Overview: This long article talks about how you can minimize the resistance from your audience when teaching leadership or leading a group. How can you come across as "qualified" in the eyes of the audience? The author argues that it is all about gaining trust. This can be especially interesting for people who are currently guest speakers, executives who deliver presentations to their staff members, or simply anyone interested in public speaking.
Key Lessons:
- We learn to lead through the experience of leading and following.
- If you embrace different perspectives and values, your audience will learn more deeply from you and make the most out of their learning experience. Your ability to maximize their return on experience comes before your qualifications or work history as a lecturer.
- The audience always wonders how trustworthy the lecturer is. Trust likely decreases when 1) the lecturer seems less familiar 2) the lecturer does not prove that he understands or values the concerns and aspirations of the audience 3) the lecturer does not take the views of the audience into account.
- If you are a lecturer or presenter, you must accept the fact that there will often be skepticism (mistrust with curiosity) and cynicism (preconceived rejection). In order to overcome these, it is critical for you to establish the audience's trust as soon as you see an opening.
- In my opinion, you should focus less on your history, past work experience or names of fancy executives whom you met. Rather, you should explain to the audience in detail how you plan on enriching their knowledge and maximizing their learning experience in the given time that you have. If you show that you truly care about their needs and learning experience, you will gain their trust a lot quicker.
Article: http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/who_can_teach_leadership.html
Overview: In this short article, the author goes over 3 leadership traits which always stand out. They are discussed below.
Key Lessons:
- 1) Trust: If your team members realize that you trust them unconditionally, they will feel empowered. This often leads to innovation, risk-taking attitude, and higher morale.
- 2) Empathy: If your team members see that you truly care about them and their feelings, they will more likely enjoy their work. This often leads to a more connected office environment and higher productivity.
- 3) Mentorship: If your team members realize that they have a mentor that they could rely on, they will feel more confident and secure about themselves. Once they see you as their mentor, they will find it easy to talk to you and approach you. This often leads to better teamwork and motivated employees.
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