AFTER two decades of coaching leaders and developing himself in the process, Marcel Schwantes has learned a key lesson: Leadership isn’t a destination. It is an ever-evolving process of learning and growing.
‘The best leaders never stop evolving,’ he says in an article in Fast Company.
You prove your leadership ‘when your patience is tested, your humility is questioned, and your self-awareness is the difference between escalating a conflict and or inspiring a breakthrough.’
As communicators, these are valuable lessons for us. Here, he shares with us four lessons every great leader eventually learns in Want to be a better leader? Master These Skills.
1.Humility is a strength
While humility is often mistaken for weakness, groundbreaking research tells another story. Bradley Owens and David Hekman found that humble leaders don’t assume that success is guaranteed.
Instead, they test their progress, revise plans, and seek feedback. They empower others to take initiative and celebrate team wins over personal credit.
Far from soft, humility gives leaders flexibility and strength, says Schwantes. They avoid reacting from ego or abusing power, and instead lead from integrity, self-control, and emotional intelligence.
2.Great leaders learn from others
‘Strong leaders know they don’t know it all,’ says Schwantes. ‘They constantly seek wisdom from others and expand their perspective beyond their own experience.’
They remain lifelong students. Remember the saying: If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
3.Patience gives you an edge
Research shows that patient people make more progress toward tough goals, feel more satisfied when they achieve them. They also experience less stress and depression.
‘Humility is one of leadership’s most underrated strengths,’ says Schwantes.
He notes that impatient leaders tend to jump to conclusions and act impulsively. Patient leaders, by contrast, are steady and rational. In conflict, they listen first, respond calmly, and diffuse tension. That kind of presence builds trust and teams and resilience in teams.
4.Self-awareness is nonnegotiable
In a study reported by Harvard Business Review, teams with less aware team members made worse decisions, coordinated poorly, and struggled with conflict compared with teams led by self-aware individuals.
Self-awareness, after all, is the foundation of emotional intelligence. Leaders who cultivate it see the bigger picture, regulate emotions, and empathize with others.
As emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman put it:
‘If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand, if you don’t have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can’t have empathy, have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going very far.’
In short, ‘keep climbing. Keep growing. The best leaders aren’t identified by the peak they’ve reached, but by their willingness to take the next step.’
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the United Kingdom-based International Public Relations Association (IPRA), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the Senior Vice President for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the former local chair.