Which is more persuasive – a confident, assertive pitch or an unassuming question? Counter-intuitively, questions have the power to be more persuasive – in selling, negotiation and leadership. Coaching too leverages the power of questions to create the space to find one’s answers and create conviction in them.
There is magic waiting to happen when we can truly be ourselves at work. But is it always possible? Does authenticity jeopardise success?
If we have to live our full brilliance as leaders, we have to learn to fight our fears. To know them, to see them, and then to cast them aside and forge on. So how can we do that? These are some ways that have worked powerfully for our clients.
I have learned that leadership is not defined by roles and designations. It is not about traits, but about actions. And it’s a journey, not a destination…
Whether you are inventing at work, or reinventing yourself, reach out to those least like you, and perhaps you will find your breakthrough. There are numerous examples across disciplines that demonstrate the role of diversity in creativity.
When we want to help others, it is tempting to advise them on what they ‘should’ do. Doesn’t usually work. The book “Helping People Change’ has some wonderful lessons on what does work – useful for leaders, doctors, coaches, teachers, parents – or in fact, anyone who works with other people.
How many times do we stop ourselves from doing things because we worry we won’t make a success of them? And so we don’t even try. Small things, and very big ones too. Like career transition.
A focus on the positive activates that part of our brain that makes us more creative, open to possibility, filled with an excitement to get even better. And when we focus on the negative, we tend to justify or negate, not change. It actives the body’s stress response. The fight or flight mode.
If I asked if you are self-aware, what would you say? Most likely you would say yes. Because 95% of people think they are. Unfortunately, the likelihood of your being right is quite low.
Ambition – the part of me that counts my successes every week (okay, every day). That wants to get bigger, better. And fast. But it is only the other part of me, the awareness in the current moment, that allows me to truly connect with my why.
