Leadership and Healthy Messages
Leaders play a special role in the lives of others. Think of some of the most influential leaders you’ve encountered in your life. There are a number of skills and qualities they could have possessed that appealed to you, whether they were fearless, experts in their field, great communicators, or immensely selfless, among other attributes. One thing is for sure — they made a positive impact, one that left a lasting impression and/or contributed to growth and change.
The Faces of Leadership
Leadership, according to Merriam-Webster, is defined as the office or position of a leader; the capacity to lead; or the act or an instance of leading. This shows the width and breadth of leadership, whether one is filling a formal leadership role or taking the initiative to lead at home, work, or within their community. Some of the most influential leaders that might come to mind were not tasked to lead but felt compelled to in order to address an issue or meet a need. It’s important to not discredit the influence we can all have in our lives and work every day. Maybe this is you. Or perhaps you don’t see how you influence others at all. Consider your “sphere of influence,” personally and professionally, and the areas where you can make a positive contribution or effect change.
Challenges and Misuses or Abuses of Power
In addition to the leaders we remember fondly, we’ve all likely encountered leaders who, unfortunately, have stood out for not-so-good reasons. There are individuals who might serve in a leadership role due to their knowledge of a certain area, even “seniority,” but lack some of the skills and/or qualities that would make them better leaders. Some of these leaders are largely not good at working with people, and exhibit negative behaviors, such as placing blame or pointing the finger, being overly critical or putting others down, miscommunicating, and/or abusing their power, to name a few.
Oftentimes, we lack awareness of the power or influence we can have on others. Whether providing pertinent information to a group of people, giving someone advice on how to handle an issue, or posting a message on social media, it’s important to think about the impact it might have on others. This isn’t to say that one should be so cautious that they end up not sharing what might be necessary. On the other hand, within the larger society where it’s easy to share information, including potentially thoughtless or inconsiderate opinions and criticism, and just as easy to be criticized for doing the opposite, it’s crucial to keep the tenets of healthy messaging in mind. A healthy message 1. serves an intended purpose, fosters growth, and/or brings about positive change, for yourself and others, and 2. is clear and consistent, aligned with values and goals, and contributes to organizational objectives, if applicable.
Key Leadership Skills
In whatever capacity you lead or influence others, it’s always worthwhile to develop or refine skills that improve your impact. The International Institue for Management Development (IMD) noted eight key leadership skills you need to know in 2024, including:
Relationship building — the foundation of a high-performing team.
Agility and adaptability — staying at the cutting edge as a leader.
Innovation and creativity — learning to push your boundaries.
Employee motivation — improving engagement and efficiency.
Decision-making — leading with conviction.
Conflict management — keeping the peace.
Negotiation — winning the game.
Critical thinking — understanding the links between ideas.
Do you consider yourself a leader, and if so, what makes your leadership or influence beneficial to others? If you don’t consider yourself a leader or question your influence on others, why is that? This writing provides a high-level overview of leadership and healthy messages. To explore these and other topics more, please view current and upcoming writings, and feel free to share a comment. Request a free consultation to get started with services and reach out if interested in partnering.
Healthy Messages™ provides professional consulting services for the growth and positive change of individuals, leaders, and organizations around areas of service. Whether you’re a professional seeking to develop new skills, a leader or business owner wanting to see positive change across systems, or either in need of direct writing support or a partner to simply walk with and advise you along the journey, there are many ways to create healthy messages. Learn more about Healthy Messages™’ mission, vision, and outcomes.
