I no longer have to be the leader or get credit for success. Now it’s more important to me that others do those things and that we all are able to successfully complete common goals.
What is most satisfying to me these days is sitting in meetings of the organization I helped found eight years ago, listening to others talk about the organization, and reflecting on our accomplishments to date. And musing about all of the wonderful new things that are on the drawing board. I take enormous personal satisfaction in this now as a back bencher.
Other changes in leadership styles. To a lesser degree, senior sages report leadership style changes in other areas as well. This includes moving away from aggressive action, better listening skills, growth in self-evaluation and self-awareness, being more attuned to intuition, and having greater self-confidence:
I’ve moved away from being aggressive and am more inclined to reflection and forecasting in wanting to understand the future. I’ve become more solicitous of others and tend to listen to all sides of an issue. I try to lead by example, yet I have less tolerance for things that go wrong.
I think I have become a better listener. As I listen to my kids and their friends, I can tell them what they should do or I can just shut up and listen longer. I have learned when to do either one. Sometimes people just want you to be judge and jury and tell them what you want them to do. Other times they just want to sound off, vent and let things drift until you say “You need to do this.”
I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my abilities and seeing what my strengths and weaknesses are. And in the process I have experienced growth in self-evaluation and self-awareness. I have achieved this through my dreaming practices, travel, and being called on to do things.
Well I have become a better judge of people, and I am learning to trust my intuition. Often times I’ll intuit which way to go, and then I’ll think about it and go in a different direction concluding, “I should not have done that. Why don’t I remember that?” I am calmer and more centered now.
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