Do you want to be an outstanding leader? Keep a diary

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The leader needs reflection: plunging into himself, a person rethinks his experience and sees new ways to solve old problems. Keeping a diary helps you look at the world from different angles, reevaluate events and find new solutions before competitors.

One has proven that great leaders take the time to immerse themselves and evaluate their actions. Their success depends on the ability to appeal to a unique perspective of the situation and apply it to decision-making.

Leaders have the ability to see something before others see it, understand before everyone else understands, and take action before others do. A unique vision of the situation is an important criterion for creativity and competitive advantage.

But in reality, the pace of our life is so fast that we have no time at all to hear our inner voice. It's not that hard to do, though. You just need to get into the habit of diving into yourself.

Drawing on research data and years of experience as a business consultant, Nancy Adler recommends one simple activity - journaling.

What it takes to get started

1. Buy a notebook … Keeping an online diary does not provide as many benefits as handwriting. So buy a notebook or diary.
2. Dedicate 15 minutes a day to journaling … This is a pretty tricky step. So if you don't have 15 minutes to spare, start with three. But be sure to do it.
3. Find a quiet placewhere no one will be distracting.
4. Choose time … It's better if it will be the same time every day, when you do not need to interrupt to do something else. Guard your 15 minutes carefully from other activities - this is the time to confer with yourself.
5. Write down whatever comes to mind. Blank notebook pages invite you to have an honest dialogue with yourself. You can say anything in the diary. So make a promise to yourself to follow your stream of consciousness without judgment, censorship, or trying to guess where your thoughts are going to take you. And don't worry about grammar: however you express yourself, it will be correct.
6. Do not show your diary to anyone … Your thoughts belong only to you and no one else. They give you something that all the experts, advisors and trainers on the planet cannot - your unique point of view.

How to start journaling

If you are unsure of where to start your diary, ask a few questions and write down the answers. Here are Nancy Adler's favorite questions:

• How do I feel at the moment?
• What do I think about my leadership?
• What deserves my close attention in leadership, in life, in the world?
• Most outrageous (or funniest) idea heard in the last 24 hours. What do I like about her?
• Most exciting initiative I've heard of in the last week, outside my line of business or elsewhere in the world.
• What made me happy this week? How can I bring more happiness into my life?

Let art spark your imagination

Art is another assistant to leaders, it allows you to go beyond the usual. By looking at paintings or enjoying other forms of art, a leader can experiment with new perspectives.

If I really concentrate on the painting, what will I see? If I combine what I see with my situation, what new facets will the painting reveal?

It may sound far-fetched, but unexpected juxtaposition of the picture and real problems in life often reveals hidden forces and gives rise to amazing new ideas. For example, Yale University found that young doctors were much better at making diagnoses after a general course in art history. Why? Because art teaches a person, whether he is an artist, a doctor, or a CEO, to see meaning in a rich palette of complexity. It allows us to be more careful and creative in our search for meaning. At the same time, art helps to realize that a certain interpretation is just one of many points of view.

Using art as a stimulus for reflection, follow the steps below. You can try this exercise inspired by a painting by Nancy Adler.

1. Choose a painting (or other work of art). Stop looking at work that attracts you for some reason (because you love it, hate it, or for some other reason).
2. Continuously gaze at the selected work of art at least three minutes. Time yourself. It might seem like three minutes is a long time, so it's best to know for sure.
3. Develop your ability to see … Describe the picture. What do you see on it? How does it change as you look at it? What did you see in the picture at the end of three minutes, but did not notice in the first minute?
4. Ask generalizing questions … What new point of view does the picture reveal? For example, how is the current situation in the economy (or in my company, in my team) similar to this picture? How does the complexity of this picture reflect the hidden complexity of the situation? You will be surprised by the ideas that will come up in response to such questions.

Don't forget about the goal

Too many leaders have enough opportunities but lack meaning. Ask questions that bring you back to what is important right now for you or for society and the planet as a whole, depending on your goal. For example, you might ask, “What is my job today? What is my life's job?"

Likewise, the inspiring words of leaders in your journal can work.

Listen. The more carefully you listen to your inner voice, the better you will hear what sounds outside without any fear.

Dag Hammarskjöld Secretary General of the United Nations 1953-1961

We are responsible for our time just as others were responsible for theirs, it is important not to be hostages of history, but to create it.

Madeleine Albright US Secretary of State 1997-2001

Such statements remind us that our leadership must be meaningful, not just successful, that strategy and tactics are meaningless without a specific goal.

By regularly immersing yourself with your diary entries, you can see the world in a different way, understand it from different perspectives, and lead people in a new way that everyone needed.