If You Could Have Only One Leadership Approach, This Is It.

Throughout my years of experience, I have always strived to find the best way to develop my leadership skills. I know that if I can become a better leader, then I will influence others around me to be more mindful and better leaders too. 

?Our legacy will be measured by the people who will follow us, and what better way to leave this world than by sharing our experiences and knowledge with our peers, especially our loved ones.

Learning from mentors, relatives, friends, on-the-job-experience, and reading can put us at the cutting edge of leadership growth. These are the ingredients we need to be continually influential to those around us. But with all the different strategies and styles to get there, things quickly get complicated. It’s easy to forget the essential things and replace them with unproductive techniques and ideas. Complexity is the enemy of growth.

Early in adulthood, when I began to understand the meaning of leadership, I wanted to simplify the main components of what makes a leader. I came across many videos, documentaries, and articles written in the past two decades. Although I prefer to read, listen, and watch contemporary information, this was a unique opportunity, and I was curious to know if I might have found advice to help me understand what leadership is all about.

If you take one thing out of all this, I hope it will be the inspiration to become a leader who adds value to people, produces effective results, and creates a legacy. Following this perspective will truly help you see things differently (no pun intended) and fulfill a sense of purpose in your professional life.

The Two Eyes

One of the many concepts I came across was the idea of two different ways in which we can view things: Through the perceiving eye or the observing eye.

Perceiving Eye

This point of view is the more common, but it is the weaker. It’s the eye that perceives, and then it reacts. It’s quick to take offense. It’s trying to make sense of the world from your own perspective. It’s reactive.

Observing Eye

When someone chooses to see through this eye, they take a step back. They try to understand different perspectives. They are slow to anger and irrational, emotion-based reactions. They seek opportunity in the face of challenges. They do not let outside circumstance take control. They are proactive.

Test this with a problem you’ve recently witnessed. Imagine a hair salon with an upset customer, for example. He or she complains that the wait was far too long.

The salon manager with a perceiving eye might get defensive. He might say that there was a big rush, and nothing could have prevented it. He may say he’s sorry and offer a quick fix, but it ends there.

The manager with the observing eye takes a step back and tries to understand the customer. Yes, he says, it was a long wait. An observing eye would also recognize that the customer wanted to be respected and acknowledged. He or she felt like they didn't matter, and their time wasn't important to the salon staff. An observing eye would make sure this customer felt valued and would find a creative solution to the grievance.

Which eye do you think would win this upset customer as a long-term client?

When leaders choose to see through an observing eye, they become effective. Think of all the leadership principles you have learned. Which eye best defines them? Chances are that most of them fall into the observing eye category. If we can choose one crucial piece of advice, it should be to see things from a well-rounded perspective, focused on others and those around us instead of through a perceiving eye that centers on ourselves and our reactions.

Biagio Triassi connects and facilitates with TOP Talent to promote Employer Hiring Success within Canada.