Why didn’t they teach me this in school? (#325)
The Confident Leader
BOOST YOUR LEADERSHIP IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
Effective leaders are students of the human condition–understanding that people are different from one another and need different things to optimize their performance.
“I’ve studied every system except the one that matters most: how people actually work.”
This Week’s Edition
So many leaders I coach haven’t taken the time to truly understand how people are wired. The leader’s job is to know their people.
Clarify Your Thinking
People are different. They don’t all think and act like you do. Shocker.
As a leader, when you can’t decipher those differences, you can spend your leadership life confused, spending energy trying to change them… instead of leading them.
If we think personality differences are problems, chances are good we’ve not been studying how people are wired differently.
This lack of knowledge limits our ability to:
• Communicate in a way that reaches them.
• Delegate in a way that works for them.
• Lead in a way that makes sense to them.
This can be costly:
• It causes unnecessary friction.
• People don’t feel like they can be themselves.
• High performers leave because they don’t feel understood.
• You spend energy managing conflict that could be avoided.
Old Thinking: Some people are just difficult to work with. I need to find people who “get it.”
New Thinking: People are wired differently than me, and that’s not a bad thing. Understanding it is my job as a leader.
Thoughts Lead to Actions
Here is a high-level introduction to four types of personality preferences:
External vs. Internal – how you direct and receive energy
Some people are energized by external activity and interaction. Others by internal reflection and solitude. If you don’t know which, you’ll keep being surprised.
Detail vs. Big Picture – how you process information
Some process details first, then build to the whole. Others need the big picture first, then details. They’ll feel like they’re speaking different languages until you understand the wiring.
Facts vs. Values – how you make decisions
Some make decisions based on objective facts and logic. Others based on impact and what matters. A facts-based leader and a values-based leader will clash on priorities until they identify what’s driving the decision.
Direct vs. Indirect – how you interact with the world
Some interact directly – the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Others move indirectly – just because I wander doesn’t mean I’m lost. This is about how someone’s brain is oriented to move through the world.
Here are the Power Questions that help you read your team:
- What energizes them?
- Are they processing the details or need context?
- How do they make decisions?
- How do they interact – directly or more casual and pressure-prompted?
Resolve that you are going to be a student of the human condition–understanding how others are wired. It’ll change your expectations of those you work with and help you lead accordingly.
Boost Your Performance
Learn the four dimensions of human wiring and how to lead your people the way they actually think with this week’s video.
What’s Your Opinion?
Who’s one person on your team you keep being surprised by? What if their wiring just needs to be understood differently?
I’d love to hear your thoughts: robin.pou@robinpou.com
If you are going to be a leader, you might as well be a good one. Don’t let doubt count you out. Have a confident week!
Robin Pou, Chief Advisor and Strategist
We live to make bad leadership extinct so forward this newsletter to others who strive to be confident leaders.
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What is “The Confident Leader”?
During the Covid-19 Pandemic, I began a video series called “Panic or Plan?” It was designed to equip leaders to navigate the doubt they experienced and to rise in the confidence they needed to lead during turbulent times. It took off. I then started this newsletter to equip leaders in the same fashion each week for the doubt that crashes across the bow of their leaderSHIP.
