Within the set of the 7 Habits for Effective Team Leadership that I´m sharing (below I leave the list and links), is:

Six Resources to Foster Perspectives

Every day is a challenge, we all have many responsibilities, inside and outside of work, which, if not managed well, can lead to distress.

Recently, during an executive coaching session with a manager, he explained to me that it is not always easy for him to take perspective in meetings with his team when they do not agree. He ends up deciding on what they will do because he said that otherwise, he feels they are wasting time and even though he tries to help, there is always someone who leaves unhappy, annoyed, or feeling that their needs are not taken into account.

Does this sound familiar? Are you the person who has to take this decision, or the one within the team who leaves frustrated/demotivated because their ideas or perspectives have not been taken into account?  

Before delving into the benefits for you, the company, and the teams in fostering conversation, being more humble, patient, and listening to what everyone thinks, their ideas, solutions, and diverse proposals for a complex situation or a stalled project, let me tell you the following:

• According to cognitive neuroscience, which deals with how the brain creates and controls thought, language, problem-solving, and memory, when we are stressed over a significant period, our perspective and objectivity are affected, creating a negative bias. Therefore, we tend to become impatient, focus on the worst-case scenario, and listen less.
• In a meeting with the team, where a complex situation is posed, the management shouldn’t become impatient and/or impose a unilateral decision, without considering the diverse perspectives of other affected individuals or team members.
• On the contrary, for effective leadership, there are multiple benefits to encouraging, fostering, and celebrating the diverse viewpoints of meeting/team participants. Among them are the time and money that the company will save in the short/medium term, and the creativity, motivation, and loyalty so necessary in a current work environment (where it is increasingly difficult for companies to retain talent).

Six Resources to Foster Diverse Points of View:

1. Observe a problem or challenge from different angles to develop a better understanding.
2. Respond rationally and thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.
3. Be objective and you will gain in fairness and impartiality.
4. Stop misjudging (in most cases we are wrong due to lack of information) and focus on the facts.
5. Develop empathy, patience, and active listening.
6. Be humble and you will demonstrate strength, self-confidence, and determination.

Benefits for the team as a whole and talent loyalty:

• Diverse teams naturally eliminate the standard approach to problem-solving.
• Increase in personal motivation for each participant.
• A feeling of belonging and pride.
• Listening to other points of view creates opportunities to broaden one’s own and for learning.
• Increase in creativity and generation of ideas/solutions/proposals.
• Accustoms people to be more objective and impartial.
• Improvement of the work environment and growth opportunities.
• Promotes more effective Leadership.

To conclude and as a summary, if you want to develop your transformative leadership skills and your emotional intelligence, make sure that you practice active listening (here is a post dedicated to the topic), encourage participation, surround yourself with diverse people who bring richness (here is the post dedicated to the topic), empathize more and get used to asking questions before assuming what the other person means or thinks. You will be more respected and credible.

Here´s the list with the links to the articles of the 7 Habits for Effective Team Leadership that have already been published.

1. Leading with Empathy and Using Emotional Intelligence
2. Secrets to Implementing Change: Diluting Resistance
3. The Art of Being a Mentor
4. Resources for Encouraging Perspectives
5. How to Drive Diversity
6. Best-Kept Tips for a Better Climate
7. How Learning to Listen Improves Your Leadership

Written by Susana Jiménez, Founder, Advisor, Trainer, and Coach at Aprofitalents.

Reach out to us now, and find out how we can jointly foster your team’s evolution and your own. Learn more about our SKILL-EQ Methodology and tailored training solutions. Simply complete the online form here web, write to info@aprofitalents.com , o send a WhatsApp to +34 606711 757.