Unleashing Your Leadership Potential with Five Key Mindsets - Part 1

Author: Sandra Pan Editor: Lydia Tang

Many driven professionals aspire to lead teams and assume positions of greater influence after they gain several years of experiences.This process is not always straightforward, and they may be uncertain about where to start or how to develop themselves into qualified leaders. Some of the obstacles are related to personal traits and work habits, while others stem from the mindsets ingrained in us by our education and culture. Today, we will share some tips to help us consciously develop leadership in our daily work.

Self-awareness: Crafting Your Leadership Pathway

Just as there are countless variations of Hamlet in a thousand people's hearts, there are also myriads of leadership styles among a thousand leaders. In matters of leadership, there is no one-size-fits-all and unequivocally correct solution. Therefore, the first step we need to take is understanding ourselves and finding the leadership style and qualities that suit us.

Self-understanding commences with self-observation. "Am I willing to be a leader?" This answer can be found in the little things in life. For instance, during a group outing, do you naturally take the initiative to plan and coordinate, or do you prefer to follow others? If you assume the role of planning, does the process bring you comfort and joy? How do you exhibit your leadership style when guiding others during the trip? For example, when there were challenges during the trip, such as getting lost or experiencing financial constraints, how do you make decisions and influence others? These seemingly small behaviors and thoughts in our daily lives reflect our personality and mindset.

If through introspection, you discover that you don't genuinely enjoy being a leader, there's no need to force yourself into a leadership role. However, if you find that you possess the potential, you can further consider the type of business environment and company where you would thrive as a leader. For instance, some folks enjoy guiding others from 0 to 1 and embracing risks, making them better suited for startups and new businesses. Others excel at scaling up existing enterprises, proficient in streamlining workflows and business models, making them more suitable for bigger companies that have a strong product-market fit (PMF). There is no definitive right or wrong path, only what fits you the best.

In other words, our objective is not to become someone else, but rather to leverage our own strengths while avoiding our weaknesses as much as possible. Once we comprehend ourselves, we need to consciously cultivate our own leadership style and qualities, much like building a personal brand. We can list the qualities we aspire to present when we enter a room and then seek feedback from colleagues regarding their perceptions of us. By comparing and contrasting these two lists, we can identify the gaps and consciously enhance the leadership qualities that we desire to embody but have not fully developed. For example, if we strive to be seen as inspiring and empathetic individuals, but find that those around us do not perceive us that way, we can focus on those two aspects and make improvements.

In conclusion, crafting one's leadership pathway involves a journey of self-awareness, acceptance, and growth. It begins with understanding one's own natural inclinations towards leadership, and then consciously developing a personal style that leverages strengths and addresses weaknesses. This involves seeaking feedback and making intentional improvements, with the ultimate goal of becoming the best version of oneself as a leader. It is a continuous journey of self-improvement and personal growth, rather than a pursuit of becoming someone else.

Curiosity: A Key to Relationship Building

We often use the term "curious" to describe children, those little ones who constantly ask "why" and "what." However, curiosity is also a great quality in adults. In fact, our curiosity is pivotal in becoming effective leaders and building relationships with others.

In our work, being curious about others' thoughts and actions allows us to observe and consider problems from multiple perspectives. During a career coaching session, the CFO of a pharmaceutical company mentioned that he recently rejected a proposal from an employee during a meeting, and afterwards, he personally explained to the employee why he believed their proposal was not suitable. The CFO thought everything was fine since the employee did not voice any objections. However, when the coach asked the CFO if he had tried to understand why the employee had come up with that proposal, the motivations and reasons behind it, the CFO lost his words.

This is a common problem. We often confidently believe that our own ideas are more "correct" and lack curiosity or interest in understanding the rationale and perspectives behind others' seemingly "wrong" or "inappropriate" ideas, resulting in a lack of openness. Failure in incorporating others' thoughts restricts us to our own fixed mindset and prevents us from leveraging the wisdom of others.

Curiosity is about genuinely caring for others, which begets strong relationships.? For example, one respectful leader in my career remembered the names of colleagues' partners and children, their backgrounds, and their hobbies. The emotional support offered by our leaders, rooted in their curiosity and care, was a reason why we choose to follow them.