X-Leaders

To be a great leader you need the X factor – you need to be inspirational. Great leaders imagine the end goal and empower others to work to get there. However, learning to be a truly empowering leader seems daunting. How does one learn to be such nebulous things as imaginative, charismatic, visionary, and a force of will?

TRANSFORMATIONAL EMPOWERMENT

inc.com/larry-kim/33-characteristics-of-super-inspiring-leaders.html

bain.com/insights/the-science-of-centeredness

The consulting company Bain & Co surveyed 2,000 Bain employees from all levels of the organization to find out what makes a leader truly inspirational. Analysis of the answers yielded 33 possible traits that help make a leader inspiring

“Although we found that many different attributes help leaders inspire people, we also found that you need only one of them to double your chances of being an inspirational leader,” the study reveals. By recognizing and cultivating your distinguishing strength, you significantly improve your ability to be an inspirational leader.

But the research found one characteristic that stood out as the most important by far. And the good news is that with some practice, anyone can develop it. What is this trait that matters more than any other? Centeredness. “This is a state of mindfulness that enables leaders to remain calm under stress, empathize, listen deeply, and remain present,” explain the researchers. “This skill is universal and an important enabler of all other skills. It is therefore viewed by employees as the most inspiring.”

That means whatever else you excel at – whether it’s energizing others, setting the tone, or focusing in a chaotic world – you won’t be able to utilize that skill if you can’t stay calm and centered when the pressure is on.

There are many ways to feel centered, including meditation or physical activities, that require you to have laser-focus on your task. However, these require time and space to do. Bain therefore developed a simple, use-anywhere method that can help achieve the inspirational calm that leaders need.

Each of the three steps of centeredness will allow you to interact more proactively with your physiology, addressing each aspect of brain function in succession.

“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in actions.”

HAROLD S. GENEEN