I have been teaching leadership communication strategies at UCLA Extension since 2012.
So, I have a lot to say about leadership, but I am going to keep it at four items so that we can really narrow it down and I can give you some very juicy, delicious, exceptional leadership skills. Ready. Let's go.
Number one, holding the space. You might be like, what space? Shiny. What space am I holding? What does that mean? I know it may sound a bit weird and it is a bit weird because this concept is from the world of coaching. We call it holding the space because think about it now, the social scientist in me speaks. You know how we have this quantum field around us and there is this empty space. That space actually is not always empty. There is a lot going on in that empty space. We just don't see it. It's invisible. There are invisible forces.
So, when you hold the space for someone, it means that you allow them. You let them be whoever they are. You don't judge them. You don't criticize them. You don't tell them what to do. You don't approve them. You don't give ideas. You just allow them to be. Does that make sense? You just let them be so that they are free to choose. They are free to become. They are liberated. And you support them. This concept is actually coming from quantum physics. You know, there is something called double-slit experiment. You can Google it actually to find out what it is. It is the observer effect. When you hold the space for someone, when you observe someone, that activity of observing is actually creating reality. So just you holding the space means a lot. Just put it that way. Okay? This is an exceptional skill. It's not easy to do, but in time with practice, you are going to get exceptional at it and it is going to be phenomenal.
Number two, unshakable optimism. This is one of my favorite ones because I consider myself an unshakable optimist. Well, let's break it down into the components. Unshakable, optimism, unshakable, refers to the fact that no matter what happens, in times of crisis, in times of chaos, in times of struggles, challenges, problems, you are not shaken. You are strong, grounded, and solid. You are unshakable. You just might go, oops. And of course, you can go through some turbulence. That's okay. In the end, you come out strong because you are grounded. That unshakeability, if it is a word, is it a word? I guess that's the word now. It is. So that unshakeability is priceless. If you have that, it's gonna stay with you forever and nobody can take that away from you. And why is it an exceptional leadership skill? Because just like once Napoleon said, leaders are dealers in hope. So, you need to have hope. You need to give people hope. You need to give them optimism. You need to give them faith. Leaders may not be the ones with the most exceptional skills, but they are the ones with the highest level of faith.
Number three, intentionality. Well, here comes a fancy word, right? Intentionality means that you know what you're talking about, and you are clear with your intentions. You have clear goals. Clear outcomes. You can calculate risks, calculate possibilities, and you can analyze and choose the most effective strategies. When you are intentional, which means that you have thought about it. You have literally blocked the time to go through things, to calculate the risks and opportunities. And you are intentional, You are intentional with your actions, your intentional with your words, your tonality. Everything is intentional because intention is a force of nature and it's an exceptional leadership quality.
Last but not least, for consistency. Consistency means mental power because everybody can start something, but not everybody's gonna finish. You know what I'm talking about, right? Only exceptional leaders, only leaders with commitment, with heartfelt commitment, they are going to move forward, continue, commit, and finish and see that finish line. So, when I talk about consistency, I talk about a general consistency. Not only. Your personality, do you have it? Do you have the consistency? If you say something, you're gonna do it. Do people know you like that? Do you have consistency of your actions? Do you have consistency of your habits? Everything in general needs to be consistent for you to become an exceptional leader.
Made with love ❤️ for a better world with more love ❤️ and #ShinyMinds in it...
by Shiny Burcu Unsal
