3 Keys to Stronger Leadership Skills

On a recent trip to New York, these three powerful sculptures by Jim Rennert caught my attention as I was heading out of Grand Central Station. They’re known as timing, inner dialogue, and listen. Immediately they made me think of the attributes of great leaders. 

Without these three skills, leaders won’t be able to harness their full power or influence. By harnessing timing skills, strengthening one’s inner dialogue, and learning how to truly listen, leaders have the keys to achieve greater results. 

Timing: Harness the power of timing and time management

Understanding your time and timing as a leader is an important asset. Whether it’s putting in the time or accurately calculating and setting timelines—understanding and managing time is crucial for leaders. 

Managing time and timing can help with many leadership skills. Through my coaching practice, I have worked with leaders who have sought to improve such skills, including self-discipline, goal setting, delegating, holding people accountable, tracking trends, seizing new opportunities, strategic execution, and achieving high long-term performance while meeting the challenge of doing more with less.  

Time is usually not something that can be saved. Yet, by clarifying what matters most, we can spend it more wisely. If your organization has defined values, which serve as a moral compass, you have an easier time with time management.  You’ll more effectively make wise choices in the face of difficult decisions—rather than doing more with less. And, you’re better able to help others make similar choices. 

Time is finite. By using it wisely and understanding how to help others do the same will only help you be a more successful and influential leader.

Inner dialogue: Strengthen your inner dialogue to think more strategically

Inner dialogue is that voice inside your head that comments on everything around you. It determines how we think about things and ourselves. It affects our logic and reasoning about situations. It can skew our perception of events and people. It can also influence our response to change.  

Ekhart Tolle, a leading author, and teacher on the power of presence describes two versions of ourselves in our head:

The first version is the one that nags you—often about your anxieties and fears.

The second version is the deeper sense of your own self—your consciousness.

As a business coach, I often help clients recognize how to harness the power of their inner dialogue. My goal is to help my clients navigate some of the workplace challenges they are facing. I help break down perceptions and beliefs and help them identify the narratives that are creating tension and frustration. Recognizing their inner dialogue leads to a higher level of consciousness.

To create a stronger dialogue, I encourage clients to identify the thoughts that are overwhelming or holding them back. Then we look at the specific data or evidence that supports or disproves their thoughts. Finally, I help them reframe their thoughts into something more productive. The more they work on this, the stronger their inner dialogue becomes.

Erika Anderson, author of “Learning to Learn,” suggests that you ”be a fair witness.” This requires us to observe and report without a lot of interpretation or judgment.  Just report the facts—what you see and what you hear so that you can become conscious of any unhelpful self-talk. A negative inner dialogue can result in over-emphasizing or resisting certain things. Additionally, she suggests “pulling back the camera” so that you can observe a situation as a third party. Once you are viewing a situation this way, note any changes in your perception of the obstacles and their impact. Much like checking in with your thoughts, this helps strengthen your inner dialogue. You remove some of the emotion and look at the facts of the situation. 

Leaders who regularly touch base with their inner dialogue develop greater self-awareness and in turn make better decisions.

Listen: Make others feel seen and respected with intentional listening

When it comes to business, relationships are king. To motivate and influence others leaders need great communication skills and great listening skills. Great listening skills attract the attention and respect of others. 

Yet, many people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply. Some other common barriers I see to great listening are stress, lack of patience, information overload, message complexity, being tired, and not getting curious. 

Listening impacts a leader’s ability to successfully influence others and negotiate in a way that creates value. It’s also important to get good at asking clarifying questions, reflecting, thinking outside of yourself, and acknowledging feelings. When you become genuinely interested in people and demonstrate that you heard them, your influence expands significantly.

The Statues

Jim Rennert’s statues of bronze and steel focus on his experiences in the business world. He used the medium to depict culture’s ideas on achievement and success. It also demonstrates the thoughts and ideas we all deal with in society.  

If you have thoughts on time, inner dialogue, or listening as it relates to your leadership, please share your thoughts with us at info@artsciencegroup.com