What Are The 3 Pillars Of Leadership?
Michele Robinson
The business world is changing and business leadership skills are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity. Leadership development is the hottest business topic right now, and for good reason — leaders today need to be able to do much more than just manage teams. In this post, we'll cover what the 3 Pillars of Leadership are as well as one bonus pillar that's worth diving into.
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Awareness
The business world is changing rapidly, and the ability to stay ahead of the curve has never been more important. Business leaders need to be aware of this change in order to successfully navigate these new challenges on a daily basis.
Being aware means being self-aware — that's where mindfulness comes into play. Mindfulness refers to taking time each day for self-reflection, observation, and introspection. Leaders need to be aware of their own mental models that influence how they see the business world around them.
Awareness also means observing your team members — being open to seeing what is really going on with them so you can support their success in a meaningful way. This requires empathy, compassion, and understanding.
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Mindset
As business leaders, we talk a lot about change management. As business models become obsolete and new technologies emerge, it's essential to be able to welcome these changes with open arms rather than resisting them out of fear or uncertainty. This requires the right mindset — having an adaptive mindset that allows you to see opportunities for innovation where others may not notice them.
Leaders with a growth mindset are also more likely to be successful in the long run. A growth mindset is a belief that intelligence and abilities can be developed over time, as opposed to being static. Leaders with a growth mindset are constantly learning and pushing themselves outside of their comfort zone in order to grow.
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Values
This pillar is the foundation for business leadership. Values are at the heart of everything you do as a business leader, and they're what guide your decision-making process every day. Leaders need to be able to identify their own values in order to effectively communicate them throughout their organization. This requires self-honesty, courage, and integrity on an ongoing basis.
Every business decision you make should align with who you are as a person and your business values. Leaders need to be able to communicate these in order to maintain alignment throughout their organization, particularly if they're growing quickly or have employees working remotely.
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Bonus Pillar: Goal-Setting
There's one more pillar that business leaders should be aware of, and it has to do with business goals. Every business leader knows the value of goal-setting — setting SMART business goals is essential for success in any organization. But achieving a business goal requires an additional step: you need to visualize what your achievement will look like before you get there.
Visualizing business goals enables you to see the endgame, which is key for inspiring others and sharing your vision of success with them. When business leaders visualize their business goal they can anticipate any challenges that may arise along the way in order to plan accordingly. This requires creativity and critical thinking skills on an ongoing basis.