They say that the habit makes the monk. Deducing in this case that habit refers to clothing, suit, garment or garment.
I would say that habit makes the leader. But the habit understood as practice or routine.
All the postulates, theories, paradigms and techniques that we know are useless if they do not become a habit. And this is achieved through practice, dedication and effort.
But to achieve this, something more is needed. A deep knowledge of oneself, confidence and above all, the desire and desire to put what they have learned into practice. Being constant and persevering in our desire to perfect and improve as leaders but above all, as people. Putting the interests of the team before ours.
We all know, even first-hand, colleagues who have attended countless courses and seminars on leadership, team management, or managerial skills. Without doubting the effectiveness of these courses, how long do we apply what we have learned? What impact does it have on the organization? How will it benefit our employees?
For some, it's just a fad. They try for a few days, but in some cases they quit halfway. Others persevere, put into practice, improve, rehearse and refine, polish, retouch and correct without ceasing. Only then will they achieve the desired effect.
As you know, commanding is easy. Leading is something else.
A degree is not a guarantee of anything and less when it comes to modifying behaviors, or generating new habits and skills related to effective management.
The first step to apply what they teach us is to know ourselves well. Do you think you know yourself in depth? Do you know what your weaknesses and strengths are? Do you consider yourself exemplary as a command or leader?
“If you know others and you know yourself, not in a hundred battles will you be in danger; If you don't know others, but you know yourself, you will lose one battle and win another; if you don't know others or yourself, you will be in danger in every battle. (SUN TZU)"
Knowing ourselves in depth will help us adapt the techniques and principles learned to our command style. Obviously we are not robots that can be programmed into a course or seminar and we are ready for battle. Each individual is different and so is their way of applying the teachings received. Sometimes common sense is easier than technique.
They say leaders can change the world. Maybe it's true, I don't doubt it. But the true revolution must begin with ourselves, infecting each and every one of our collaborators as if it were a plague.
It is in this sense that we must be revolutionaries. Stimulating, provoking and executing change. First in us as individuals and then in the people around us. The domino effect.
I have been fortunate to be able to train and train a good number of managers and middle managers for more than ten years and the main difficulty we encounter is to achieve a lasting change in habits or customs.
Many of my students show a real interest in improving their skills as managers and this is reflected during the first weeks of the course, sharing with classmates and teachers their experience in applying the principles learned in class. But how long will this interest last? Will they continue to apply, improve, and hone their skills? That, we can hardly know unless we carry out a follow-up after the completion of the course. That stage only depends on you.
If it were that easy, the world would be littered with true leaders and not bosses.
Whatever we set out to do, with proper training we can make it a habit.
Theories emerge, or at least they should be, out of practice. From the analysis and study of people who have managed to make leadership an art. And as art, at the service of your team, organization and clients. But of what use are all theories of direction and leadership if they are not put into operation? The answer is obvious.
Build your own theories if you want. Hone your skills. Take advantage of the knowledge of the experts. Adapt the theories to your own business reality.
Most of you probably work in small and medium-sized companies whose financial, material and personal resources are unlimited. We cannot apply what many books teach us. So we have the team we have and the only thing we can do in some cases is polish a group of individuals into a high performance team. And that is already a success if we get it.
True leaders achieve the famous “school of fish” effect on their teams. Everyone works in the same direction, synchronized and reacts to changes in the same way, making it difficult to identify who was the first to initiate the movement.
Be revolutionary. Bring about change from above. Be tenacious and constant and the rest will follow. You are responsible for facilitating adaptation to change. Be visionary. For that, they are also paid.
Do not lose heart in your purposes because only the tenacious and persevering achieve it. The rest stay on the road lamenting or blaming others.
Of course, being an efficient leader does not guarantee the success of a company, but it certainly helps.
The famous globalization and the speed with which changes and innovations take place force us to train and recycle ourselves continuously trying to achieve a perfect balance between skills, technical knowledge and interpersonal skills. Natural selection applied to the company does the rest. Only the best manage to stand out and prevail.
As some famous guru said, now it is not the great who eat the little ones, it is the fast ones who eat the slow ones. (Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton).
We must be quick to anticipate and detect trends. In causing changes instead of being mere spectators and in breaking the rules if necessary.
Being revolutionary as managers or leaders implies producing deep and lasting changes. Do not settle for what is established. See things from another perspective. Be creative. Continually asking ourselves questions and finding the answers. Observe our surroundings from a certain distance and be objective. Not doing things because they have always been done that way or because it is the custom.
And remember. Any change they make, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, has its consequences. It is the sum of small changes that produces true lasting results. The important thing is to be able to provoke them.
My appreciation to all those people who, perhaps like you, have a deep and sincere desire to improve and learn every day and what is more important, share their knowledge with others.
