team to get out of their comfort zones and deliver beyond what’s expected of them. It also helps you focus on developing a higher level of emotional intelligence — a crucial factor in effective leadership. 

Heightened emotional intelligence makes you a more well-rounded, empathetic, and proficient leader. For instance, through sports, you recognize that failures are part of the process and do not indicate the outcome. They should be utilized as learning experiences to help further fuel the drive to reach the goal. 

4. Set Out to Discover Adventure Sports

Adventure sports will allow your team to develop higher trust levels among themselves. It will also allow them to explore something completely new and daunting yet exciting enough to make them want to try.

Adventure sports also provide exhilarating experiences perfect for leaders with a natural inclination and thirst for victory. Thrilling activities like skydiving, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing provide excellent thrills from which you can learn to assess risks, make fast yet sensible decisions, and remain composed even under extreme pressure. 

Adventure sports also provide exhilarating experiences perfect for leaders with a natural inclination and thirst for victory.

For instance, rock climbing teaches you that preparing ahead is critical to safety and success. Invest in good quality gear, plot your route, and be open to changing your course. In business, the same concepts apply when it comes to investing in the right tools and the best people and mapping out sound business plans for the team.

4 practical outdoor activities to improve leadership skills
4 practical outdoor activities to improve leadership skills

In this TED talk by entrepreneur and trekker Arjun Majumdar, he shares his insights on how an outdoor activity such as trekking has a significant impact on the mind and body.

The mountains and trekking can help you become mentally fit!

Final Thoughts

The skills crucial to surviving and enjoying the outdoors are also essential in the workplace. By embracing outdoor activities, you can seamlessly incorporate your learnings into your leadership roles in the workplace. 

The feedback loop between decisions and the consequences of your actions is much shorter outdoors than when you’re in the office. This makes experiential activities highly effective in enhancing your core leadership competencies. Problem-solving, risk assessment, and decision-making will all be tested and used to get your team efficiently to the end goal, translating to transformative benefits in the workplace. 

When you’re ready to explore the wonders of outdoor leadership, book a call with us! We can help you hone your skills and achieve your full leadership potential. 

Sources

How To Deal with a Dishonest Leader (Without Backlash) 

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Skills

HOW TO DEAL WITH A DISHONEST LEADER WITHOUT A BACKLASH

What will you do when you recognize dishonesty in a leader? Like most people, will you make up excuses for the person involved and decide to look the other way simply because it is such an unfamiliar, daunting, and risky predicament? Consider this — if you don’t nip the issue in the bud, it could quickly balloon into something entirely beyond your control, something you and the team will have difficulty bouncing back from.

Deal with a dishonest leader by being transparent and constructive with your perspective. If the issue is too complex for you to handle, elevate it to HR so disciplinary actions and sanctions can be duly implemented. Arm yourself with solid evidence at all times. 

Read on to find out what you can do if you come face-to-face with dishonest leadership. Learn how to be constructive and non-confrontational, especially when openly discussing the matter with the leader involved, and find out why you should gather evidence early on so you’re equipped with not just words when you bring the subject up. Let’s start! 

How To Deal with Dishonesty in Leadership

How can you address dishonesty in Leadership?
How can you address dishonesty in Leadership?

When you hear the word “leader,” do you automatically envision someone worthy of admiration, someone with high integrity and moral values, therefore worthy of your complete trust and confidence?

Leaders are often put on a pedestal, which isn’t always good because this situation forges a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you’ll occasionally come across a leader who can potentially live up to all your lofty expectations. Still, on the other hand, you’ll more frequently encounter leaders with faults and limitations, just like everyone else. 

So what will you do when you come face to face with a dishonest leader? Will you pretend to ignore the situation, telling yourself it’s probably just a phase, or maybe they’re going through a difficult time or just in a bad mood? Looking the other way and attempting to justify their actions can expose the business to dire consequences such as:

  • Promotion of an unethical workplace culture
  • Stimulation of a low-trust work environment
  • Low employee satisfaction
  • High employee turnover rate
  • Lost business opportunities
  • Financial losses for the business 
  • Grave legal infringements and expenses

At Sancus Leadership, we exalt the value of honesty in leadership. We encourage leaders and team members to be mindful of the signs of dishonest leadership so we can work together to arrest the situation quickly. 

Dishonesty in leadership has a direct and acute impact on the team. Here are some tips on how you can effectively address such a tricky situation:

How to deal with dishonesty in leadership
How to deal with dishonesty in leadership

1. Weigh the Consequences

Honesty isn’t a perfect virtue. It won’t always benefit the business because, sometimes, being too truthful may put the organization at risk. When faced with a dishonest leader, weighing matters before deciding on your next steps is essential. 

When faced with a dishonest leader, it’s essential to weigh matters before deciding on your next steps. 

How does their dishonesty impact the team?

Are the consequences so disastrous that their misconduct merits immediate attention?

Could there be a hidden agenda behind this apparent misconduct?

Is it possible that my leader isn’t dishonest but merely covering up for something?

Weigh the consequences of dishonest behavior and the ramifications of your intended actions. Assess how dishonesty impacts your team and the business in general. Knowing the potential damage it may cause will help you develop the appropriate action plan in dealing with dishonest leadership.

2. Get Down to the Bottom of It

Honest leaders are excellent role models for their teams. They demonstrate values and behaviors worthy of emulation that promote a transparent, engaging culture in the workplace. It can be pretty jarring when a leader exhibits signs of dishonesty since they’re expected to exemplify the values they promote.

Verify the integrity of the dishonest behavior. Remember, you could also deal with rumors, blatant lies, misunderstandings, or false accusations. Once dishonesty is established, get down to the bottom of it by openly discussing the matter with your leader. 

Verify the integrity of the dishonest behavior.

Be straightforward and make it a conversation, not a confrontation. Try to uncover the reasons and motives behind their dishonest behavior. Please give them the benefit of the doubt by floating the idea that you’re not confident they’re being dishonest. Discuss their actions’ consequences and how they can impact the business’s reputation and productivity.

Consider using these statements:

Please help me understand why you chose to take that route.

You may not know this, but your recent behavior has hurt the team. Can we talk about it?

Can you enlighten me on the possible effects of your decision? I’m under the impression that there are much better options available. 

Be prepared for some backlash, primarily when your leader responds vehemently to your efforts. They may turn the situation around so you look like the offender. You may also be in a foot-in-the-mouth situation because you may have misread your leader’s actions completely. 

The key is to be open and non-antagonistic — remember, you are dealing with a superior, not a peer — so you can work toward protecting the business interests and ensuring that dishonest behavior doesn’t thrive in the workplace. 

3. Document Situations

One of the clear signs that a leader practices effective leadership is when their team starts mirroring them. Honesty is contagious, and the lack of it is, too. When you begin noticing your leaders’ actions reflecting on your team members, it indicates that the situation needs to be swiftly addressed.

Document this tricky situation by gathering as much evidence of dishonesty as possible. In most cases where leaders are involved, significantly when the case is elevated to higher venues, your word against theirs won’t be sufficient evidence that this is indeed a case of dishonesty. 

Look for conclusive, indisputable proof such as receipts, corroborating documents, and reputable witnesses. Ensure you’re working within legal boundaries and not infringing on any privacy laws. Your efforts can quickly backfire if you’re not careful with obtaining irrefutable proof of dishonesty.

You can either share these pieces of evidence with your leader to hopefully help them realize the impact dishonesty has had on the team, or you can set this aside when you feel confident approaching higher management or HR about the situation.

4. Take Action 

Honesty and integrity are essential values that will encourage a team to be productive, take risks, explore uncharted waters, and take ownership of their work. If a leader is dishonest, it will directly impact the team’s work culture and productivity. It may also adversely affect the team’s synergy and seamless workflow because dishonesty in leadership promotes high employee turnover. In reality, nobody likes working with someone they can’t trust.

Consider elevating the issue to higher management or HR when dishonest leadership gets out of hand. Most organizations have a clear action plan for dealing with grave issues such as dishonesty or fraud. Let them handle the situation as best they can, especially since you’re not in a position (hierarchy-wise) to reprimand your leader and impose sanctions on his misconduct.

Be prepared to be called in for questioning and to openly discuss the issue with relevant people involved, including your leader. This process can stretch on for some time, so be prepared to still work with your boss despite this sticky situation you’re both in. 

5. Move On

It’s a complex situation when a superior is involved with dishonesty in the workplace. Considering their loftier position in the company hierarchy, you may feel you cannot be as reactive as you’d like. In these situations, it’s best to be as collected and constructive as possible to deal with the situation productively. 

Think before you act or say anything. Be aware of the consequences of your actions and the ramifications if you decide to look the other way. If you decide to talk to your leader about the issue, convey that, like the company, you have a solid moral and ethical code you would like to live by. 

Be aware of the consequences of your actions and the ramifications if you decide to look the other way.

Suppose you opt to shut your eyes to the situation. In that case, it can turn out that the dishonest behavior was just a one-time thing, perhaps a misjudgment on your leader’s part or a misdemeanor they’re feeling red-faced about now.

However, also be prepared to face the reality that your leader’s unruly, dishonest behavior can progress and may eventually promote an unethical culture in the workplace. In this case, you might want to start looking for opportunities elsewhere where you’ll feel more engaged, appreciated, and secure. 

How to deal with dishonesty in leadershipDescription
Weigh the ConsequencesWeigh the consequences of dishonest behavior and the ramifications of your intended actions. Assess how dishonesty impacts your team and the business in general.
Get Down to the Bottom of ItVerify the integrity of the dishonest behavior. Remember, you could also be dealing with rumors, blatant lies, misunderstandings, or false accusations. Once dishonesty is established, get down to the bottom of it by openly discussing the matter with your leader. 
Document SituationsDocument this tricky situation by gathering as much evidence of dishonesty as possible. In most cases where leaders are involved, significantly when the case is elevated to higher venues, your word against theirs won’t be sufficient evidence that this is indeed a case of dishonesty. 
Take Action If a leader is dishonest, it will directly impact the team’s work culture and productivity. It may also adversely affect the team’s synergy and seamless workflow because dishonesty in leadership promotes high employee turnover.
Move OnThink before you act or say anything. Be aware of the consequences of your actions and the ramifications if you decide to look the other way.
How to deal with dishonesty in leadership

Here’s an excerpt from Jocko Willink’s podcast sharing his insights and advice on how to deal with bad leaders.

How do we deal with poor and toxic leaders?

Key Takeaways 

Dishonesty in leadership is a complex matter to come face-to-face with. We expect leaders to consistently demonstrate the values and principles they promote, so it’s confounding when you discover dishonesty in a leader. 

It’s crucial to nip the situation in the bud before it profoundly affects the business. Talk to your leader and make them aware of how their actions impact the team. Be ready with solid evidence, especially when the time comes that the matter has to be elevated to HR.

Always be constructive rather than confrontational. Remember, sometimes the best option is to look for another job. 

Can You Be Quiet and Still Be an Effective Leader?

Written by Gabriel "Gabo" von Knorring in Leadership Skills

Can you be quiet and still be an effective leader

Many confuse leadership with being loud and aggressive — we think outspoken and unreserved people are natural-born leaders. This rationale is outdated and unfounded because introverts have just as much leadership potential as extroverts. A business may miss opportunities if professional development is focused solely on those who outwardly exhibit leadership possibilities.

You can be quiet and a leader if you have the values and skills to manage a team effectively. Introverted leaders have an edge since they’re contemplative, critical thinkers, and great listeners. They also have good business acumen and are keen on taking calculated risks. 

Stick around to discover why being quiet, ruminating, and introverted can be unique leadership assets. We will talk about how introverted leaders can positively alter an organization’s culture, bring out the best in a team, and what they can do to carve out a niche for themselves in the industry. We will also discuss the downsides of having only extroverted leaders in the organization.

What Happens if a Leader Is Quiet?

What happens if a leader is quiet?
What happens if a leader is quiet?

Are you one of those leaders who feel that being an introvert is an unfavorable attribute that you should work on to improve, perhaps even eradicate, from your persona? Do you feel like being quiet and contemplative prevents you from achieving your full leadership potential? Do you see your introspection as a weakness, never as a strength?

If so, you’re one of the many silent leaders who harbor doubts about their strengths and capacities in effectively leading a team. Companies also generally have misgivings about introverted leaders due to misconceptions about them. 

Effects of Having Only Extrovert Leaders on Board

Here’s what can happen if all the leaders in an organization are extroverts:

  • It cannot be clear. Extroverts like to talk and be the center of attention. It can get loud and chaotic, with everyone constantly vying for recognition. 
  • Nothing gets done. Extroverts like to talk and can go on and on for hours. Some even feel threatened when other extroverts try to steal the spotlight. This can result in impeded progress and delayed follow-throughs on proposals and commitments.
  • Employees feel unseen. When extroverted leaders disregard their employees’ need to be seen and heard, they’ll likely find themselves short on staff. 

Why Introverts Make Great Leaders

Why introverts make great leaders
Why introverts make great leaders

Having introverted leaders in an organization is like a breath of fresh air. They afford a sense of calm, are generally easier to deal with, and are usually more reliable in crises. They’re also more humble, generous, and magnanimous, making them excellent instruments for bringing out the best in employees and guiding them in reaching their full potential. 

Having introverted leaders in an organization is like a breath of fresh air.

Favorable Qualities of Quiet Leaders

Here are some of the most favorable qualities generally inherent in quiet leaders: 

Quiet Leaders are Reflective 

They jump slowly to conclusions, preferring to mull things over before deciding. They would rather speak up only when they have something substantial to say rather than talking just for the sake of it. By diving deeper into ideas, quiet leaders can discover hidden hurdles and argument gaps, and their thoughtful reasoning helps develop sound ideas.

When dealing with their team, in-depth conversations allow them to uncover unrevealed issues that most employees would instead not share with a more outgoing leader. This leads to deeper and more meaningful interactions and relationships within the team, a significant factor in keeping top-quality workers within the business and maintaining a low employee turnover rate.

Quiet Leaders are Excellent Listeners

Quiet leaders can help you feel more empowered, seen, and heard in the organization. The impact can be most felt when the team is composed of a dynamic mix of individuals — introverts, extroverts, passive, idealists, visionaries, etc.

An introverted leader will listen to ideas and proposals thrown around, giving each team member a spotlight. Where an extroverted leader will excitedly interrupt and interject their propositions, an introvert will sit back, listen, and contemplate. Where an extroverted leader will likely do all the talking, an introvert will allow concepts to mature and bloom into feasible projects. 

Quiet Leaders Take Calculated Risks

Since they are introspective and prefer mulling things over before actually embarking on anything, quiet leaders are more aware of their actions’ risks and possible consequences. A study from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management headed by Camelia Kuhnen found that introverts took 28% fewer financial risks than extroverts. 

Quiet Leaders Exude a Reassuring Sense of Calm

By being low-key, confident, and collected, especially in times of crisis, quiet leaders can easily rub off a sense of reassuring calm on their team. In heated situations, how they speak — calmly, slowly, mindfully, and tactfully — can reassure their team that they are in good hands and will give them tranquility and security.

Favorable Qualities of Quiet LeadersDescription
Quiet Leaders are Reflective They would rather speak up only when they have something substantial to say
Quiet Leaders are Excellent ListenersQuiet leaders can help you feel more empowered, seen, and heard in the organization.
Quiet Leaders Take Calculated RisksQuiet leaders are more aware of their actions’ risks and possible consequences.
Quiet Leaders Exude a Reassuring Sense of CalmIn heated situations, they tactfully reassure their team that they are in good hands and will give them tranquility and security.
Favorable qualities of quiet leaders

Successful Introvert Leaders

Successful introvert leaders
Successful introvert leaders

If you’re feeling doubtful about how successful and relevant introverted leaders can genuinely be, here are 2 of the more famous leaders known for their quiet, self-assured style in managing and leading their teams toward success:

Warren Buffet

Known for being quite reserved, shy, and socially inept, young Warren Buffet has always had a strong business acumen and was fascinated by the idea of compounding money. He soon realized that he would need to venture out of his shell to interact and influence people for his business ideas to prosper and have a shot at success.

He worked on developing his strengths, soon gained solid friendships, and earned a more positive reputation. These changes prompted him to be even more fearless with his ventures, and by his senior year in high school, was already earning quite a fortune from his pinball machine business.

Bill Gates

Known for being quiet and reserved, Microsoft’s former chairman and chief executive is known as an introvert. He stresses that deep focus, isolation, and internalization are vital factors that have helped him succeed in a world dominated by extroverts. 

Pointers for Quiet Leaders To Be Effective

Pointers for quiet leaders to be effective
Pointers for quiet leaders to be effective

It is more challenging for a quiet leader to command respect and trust of their team. Still, with consistency and surefooted confidence, you’ll soon find yourself one of the most esteemed leaders in the organization. 

Here are some tips:

1. Be Yourself

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with being quiet and reflective, and certainly nothing reproachable about being an introvert. You may become phony and insincere if you try to change your personality and force yourself to be outgoing and chatty. Introversion is not a problem that needs a solution — it is a strength worthy of development. 

Leaders must be authentic to be effective. Rather than trying to fit the stereotype of a leader, work on enhancing your skills and building your confidence. 

Leaders must be authentic to be effective.

2. Be a Good Role Model

Show your team you’re someone they can aspire to be and that contemplativeness and conciseness are attributes worth setting their sights on. Hold yourself to the same (if not higher) standard that you hold your team, and demonstrate the value of staying true to oneself and constantly enhancing one’s unique strengths. 

3. Reach Out to Your Team

Show your team you have confidence in their abilities and potential. Please encourage them to share their ideas. Let them know it’s safe to talk to you when they have proposals, insecurities, or problems in the workplace. 

If you’re uncomfortable about being in the limelight, consider these tips on alternative ways  to reach out to your employees:

  • Send emails or handwritten notes
  • Schedule one-on-one meetings
  • Visit them at their workstations

4. Value Your Solitude

You do not have to make fast choices all the time. Introverts are more likely to make sound decisions when they’re given time to think things through themselves. Value solitude and set time aside for contemplating essential matters at hand. 

Pointers for quiet leaders to be effective
Pointers for quiet leaders to be effective

Value solitude and set time aside for contemplating essential matters at hand. 

Don’t be pressured into thinking fast and coming up with bright solutions on the spot like most other leaders in your organization. Stand your ground and reiterate the value of reviewing the pros and cons to confidently develop the best solutions and decisions. 

In this talk, Simon Sinek tells us how introverts may not seek the limelight, but their actions can speak volumes. Their commitment, work ethic, and dedication can inspire and motivate their team members.

Introverts can be leaders, too!

When you’re ready to take the bull by the horns and plunge into the world of leadership, book a free call with us! We’ll help you find ways to leverage your strengths and reach your full potential as an introverted leader.

Final Thoughts

Successful leadership is commonly associated with outgoing, charismatic individuals with aggressive personalities. Introverts are often overlooked and wrongfully relegated to mere followers. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with being a follower, opportunities are missed when introverts are hindered from achieving their full potential as influential leaders. 

Introverted leaders are quiet innovators and catalysts, going about their business with precision, calm, and a keen awareness that all words and actions reverberate throughout the organization. They provide a different take on leadership, one that can afford a more synergistic approach to teamwork.