Reply To: Exercise 13: Your Models for Leadership and Emotions
by Hayden Kessinger
in
Home › Forums › Leadership Course 2024 › Exercise 13: Your Models for Leadership and Emotions › Reply To: Exercise 13: Your Models for Leadership and Emotions
Eugene,
First, I want to say that your advice to “listen, don’t wait to talk” has been very helpful for me. Sort of like you described, it’s simple yet it gives me an anchor to repeat in my head while in conversation. I was using it and some other advice to stay focused during class on Sunday!
Also, though you identified many qualities of a true leader, I notice compassion continuing to pop up throughout your post. I think I agree that compassion is very valuable for good leadership, though often ignored or underrated. I found the rowing analogy useful and it made me think of Evelyn’s feedforward advice to me: don’t be the most clever person in the room, make others feel like they’re the most clever person in the room. I think feeling that you’re truly a key part of a team (even if you’re one of 9 others rowing the same exact way) is invaluable. An effective leader can make each one of those rowers feel like they’re the most important one, while also helping them see that the person next to them is the most important one. Am I making sense? It’s a weird contradiction, but I think it’s true.
I guess I haven’t thought much about resolving conflicts as a leader. I’ve focused on preventing them in the first place. In my essay I share some from an experience that I had where I failed to resolve conflict and I sort of just gave up. I learned a lot from it, but as it was happening, I didn’t really do my job as a leader. I think that’s where I need to grow the most. I have to be learn to be okay with some people (or maybe everyone) being a little unhappy for some time. And I have to face that, not run away.