Want to be a successful leader? My gosh: get out of that box…

How many times have you heard the mantra “Think outside the box”? Oh, my… just one too many! It has become a new box into which those who “think very much inside the box” try to camouflage their frustration. Few people are as dangerous for those around them as a self-styled leader who tries to lead from within the damned box. And there are “boxes for leadership” too, believe me!

One of the more dangerous is the box pretending that leadership is something that can be achieved by studying books and passing exams. Sorry: you can, maybe, be a born leader who will be such because of innate talent and selfless dedication (a Gandhi, a Martin Luther King… do you necessarily need to be killed, by the way? Thank God no!). But you cannot be a leader just because you have graduated from the most prestigious business school around. Unfortunately, there is still the common practice to recruit people in position of leadership among those who come out formatted (which means perfectly fitting within a box) from prestigious business schools.

Leadership, in a nutshell, I would describe as a matter of:

    1       Responsibility

    2       Humility

    3       Far-sightedness

    4       Communication

    5       Stewardship of your people

    6       Dedication

Could we squeeze the key points of leadership into a single word? If I should, I would choose “passion“. I love those who lead with passion and BTW they generally succeed. What about Steve Jobs or Richard Branson? Could “passion” apply to them?  What passion, then, is the one driving a leader? My answer is: it’s a passion for the human being and admiration for its potential, for the flourishing of their people, and for the service of their customers, or more generally, for the improvement of life of all of their stakeholders. Not by accident, they also are very successful entrepreneurs.

It is written in our genetical structure, guys: we humans are a social species and we perform at best when we are in an environment that makes us feel secure, integrated in our “tribe” and supported in the quest for our own realization by all our group, especially by our leaders. Days ago I was confronted with a colleague with a more pessimistic view of human nature developed from the experience of how much frustration and anger are in the world, undeniably alas. But this is just the outcome of too little leadership around, and a sad epidemic of wasted potential.

Let me dedicate now a few words to the main tool for leadership: communication. A leader, by definition, cannot be on his/her own. Leading implies a group that is led. Communication, in its etymology, means “doing things together”. Now, how does the process of communication work in leadership?

1       Have a vision and be responsible for it

2       Share it in a way that is effective and engaging

3       Integrate feedback and accept improvements, setting the goals

4       Gather the team around goals for the common good.Get everybody on board

5       Lead them to success by making the most of everyone’s talents

6       Keep communication flowing, assuring safety of the team

As you can see these steps of communication integrate all the key points of leadership, putting them into practice. Can you learn these skills Certainly yes, all of them, provided you live life with passion, among your kin and you really have a profound desire to improve yours and their lives.

Communication is the key. The CASE© Method is based on excellent communication, which enables you as a leader to tune into the Basic Needs of everyone of your people and know how to engage and motivate them to be a propositive, sensible, committed member of the team that you will lead to achievement. If you feel like knowing more on the communication skills that CASE© implements just click here to get a free preview and purchase the book if you like it.

You can also follow my regular publications or check my website or social activity on Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube and Facebook to be  informed on the opportunities to learn The CASE© and become a sustainable, effective leader at all effects.

About the Author: Federico Fioretto has been entrepreneur and manager; he works internationally as leadership & strategic sustainability consultant, trainer and keynote speaker. In his most recent book, Sustainable Leadership goo.gl/O0Vk1Q, he illustrates his original CASE© Method for the transformation of conflicts, leadership and decision making through a competent communication.  He has designed and directed award winning trainings on communication and teamwork in healthcare. A member of various international scientific societies, he is a passionate advocate of sustainability in the business world and as a mean of social and economic development.

In 2015 he was one of the two only Europeans chosen by President Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative project as trainers of a new generation of leaders for the development of the African Continent.

More information about him and his work can be found on his website www.federicofioretto.biz