The Fog of Reform by Goens George A.;

Author:Goens, George A.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Listening Actively

To lead, leaders must know themselves. They must understand their intentions, their fears, and their needs. Otherwise, they are simply playing a role in deference to others. A leader’s “being” speaks louder than his or her “doings.” Authenticity comes not from titles and roles, but from internal character and understanding.

Being reflective is important for leaders. They must review the past and their experience. Self-understanding and reflection is necessary for leaders to create a vision and lead into the future.

Reflection requires listening on a number of different levels.[6] First, leaders must listen to the echoes of the past and use what they learn to evaluate and synthesize current issues and events. The present, however, is not a clone of the past. Other things are necessary.

The present challenges leaders to examine the issues and reconfirm or discount prior—“old”—judgments and opinions, ensuring that they do not live in the past or pursue tried-but-not-true approaches. Without this, leaders can blindly move into a morass of difficulty based on being married to former times.

Leaders must also listen to outsiders with an open mind. Noticing differences between today and the past “good old days” liberates thinking. An open mind is not stuck in the past, nor is it a prisoner to experience. Current forces and issues should unlock new analyses, opportunities, and direction—if there is openness to the present.

In all of this, quality leaders are empathetic and try to see through the eyes of others. Lack of empathy can exacerbate a difficult and destructive position and cause false analyses through analyzing the situation with wrongheaded statistics.

Too many times scientific managers look at data and discount the underlying feelings and emotions in what is happening and emerging. Leaders must lead from within: examining the role that emotion plays in events and responses.

Leadership vision really comes from using knowledge, emotional understanding, and intuition to connect with what is becoming manifest in the future. Sensing the shifts that are taking place is necessary in order to let go of old ideas and allow new ones to blossom.

Listening is not a passive activity. Though it may not be physically active, it is anything but passive within our hearts and minds. New ideas coupled with valid ones from the past generate new perspectives and allow us to come together with a fresh vision congruent with our moral imperative.

Leaders lead with the head and heart and will to make a difference and be successful in an emerging future.[7] This includes operating not from a hierarchical or market-driven approach, but through networks and collaborative systems so that new solutions that serve the common good can be created.

Many perceive leadership as a matter of control and power. Others see power as the energy of potential, commitment, and thought. Relationships, not processes, spur creativity and help people fulfill themselves at work. Relationships that capture people’s passion for great causes and commitment are a true act of leadership.

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