I did not realize that people need first to believe that I truly care about and value them before they will follow me, even if our cause and direction are undeniably important and correct.
I now see my responsibility as learning first what is important for the individual, and to see how I can dovetail those interests, strengths, and talents with the organization’s needs.
Other changes in leadership behavior. To a lesser degree, emerging sages point to a wide range of other behavioral changes in their leadership, including becoming more patient, learning how to compromise, and understanding that anger doesn’t serve a productive purpose:
I’ve learned that we have to work together, that there has to be a sound process, and that you need to get buy-in. I could easily be like a run-away train and make lots of plans, leaving the community behind. So I’ve needed to learn how to be more patient.
I continue not to compromise on questions of value, but I am learning how to work through compromises over the means of accomplishing things.
I have learned that getting angry with a difficult parent or staff member and letting that emotion take over does not serve any good purpose. So, I have tried to avoid that. I have learned to bite my tongue and take a calmer path to get where I want to be. When I was younger I was a little feistier, and that usually backfired on me. Anger really is the last thing you should use in your arsenal. It is very difficult to get back to a productive place after being angry, so I have learned to stay calm.
Emerging sages find they are better able to balance work and play, understand that change comes in small steps, see that sharing ideas is more important than who presents them, and find it is more important to ask the right questions than to have right answers:
Download Article 1K Club
