Two Leadership Traps: How To Avoid Them. How To Get Out Of them
(Part 2)
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Word count: 619
Summary: Most people fail in their careers because of leadership
deficiencies. A key reason for their failure is they continually
and unknowingly keep falling into two leadership traps. The
author describes the traps and how to get out of them.
Two Leadership Traps: How To Avoid Them. How To Get Out Of them
(Part 2) by Brent Filson
Here's how to get out of, or avoid, the "I need ... " trap. It
simply involves changing what you think and what you say in very
simple ways.
In my working with leaders worldwide for more than two decades,
I've noticed a character trait that the most successful share:
They focus consistently on understanding and supporting the
people whom they lead.
For instance, you could say, "You need ..." which is a good way
out. Or, you could say, "The team needs ... " which is a better
way out.
Or, you could say, "Do you need? ..." Which is the best way out,
especially with a question mark attached. A corollary to this
question is, "What do you need from me to help you get the team
to succeed?"
Asking a question rather than using a declarative is often more
effective because it gets people reflecting upon their
situation. After all, we can't motivate anyone to do anything.
They have to motivate themselves. And they best motivate
themselves when they reflect on their character and their
situation.
A question can trigger such reflection and ultimately lead to
their making the choice to be motivated to be your cause leader.
You may not like the answer; but often their answer, no matter
what it is, can better lead to more results being achieved than
your declaration can.
Furthermore, asking questions like, "What do you need for the
team to succeed? ..." works much better than saying "I need ...
" because you are forging a "critical confluence"