Modern Business Magazine January 2016 | Page 13

MODERN LEADERSHIP understands what signals, cues, impressions and perceptions they personally give off - only then will they become more attuned to the reasons behind behaviours, reactions and responses in others. The more attuned a person becomes to their own behaviour, the more effective they will be at analysing, trend spotting and pattern identification of these in others. Tip 2 – Master Self Management. The ability to override emotions, feelings and reactions which interfere with getting the job done - or undermine relationships. Often the trait that distinguishes an emotionally intelligent person from another. This characteristic requires mental strength to reign in emotions – which enables a person to remain rational in order to make better decisions and solve problems. This skill also enables a person to anticipate tricky situations ahead of time - and subsequently prepare for them reducing knee jerk emotional responses which drive down productivity and moral. Tip 3 - Activate Your Intuition Skills. This skill is essential for innovation and creativity and in understanding people - and therefore essential to business sustainability. Most people believe that intuition is a trait - that you either have a predisposition for or not; you were born with it – or not. However intuition more often than not is a result of data analysis, pattern and trend spotting and rational and logical thinking – not a gut feeling - although this does come into it too. Intuition is an aptitude that simply requires a deeper consciousness of what is really going on around you and why. To activate simply start tuning in more by listening, observing and being more curious as to why people do the things they do and behave the way they do! Tip 4 - Understand the Role of Mindsets. As a business owner and leader you must understand the impact of mindset on performance. In simple terms a mindset is “a way of thinking that determines a person’s behaviour, outlook and attitude”. As the owner or leader of a business you are the most influential person in driving the high performance mindset of your team. You must consciously and purposefully choose behaviours, actions and activities which directly influence how your people think and feel about the business - and about you as their leader. Remember the quality of their mindsets are a direct reflection of yours. That’s the truth and there’s often nothing warm and fuzzy about that! Anna-Lucia is an award winning educator, speaker and writer in the fields of management and education and is the autho