WHAT’S YOUR LEADERSHIP SUPERPOWER?

Which leadership superpower would you like to strengthen and use more in your leadership role?

MODESTY

It may go against intuition, but modesty is a secret weapon of some of the greatest leaders. When you’re modest you stay teachable and humble, no matter how much you already know. You see yourself as a servant and a student more than a master, and you exhibit a willingness to engage with others that leads to respect. Modest leaders have no need or desire to be better or above those they lead. They take an egalitarian approach to their leadership and are open to hearing the thoughts, ideas and opinions of others. One of the key makers of modesty is the willingness to admit mistakes and new insight when things don’t go as planned. Modest leaders are also composed and able to accept ambiguity instead of struggling for the need to control. They accept that not everything can be perfectly anticipated or predicted. Confidence tempered with modesty is a powerful tool in gaining both respect and loyalty.

What are the ways you demonstrate modest leadership?

VISION

Fueled by a unique insight and a flair for creative problem solving, vision is one of the most important factors in leadership. Visionary leaders can often see what no one else sees, finding potential and opportunity in a time of change or even company contraction. They can see beyond the ambiguity and challenges of today to an empowering picture of tomorrow. With an infectious enthusiasm for what is possible, they have the power to bring teams and entire organizations together towards a common goal. They often have a flair for storytelling or symbolism that paints a powerful picture and energizes people toward the future goal. Yet the flair and charisma so often associated with this visionary leadership style must be balanced by discipline, focus and a specific course of action. A visionary leader ensures the vision becomes reality by stating clear goals, outlining a strategic plan for achieving those goals and equipping and empowering each member to take action on the plan at the organizational, team and individual levels. A leadership superpower of vision can lead to greater employee engagement, more productive teams, and improved outcomes.

What ways do you use vision to guide your leadership?

ELOQUENCE

The ability to speak and write persuasively has gained importance in the age of digital communications. People expect their thought leaders to communicate often and they want to be “wowed” and inspired. An eloquent speech can close a deal. An eloquent memo to staff can quell fears, dampen dissent, or inspire people to reach new heights. If you have been described as eloquent, you have a way with words and can communicate a clarity that is grounded in your own integrity and truth. True eloquence is the power of expressing strong emotions with a fluency that conjures conviction or persuasion.

What new opportunities can help you showcase your eloquence?

POSITIVITY

Your ability to remain upbeat and positive, even in the worst times, automatically elevates your work and message to those around you. Positivity gives hope and purpose to others when they need it most and can lead your team to the highest level of accomplishment. You might think of optimism as the quality of being hopeful, but it also indicates confidence in successful outcomes. You can't be it unless you can see it! Of course, blind optimism isn’t a good thing, but optimistic leaders inspire and motivate their teams to achieve against even the greatest obstacles.

What values help you to believe anything is possible?

FOCUS

If you could have only one leadership superpower, having FOCUS, is the one you’d want. In many situations, it’s this talent that determines a leader’s chances for success and respect. When everything around you is falling apart, you respond with determination, courage, persistence, and strength. Your natural ability to think critically to understand the problem and the various solutions around it assures those around you that a logical resolution is close at hand.

What ways does FOCUS help you in challenging situations?

ALTRUISM

Altruism means you care about the welfare of others. In business, this means you want the people around you to do better, feel better, and perform better. You are not an island. You don’t need to take all of the credit for yourself. You understand that building up the people around you makes everyone look better. This is an incredible leadership quality, but not one you might traditionally associate with power or strength. Altruistic leaders value calculated risks and share the responsibility that comes with creative problem solving and research and development. Altruistic leaders are empathic and receptive to feedback which helps to keep morale high.

What does altruistic leadership look like to you?

CONNECTION

You are a people person and have a gift for creating a trusting environment where you connect with others by finding common ground. In this alliance, grounded by your own integrity, you create a sacred space where truth can be shared. This superpower is about caring for others. When people see that you act with goodwill and that you have their best interests in mind, they are more apt to trust you. They trust your intentions because they believe you won’t do anything to intentionally try to harm them. Building trust through an open communication about yourself and the organization shows people that you don’t have any hidden agendas. The combination of both trust and connection is the magic ingredient of organizational success. It acts as both the lubrication that keeps organization’s running smoothly as well as the glue that holds it all together.

What ways do you use connection to lead?

OBSERVATION

Many people are too busy to take the time to notice their surroundings or their circumstances. Sometimes the power of a great leader comes from the simple act of slowing down enough to take a look around and assess what you see. Using your power of observation allows you to pinpoint problems and issues early on. Good observers tend to be more attentive and responsive to people, situations, or business decisions. They are curious and use critical thinking to understand the “why” behind problems so they can unearth innovative solutions and discover unexpected insights others might have overlooked.

What happens when you slow and observe the “why”?

DECISIVENESS

Great leaders understand the power of decisiveness. They observe and assess, then act quickly and confidently without second-guessing their conclusions. Most people are reluctant to make decisions because it makes them responsible. Confident leaders are those who strive to be decisive in everything they do and avoid passing the buck to someone else. Being decisive requires strong analytical skills, emotional stability, critical thinking and collaboration with those you trust to give you solid advise. It also helps to think of decisiveness as a muscle: it needs to be used frequently in order to be strong and effective.

What ways do you model decisive leadership?

EMPATHY

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This is incredibly important in any workplace environment and helps you to manage conflict and relationships. However, it’s become even more important as businesses compete to better understand the needs of their customers. People don’t want to be analyzed and marketed to, they want brands to understand what they want and need. Empathetic leaders are good negotiators because they are curious and ask open-ended questions to confirm understanding and establish common ground. This superpower ensures that they can articulate and clarify their own wants and needs without minimizing the needs of others.

What would happen if you brought empathy to your next negotiation?