As you move forward on your leadership journey, you won’t get some very important education and insights in the classroom or online. To become a great leader in the new world of workforce challenges, unexpected crises, and ever-changing technology, you need to increase your leadership capacity by:
- Leaning into tension. Jumping right to fixing a problem puts pressure on everyone and causes tension. Consider first focusing on the background and how you got here. This will give your team time to brainstorm, learn, and collaborate.
- Making sure your words and actions match. Avoid sending mixed messages to your team and losing their trust.
- Accepting multiple truths. Realize that there is no one answer for every problem. Weigh the pros and cons of various possible solutions, so that you can feel confident about the one you finally choose.
- Surrounding yourself with people who are different than yourself. Create a team with diverse skills and different ways of thinking. Then lean into these differences for creative, innovative ideas and solutions.
- Engaging deeply in your own inner dialogue. Take time to reflect and be mindful. Learn from each challenge and use this new information to sharpen your leadership skills.