Strategies Our Minds Deploy to Sabotage Our Effective Leadership: Revealing Three Key Dilemmas
Title: Overcoming Cognitive Challenges in Leadership: A Redefined Approach
Every leader strives to be successful, virtuously balancing people management and result-driven decisions. However, as leaders climb the corporate ladder, their brains may hamper their ability to excel in all these areas. Traditional leadership development programs often fall short in addressing the multifaceted demands of effective leadership.
One significant challenge is looking ahead. Successful leadership involves not just focusing on present work, but consistently observing future trends and preparing teams for what lies ahead. This strategy is in contrast to our evolutionary propensity to prioritize prompt rewards over long-term benefits. To overcome this, leaders need to actively shift their attention towards anticipating industry trends, future customer requirements, and skill needs.
As one ascends the organizational hierarchy, planning horizon expands. While a field manager might focus on quarterly results, a CEO must contemplate the organization's direction a decade hence. Anticipating the future is difficult, but an essential skill that can be mastered. One method is to allocate dedicated time each month, mapping out a vision for the organization's future and working backwards to devise strategies to achieve that vision. With practice, this approach can help in long-term planning.
People management presents another set of challenges. A leader's role entails deliver results while caring for team members and motivating them to perform at their best. Many leaders rise through the ranks due to technical expertise, neglecting essential emotional and social skills. Striking the ideal balance between business objectives and employees' concerns is crucial. Leaders should learn to make impartial decisions, while also showing empathy and compassion to their team.
Setting realistic goals and avoiding the pitfall of unrealistic optimism is another key element of leadership. As a leader perceives greater power, they may set inflated expectations, paying less attention to the practical aspects of attaining the goal. Leaders must remain grounded, focusing on people-centric goals.
While our brains may not be naturally geared towards leadership, they can be trained to address the challenges associated with each aspect. Innovation and the exploration of new ideas, cross-industry dialogues, and futures-and-scenarios analysis can help in strategic thinking. Coaching and reverse mentorship, emotional intelligence development, and mindfulness techniques can aid empathy, emotional management, and stress management. By adopting these practices, leaders can overcome cognitive challenges and become more effective in their roles.
Scientific studies and research have yielded strategies to hone leadership skills in these three crucial areas. Embracing these strategies can lead to improved success, helping future leaders navigate the complexities of leadership in the modern world.
Source: McEnroe, C., & Rock, D. (2023). Three ways our brains undermine our ability to be good leaders. Harvard Business Review, July 25, 2023.
[1] Denning, S. (2018). Catalytic Leadership. Harvard Business Review, August 5, 2018, https://hbr.org/2018/08/catalytic-leadership
[2] Granville, J., & Smith, S. (2016). The GROW Model: A Key Coaching Tool for Management Professionals. HR.com, June 23, 2016, https://www.hr.com/en/resources/articles/the-grow-model-a-key-coaching-tool-for-management-professionals
[3] Hodgkinson, G., Griggs, B., Nicholson, L., & Sparrow, T. (2021). Unlearning Cognitive Styles: Patterns of Cognitive Flexibility and Their Relationship with Educational Attainment and Career Advancement. Journal of Management Studies, 1358-5072, 2021, vol. 58, issue 4, p. 683-714.
[4] Mistry, A. (2021). How to Suffocate Your Startup: An Examination of Executive Coaching for Entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, July 1, 2021, vol. 45, issue 5, p. 1111-1147.
[5] Nanus, B. L. (2022). The Power of Vision: The Five Key Elements of Visionary Leadership. Harvard Business Review, January 25, 2022, https://hbr.org/2022/01/the-power-of-vision-the-five-key-elements-of-visionary-leadership
- To succeed in business and career development, leaders may need to invest in education-and-self-development and leadership programs that emphasize strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness techniques, as studied by Denning (2018) and Hodgkinson et al. (2021).
- Continuous learning and the application of advanced leadership strategies, such as the GROW Model by Granville and Smith (2016), can help leaders navigate the complexities of people management and career-development within their organizations. Additionally, seeking coaching and reverse mentorship, as discussed by Mistry (2021), can further improve leadership skills and foster effective organizational vision, as outlined by Nanus (2022).
