For those entering their first experience in leadership, the idea can be an intimidating one. Feeling a bit of stress and anxiety is normal, but there are questions you can ask yourself to determine if you’re ready to take on (and succeed with) compassionate leadership. At Technalink, we understand the unsureness that can pass through our employees’ minds when they become a first-time leader, so we encourage them to ask themselves:
- Are you respected by your colleagues? – Professional respect is a sure sign that you’re ready to try compassionate leadership. This doesn’t refer to personal respect, or how well you get along personally with colleagues, but how you’ve built a name for yourself through your accomplishments in your chosen field. Do your colleagues come to you for brainstorming sessions? To ask your opinion? For advice? If they do, you’re already leading, even if on a smaller scale.
- Have you put in the active listening work? – Active listening is a huge part of compassionate leadership. In order to connect, understand, and build relationships with your team, you must truly understand where they’re coming from, and they must feel heard while having a conversation with you. If listening authentically during communication with your team comes naturally to you, you’ve already done a great deal of the leadership preparation work.
- Does criticism make you uncomfortable? – In order to be an effective compassionate leader, you must be able to accept that you’ll get feedback from your team, other teams, and other professionals. If you’re able to take these criticisms and use them constructively, rather than taking them personally, you’ve taken a huge step forward in your ability to effectively lead.
- Are you able to handle changes as they come? – A compassionate leader knows how to think on their feet, and they thrive when faced with the unknown. There may come times when you must steer your team in a different direction at a moment’s notice, and learning how to enjoy these moments, learn from them, and find lessons in mistakes and successes is the mark of great soulful leadership.
Whether it’s a new leadership position, or any new situation, the unknown can be uncomfortable or downright scary. Asking yourself honest questions, and providing yourself with honest answers, can help to ease these anxieties in a realistic and effective way. Every leader has to start somewhere, and mistakes will be made. It’s how you learn from those mistakes and where you allow your journey to take you that really matters.
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