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Leadership and Performance Development

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Signs of Leadership

Leadership

Driving on Interstate 75 through Kentucky is a spectacular experience. There are rolling lands covered with bluegrass where famed thoroughbreds graze. Beautiful handcrafted barns accompany the horses, each telling their history and story of workmanship. In the distance, you will find the Appalachian Mountains that hug the rolling lands with majestic oak trees. As you pass over the Clays Ferry bridge, the Kentucky River symbolizes an entryway to the south or north, depending on your destination. Travelers are entering a territory where signs of leadership exist. 

Buc-ee’s Billboards

Spirit and majesty fill the sights of Kentucky. Along the way, we will frequently encounter persuasive billboards that lure weary travelers to this exit or that. Buc-ee’s has strategically placed its brand over a 100-mile stretch of road in any direction. Each billboard has unique messaging that speaks to the heart and weary minds of those passing by. The Richmond Buc-ee’s will see thousands of travelers on any given day. People do not stop just for the gas; they stop for the experience.

Youniversalife Billboards

Buc-ee’s knows who they are and who they serve. Each marketing sign is a reflection of this. If Youniversalife strategically placed a sign along the roads of Kentucky, it would reflect the “Keep Moving Forward” mantra, a message that relates to the traveler by road and life. Signs would strategically sit in landscapes that highlight and bring them to life. At night, they would glow with radiance from beaming spotlights. The casual artist would marvel at the emotional tug it provides. Leadership is a journey that requires patience. To reach the destination of transformational leadership, we must appreciate the miles, sights, and scenes along the way.

What would your sign say? 

Would it influence others and lead them to a destination? 

We all can show and develop our leadership skills. Leadership is not a fixed state but a skill practiced continually. Only some people are called to lead, which is acceptable; if given the gift of influential leadership, courageously embed this message into your billboard.

Leadership Analysis

Practice the leadership skills you obtain. Be patient with your process and continually analyze your leadership strategy. Make subtle adjustments as needed and “Keep Moving Forward!”

If you’ve enjoyed expanding your outlook on leadership here, find additional content at the Youniversalife Archive, and please share it with friends and teammates. 

Mentorship is a Gift

Leadership

What is the greatest gift someone could give you?

One of the greatest gifts someone can give you is mentorship. The act of sharing knowledge and experience. It is a subcategory of leadership that is vital to the progression of society and the next generation.

What gifts do you have to offer the world? It is our duty to share these gifts with the world. We must not overlook the smallest of abilities. Dig into the details and showcase the micro-talents. Identify a piece of you that would benefit one individual.

Make a list of your shareable gifts and be purposeful with their distribution. Much of our society sees great change originating from those in political power. Change and influence are inspired by the courageous actions of those in small communities. The first actions establish the momentum for extraordinary change. When you are courageous, it awakens the self-perceived ability in others, where they seek courageous moments.

Implementing “Play” for Success

Inspiration

Several years ago, I began an effort to quit using nicotine. Dip tobacco became my escape from daily stressors. Nicotine releases a direct shot of dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter in the brain. When I quit, there was a significant void that needed replacing. At the time, I knew little about how the brain functions. Years later, I discovered Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist from Standford University, who explained this through his podcast. I realized that implementing “play” was the key to success. 

Our bodies release dopamine when we play, allowing us to experience joy and happiness. Huberman has noted that non-competitive play is the best way to experience this. It takes away the stressor of competing to win. Competition is good, but if you want to experience joy and happiness in the moment, play for the fun. Become creative in your adventures and tap the imaginative spirit. 

I see joy firsthand when I teach Physical Education. I observe my students smiling and socializing more when play is fun and creative. Many students retract and lose this experience when I add a competitive component. It becomes something different altogether for them. Tension and stress enter the room with the overwhelming desire to win. A friendly game of Pickleball, where students learn and discover their capabilities, becomes tiresome for many when we add a true competitive element.

Competition is essential for personal and team development, but if the objective is to have fun, limit the competitive piece and allow yourself to relax. Be conscious of how casual games affect your emotional state compared to competitive games. Practice transitioning back and forth between the two, where you find balance. This will produce less burnout, and happiness will flourish.  

Coaches and teachers should understand the importance of balancing casual play and competition. This promotes an environment of creativity and exploration. With play, the opportunity to discover new strategies and techniques will be unlimited. Playful moments also allow leadership to surface. People are more willing to communicate in relaxed environments. This offers an excellent opportunity for coaches and teachers to identify the inspirational leaders in the room.

If you’ve enjoyed learning about play and how it is incorporated in leadership, take a peek at the YL Archive for additional leadership tools.

Ep. 19: 5 Qualities of My Favorite Educational Leaders

Podcast

I have created a list of 5 qualities of my favorite educational leaders. I lay them out in the latest Youniversalife Podcast.

Who are your favorite leaders in your personal and professional life?

Make a list of 5 things you love about their leadership style.

Then, make a conscious effort to mirror their actions and words.

This is a great way to discover your leadership principles.

Please like and leave a review. You can find additional content at the Youniversalife Archive to expand your leadership knowledge.

Happy holidays, and Keep Moving Forward!

Mastering Emotional Intelligence: A Guide for Modern Leaders

Informative

Emotional Intelligence is a skill set that is developed with purposeful intention. All great leaders possess a distinct level of emotional Intelligence that allows them to navigate the workplace environment. Leaders in education, business, government, coaching, and other professional areas must develop their leadership strategy. They should display empathy, regulate their emotions, and build through effective communication. These qualities produce leadership with the ability to manage a team and implement change over time.

Projection

Modern leadership requires those in charge to develop their craft continually. Self-awareness in leadership is the ability to reflect on emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to act accordingly. The change process requires leaders to keep an inventory of their internal processes, which are projected into the world through outward emotions, relationship-building, effective communication, team management, and conflict-resolution skills. There must be order within, not a raging storm, to inspire a team. Self-awareness calms the storm and tactfully prepares one to lead.

Emotionally Charged

Assistant Professor Mohammed Issah of the University of Bahrain reflectively wrote about emotional Intelligence in his article “Change Leadership: The Role of Emotional Intelligence.” He makes several powerful points regarding EQ, as it is also known. He points out that when leaders are in the change process, they deal with emotions on both sides. Changes create an emotional paradox, where the leader acts on emotion, and the follower reacts with emotion. It is easy to overlook the other when standing on one side of the fence. Great leaders can navigate the fence and be in two places at once. They feel the energy radiating from the follower and appreciate their needs and desires.

Predictor of Performance

Psychologist Daniel Goleman popularized Emotional Intelligence in his New York Times #1 Best Seller, “Emotional Intelligence.” The Harvard Business Review was told by Goleman, “The most effective leaders are all alike in one crucial way: They all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional Intelligence. It’s not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant. They do matter, but…they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions.” The Harvard Business Review also mentions how EQ provider TalentSmart’s research reveals that EQ is the strongest predictor of performance (Landry, 2019).

Regulators

When leaders with high emotional Intelligence are in emotional situations, they may use emotional regulation strategies to down-regulate or even increase their emotional response depending on the situation. According to the authors of the article “Integrating Emotion Regulation and Emotional Intelligence Traditions: A Meta-Analysis,” emotion regulation is the process where people modify the trajectory of one or more components in their emotional response (Pena-Sarrionandia et al., 2015). This can be done consciously or subconsciously. Every leader can learn emotional regulation (ER) strategies, such as breathing exercises, practicing mindfulness, exercising, and prayer to decrease their emotional response. They can also reframe cognitive ideas to increase their emotional response to situations requiring empathy and care, like remembering a similar circumstance they or a loved one experienced to raise emotional levels.

Empathy in leadership is a critical factor in determining the success of a change or initiative. Issah defines empathy as the ability to understand the emotional makeup of others (Issah, 2018). Leaders take into account the needs and values of others, which leads to a standard course of action. This is only achieved through effective communication. They take the time to understand the perspectives of others before offering direction, advice, or support (Issah, 2018).

Maintain the Upward Trend

The culture and atmosphere of the workplace are greatly influenced by the leader’s day-to-day reliability and actions. Do the actions reflect the values and mission the leader attempts to instill? There must be consistent respect and fairness across the board. When emotions rise, the leader must have the social and conflict resolution skills to navigate the difficult moments of uncertainty. Great leaders can articulate their emotions to direct change and tap into others’ emotions and desires. This allows any team or organization to maintain its upward trend to success.

Add On’s

Thank you for reading about Emotional Intelligence and its effect on your leadership strategy. If you would like more leadership content, comb through the Youniversalife Archive.

If you would like to support Youniversalife further, please share the content that you find useful for your professional development. You can also purchase merchandise at the Youniversalife Shop, which helps to fund the operation. Thank you so much!

References

Issah, M. (2018). Change Leadership: The Role of Emotional Intelligence. SAGE Open, 1–6. 

Landry, L. (2019, April 3). Emotional intelligence in leadership: Why it’s important. Harvard Business Review. https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership

Pena-Sarrionandia, A.,  Mikolajczak, M., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Integrating emotion regulation and emotional intelligence traditions: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology.

Grueling Transformations: Strategies for Success

Informative

Transformation efforts are grueling in every circumstance. Personal transformations require discipline and persistence over time to complete the desired outcome. Intellectual development requires great effort and sacrifice through hours of research and study. Physical development requires intentional exercise and diet. There will always be a degree of investigation to develop and train successfully. Intellectual and physical development requires commitment and patience. Leaders who successfully transform their area of influence exhibit the same fundamental competencies.

Kotter’s Plan

John Kotter, retired Harvard Business School professor and author of the book Leading Change, offers eight critical success factors for transformation efforts. He pinpoints the importance of having a sense of extraordinary urgency, creating short-term wins, to changing culture. Every leader can execute Kotter’s game plan to maximize their transformation efforts. Each step is dependent on the last and can not be marginalized. Many leaders strive for fast success but need to respect the required process to establish long-term success. Great leaders appreciate the journey to betterment through the narrow road that brings generational change.

Ideavirus

The road to transformation starts with a sense of urgency. Leaders who begin a transformational effort must first research and identify areas for growth. Day one for a new principal begins with communication, relationship building, and data assessment. These frequent interactions and studying data will ensure that all deficiencies are addressed. Once the problem areas have been identified, the leader should act with a significant sense of urgency. This transformation program requires the aggressive cooperation of many individuals. The leader should identify like-minded individuals who are influencers within their area. Seth Godin calls these individuals “sneezers,” who will likely tell and persuade friends and colleagues of well-structured and needed initiatives. They are the heart of an ideavirus (Godin, 2009). In theory, transformation efforts must become ideavirus that spreads throughout an organization to create initial change.

Powerful Coalition 

Once the ideavirus has been communicated and established, a powerful guiding coalition accelerates its spread. Kotter explains that major renewal programs often start with a few people. The coalition must grow and include the head of the organization, who is an active supporter. Successful coalitions include powerful members in terms of title, information and expertise, reputations, and relationships (Kotter, 2007). Within the ideavirus, there must be a clear vision that is easily communicated and receives a reaction that signifies understanding and interest. The coalition must have a desired outcome that others can rally around. People will not join the transformation if they do not believe useful change is possible. There must be consistent and credible communication to capture the hearts and minds of the people.

Overcome Obstacles 

Top leaders should embed messaging into their routine activities to capture hearts and minds. In the typical conversation or frequent meeting, the leader articulates how each proposed solution supports the bigger picture. Leaders are creative with their communication strategies through verbal interactions, written updates, and artistic work. They are also consistent in how they operate. Great leaders live out the mission and vision, where they are living symbols of the new culture. Followers want to experience an authentic leader who removes obstacles to the new vision. Obstacles will kill a transformative quest. Most people, by nature, will take the path of least resistance. If they are obstructed in their pursuits, they will retract into a comfort mode and not push forward. Great leaders identify obstacles through communication and eliminate them individually so people can be creative and produce.

Small Wins

Kotter makes a powerful point when he says, “Sometimes compensation or performance-appraisal systems make people choose between the new vision and their self-interest (Kotter, 2007).” When leaders are out of touch and do not consider compensation or performance appraisal systems, transformation efforts will die. When individuals, teams, or organizations perform at a high level and achieve milestones, leaders must celebrate these “short-term wins.” Momentum will continue to gather, and initiatives will build support through the small successes. It is vital to note that leaders and coalitions must not celebrate too soon. They must be the voice of reason and remain even, encouraged, and hopeful. There must be a continual search for areas of needed improvement and encourage the team to remain determined. When we do this, the corporation’s culture will sustain itself for generations.

Additional Resources

If you enjoyed this post and thirst for more, swing by the Youniversalife Archive.

References

Godin, S. (2009). Purple Cow. Penguin Publishing Group. 

Kotter, J. P. (2007). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review.