It is often said that if you want to become a leader, first you need to think like a leader. What does that mean?
Leaders think about future; they think not about themselves, but about the welfare the team; they think about possibilities; leaders think about making things happen.
When I was interacting recently about the above thoughts, one senior person asked me:
“It is good to understand what leadership thinking is all about; however, how to develop such ability to think like a leader?”
My answer was not a straight one; instead, it included some questions:
- Firstly ask yourself if you are too caught up in operational matters of your role. If it is so, then you need to go beyond the immediate and connect with the broader environment. Develop a habit of reading beyond your operational relevance yet connected to your industry.
- Secondly, study your own organization’s strategy; how is your organization planning to grow? Understanding on this will trigger some more ideas and help you think like a leader, which may reset the direction.
- Thirdly, you need to reconsider your network; whom you interact with matters and it influences your thinking. If you wish to learn to think like a leader, you need to connect with such leaders and understand from their thinking!
Author: Dr. Raj
CEO, HR Footprints
Follow Dr. Raj on twitter @drraj29
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