A thought by John Townsend from his
book, Leading From Your Gut (p. 50). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click
on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
I’ve heard that and I’m sure
you have too but is it right?
John says, “Thinkers are known for
their logical and data-driven take on the world. Feelers are likely to be seen
as emotionally and relationally intelligent. Although these characterizations
can certainly be true and helpful in some ways, identifying yourself as
exclusively one or the other isn’t an asset when it comes to leadership. In
fact, it’s actually a deficit. Neurologically, human beings are not designed to
be thinkers or feelers, but thinkers and feelers. While everyone has a
preference and tends to lean more toward one or the other, leaders who identify
themselves and behave as either thinkers or feelers aren’t operating at their
full capacity.”
He goes on, “The reality is that your heart has a brain, and your mind has a gut. Whatever your preference may be, you don’t have
the option to ignore the other one, or—and this is a leadership disease—to
delegate it to someone else. The best leaders integrate their thinking: they
develop and rely on both their heart and their mind.”
John also says, “Good leaders place a
high value on thinking clearly and well. Most spend a great deal of time
thinking, in all sorts of contexts. Sometimes it is alone in a room, reflecting.
Sometimes it is in a decision-making meeting with colleagues. Sometimes it is
an instant, under-the-gun process. But thinking is critical.
“Thinking is an internal activity.
When you consider whether or not one of your direct reports is in the right
place for her talents, you are thinking. When you shift resources to a
different area in the marketplace, that is thinking as well. When you consider
what study materials to use with your small group in the next quarter, that is
thinking. Just as with your values, your thoughts are part of what it takes to
be a leader who looks inside and finds many things that are needed in order to
achieve the best results.”
He then says, “… thinking—the
reasoning part of your life and leadership—is critical and central to your
work. That is why leading with intuition also includes reason. You learn about
your mind by using your mind. The apparatus you are working with is also what
you are observing. The apparatus you are observing is also the apparatus you
are observing it with! I say this not as a matter of trivia but because I want
you to be aware that your thoughts aren’t always the right thoughts because
your mind is fallible. I see too many leaders who never question their thoughts
or their mental tendencies and quirks, and their leadership suffers. So be
aware that your mind can make mistakes—not just in the decisions it makes but
in the way it actually makes those decisions. The more you know about your
thinking patterns, the better equipped you are to lead well.”
And that is what we want, we want to be
equipped to lead well, don’t we?
Comments
Post a Comment