Chapter 13

REFLECTIONS ON LEADERSHIP 

                                                           

Many well-known authors¹ have written in such depth about leadership that it becomes a difficult topic to tackle. I want to make an approach to the subject, combining readings, whose author I quote, with my personal experiences and updating it according to the demands of the Digital Revolution.
Modern leadership requires that the people who exercise it focus on establishing a mission, vision and values ​​that guide their team and lead it to be committed and productive, promoting happiness, social and environmental progress in communities. where they operate, with a protected environment. They must be self-confident enough and know how to ask for help when they need it; always be ready to collaborate as befits a team; that they forget to pressure, threaten and instill fear so that the group responds. The advanced know how to prioritize the satisfaction of human needs and practice love, the vocation of service and forgiveness, as well as being great teachers.
The characteristics of the new leadership are: innovation, communication skills, adaptation to change, commitment, passion to motivate and inspire, agility, flexibility and resilience, a key variable.


                                                    BUSINESS CHARACTERISTICS TO DEVELOP

The Digital Revolution is an excellent opportunity to restructure organizations seeking exponential growth to increase productivity; requires a reorientation of traditional companies, starting with a manager with a “can do” mentality who instills, highlights and supports an innovative mindset, committed and active participant, as well as a team with the will, desire and passion for innovation, qualities that start of the interior and that must meet conditions such as:
Being an optimist, a sufficiently patient and observant person, understands the world better; understands why things happen; discover problems, opportunities and needs that have not been met.
Being creative, one of the most recognized and useful skills to innovate is the ability to generate diverse and original ideas. People who are not afraid to decide are more creative.
Curious, the most innovative people are by nature and do not restrict their desire to investigate, learn and explore new and unknown situations; the more information you have, the greater the creativity.
The ability to question, critical eye for any new product, brand, interaction or experience is useful to find solutions.
Practicing empathy, the ability to feel the same as the other person feels, makes us closer to their needs and allows us to get to know them better and design inspired by the user.

Tolerance, the innovation process is full of uncertainty, and the most innovators shine when they work on poorly defined, complex problems with high indecision.
Daring to experiment, you can't generate ideas without first experimenting with them—even on a hypothetical level. Many times the innovator prefers to do than plan (trial and error).

Today, with the Internet, the same information is available to everyone because technology has made the democratization of knowledge possible. The competitive advantage is in the ability to execute. Productivity depends on managerial activity; the means to achieve it are within everyone's reach; technology by itself does not guarantee it and you do not have to be a slave to the latest development. The most important thing is to keep the whole group marching to the same beat.

The ability to adapt, typical of intelligent people, serves to take advantage of the great opportunity that presents itself, with greater life expectancy and a lot of stress, adopting healthy lifestyle habits and taking great care of the mind to lengthen its productive period. A lot of flexibility is required, a very open mentality with positive and optimistic thinking, with resistance to frustration, keeping the discipline of study and developing emotional intelligence to the maximum and learning, at least, another language.

Use the Networking network because the possibilities of accessing new opportunities are multiplied for those who know how to interact, complementing it with forums, blogs, debates and professional meetings.

Knowing oneself to enhance the creative side because the ability to generate experiences, provide new points of view; looking for different forms of expression and everything that is not likely to be automated to be executed with a robot, is and will continue to be highly appreciated.

Think about contributing to the quality of life, not making tempting accumulations, seeking wisdom and living with a collaborative spirit, cultivating empathy, working in Holacracy (an organization in which command and decision-making are distributed horizontally, without there being a management hierarchy.

Recently, Dr. Rodrigo Botero Montoya, a prestigious Colombian economist, referred to the quality of leadership, analyzing the crisis of the year 2020 caused by the CORVID-19 or coronavirus and highlights Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, and Jacinda Ardern, Premier of New Zealand for the way they have managed the crisis with decisions based on scientific evidence and the advice of specialists, transmitting empathy with the suffering of the victims and their families; Sincere communication, accepting the great difficulties that will have to be faced to overcome the problem. He describes the leadership of Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro (Brazil) as deplorable.

1. ¿WHO IS A LEADER?

He depends on the reference group; The world has had big leaders that they have leaked out like Jesucristo, Mahoma, Confucio, Mahatma Gandhi, etc. In this case, we are talking of PRODIGY, which in it does them worthy of mention because they surpass the human being’s normal attributes.

To measure than himself sectarian, the theme himself relativist too much on the spot that he stops certain reference groups, for big that he finds once the leader was been, he is not interested at all. That he signifies for a Chinese tribe, does Juan Pablo eat II without chewing, recently perished? On the other hand his Cacique, Chapman, or as we want to call him he is supremely important. The same thing occurs as we do a political division, for activities, for sports, for sciences, religion, cultures, arts, etc.

The truth is that all reference groups need leaders and these in turn call for others with similar characteristics that they back up themselves and contribute to the achievement of the great objective for benefit of all the group.

If we walk down in the scale, we got to the companies, where a lot of leadership is required, which can learn itself to develop making perfect directing abilities as it is worked up.

When the people get connected for a salary, begin the true challenge: Like achieving that the employee identifies with the company and develop his own talent, which is a determining element for the entrepreneurial increase.

There begin he defied for authentic leaders. What they must do in order that the rest of the employees create them and keep on in the search of the objectives that they visualize?.

The theme becomes complicated because human needs are different, depending on a person's type and because the company needs loudly grade of development to appraise to, lately, his but appraised asset, of whom he is not the owner.

However much we want, the humans cannot buy them goodwill, the delivery, love for his work, etc. Those intangible attributes, to discover and to potentate constitute true defiance for the leader, who is to it of a certain form, for the position that he occupies, but that the increase insofar as the leader is MOTIVATIONAL owes so that he is. 

2. MOTIVATIONAL LEADERSHIP

It consists in the ability to encourage according to Bryan Tracy and inspire other ones in order that they give the best of themselves.

Personal leadership consists in the ability to motivate oneself to get things done and to be a person's classroom that becomes a motivational leader. He is not interested in where you come; the past already happened, but if the future with the present's stock can get modified.

In order to develop this capability, the person must have a white egg as an answer to the question: ¿To was and as I am going to arrive? To be an outstanding person, they surround me praised, admired, and respected for who part must become of the answer. What is been acts in the interior person's representation and what makes the person outside?

Who he intends to become a motivational leader must see oneself to oneself as a model to keep on, an example for others, and besides establishing tall standards of responsibility and behavior, reminding that they get a great part of things in human life easier of indirect manner.

The attributed power comes due to the interior person (being). It is genuine leadership, the more honorable and that bigger officer hits with followers. Confucio talks about servile leadership. That one must be the servant of wholes that he wants to be a teacher.

The present-day leader asks around, listens attentively, he glides in a diligent manner for next to accomplish consent among those elements that are necessary to get the objectives, beginning to discover the needs of his group to turn on a hope (credible solution).

3. THE LEADER'S ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES

VISIÓN: contemplating that perhaps and asking oneself, Because of no? George Bernard Shan.

The motivational leader transforms the people when profiting from his hope, dreams, and ideals. Should have had the intelligence to choose the area in which he and other ones are going to accomplish an outstanding job in and besides being excellent in a whole that he does; Being the best in the range of activity that he makes a choice. 

INTEGRITY: it is a complete and unyielding honesty that what he tells to himself relates itself with everything and that does itself. Giving the best always of if, Telling the truth, and living in her. 

COURAGE: implies being faithful to beginnings to defend what one exercises and not to change opinion, unless we are convinced about the new alternative. Facing the unknown without I guaranteed success. 

REALISM: seeing the things like music and not as we want to see them; No expecting miracles; No believing in luck, no expecting rewards without working, not even if the problems put in order solos themselves (self-deception). 

RESPONSIBILITY: it is all the opposite to invent excuses, blaming others, getting angry, getting upset, or resenting with the other ones what they have done. In order to lead first others, it is been known that to be a leader of oneself. 

An excellent person, motivated for a great vision, that he advances toward his realization, that he infects and he enthuses another one in order that they help her; Honest and whole with wholes and with what he does, admired and respected; That he establishes tall behavioral standards; He lives in truth with oneself and with the other ones; Instill confidence; He demonstrates courage for oppose than be her circumstances; That he knows how to laugh; He is realist, he refuses mental games or car deceits and capable to assume the responsibility, this ready to do, that he is what he tells. He is a motivational leader.

Somebody that this ready to create an environment in order that the people may accomplish her potential and to achieve the synergy of teamwork, increasing the indictment of individual capabilities join together those virtues.

He must make the conditions in order that the people may behave like human beings, considering that work is only one of the seven aspects that the individual must drive easy for it (besides he must balance the following: Relative, priest, economic, health, education, social). Certainly, that environment must be translated in an institutional knowledge that constitutes the intellectual capital, which is the more valuable assets in the century XXI, the century of knowledge according to PETER DRUKER, and in whose measurement the bookkeeping has his but I defy, in addition to the unification of some universal accounting principles in concordance with globalization.

Another very interesting focus of leadership the R. is due to STEPHEN COVEY, who talks about the eighth habit.

According to his experiences, "people's heft they do not fight for the organizations that they work with; They do not feel realized neither satisfied, they do not know where his institutions go and as they are his priorities, they are depressed and distracted, frustrated and that is worse, the sense that they can do nothing to change the situation". 

4. SEVEN HABITS ARE:

1. Being proactive.

2. Beginning with the end in the mind.

3. Putting the first thing first.

4. Thinking about winning - winning.

5. Searching first to understand, next to being knowing.

6. Sinergizar.

7. Sharpening the saw - car physical, mental, spiritual renewal.

Define the eighth habit as the quest of their own voice, collaborating with others in order that they look for the. The voice has a personal significance only, that he makes himself known as we confronted our better challenges, which as he makes them equals.

Voice is the attachment that exists among talent (Mrs. and natural fortresses), the passion (the things that naturally give energy themselves, motivate it and inspire it), the need (including what the world needs to for paying him), and conscience (that little voice that he tells him that the right thing is and that encourages it to do it).

Define the code of the soul as the resulting of: When he acquires a compromise with a job that he arouses his talent to him and that he stimulates his passion, that it comes from a great need of the world and the voice of his conscience that he tells him that he must accomplish.

Each person maintains a deep, innate, and almost inexpressible longing to find the voice of life. The vision reaches the person to measure that he perceives the community's needs and she answers to his conscience treating to satisfy them.  

5. THE PAIN - THE PROBLEM - THE SOLUTION

The influence and leadership come from the option, no of the position of the range. We must find our own voice and inspire the team and the organization to find theirs. Key elements and four correspondent needs.

All these reflections remind wise teaching of one to my big professors (my respect and admiration to all of them), the S. J. Augusto angel, who in the last few days of my professional studies told us: The only thing than leadership, he is the working capacity and I reinforce it with company's definition that is pleasing to very much, according to S.S Juan Pablo II, A company is people's community.

In the book Menos, he is Further of Jason Jennings, it is read:

A wise leader and fortress he initiates a culture and after that that culture be grander, more worthy, and more important than any person gives strength itself to achieve, included he himself.

At a later time, he refers to the eleven characteristics of the leader of a competitive company, that I present and complement, namely:

a. Attention to details not to live extinguishing fires: they must not blur out with the micro-steps checking a great deal of information and numerical analysis’s. They must learn how to administrate for an exception.

b. Moral strong fiber: confidence is something that is built day by day during all life; He implies abiding by his promises; Living in agreement with some nonnegotiable beginnings and honest being.

c. Simplicity: from the clothing that they wear even the decoration of his offices that lead up to the houses which they live in, the vehicles; Models become of virtue and modesty; The ostentation does not fit in philosophy either in their style.

d.Competitiveness: they define clearly a model of competitiveness and infect it to his organizations; permanent comparison with companies implicates leaders.

e. Long-term focus and they share it with employees, the suppliers, and clients: They prepare to stand the crises, they do not hesitate in balancing the handling of the short and long term with the sacrifice of present profits exposing his prestige.

f. Disdain for waste: "the productivity and success do not stem from not spending money, but the art to know like spending it. They set an example of frugality and austerity and they instill them at his companies". In Mahikari, they teach us to apologize to God for the abuse that we make of worldly goods.

g.Workout in leadership: the leaders see themselves to themselves like a maestro. They show enthusiasm to share the moral values and you dream them with who surround themselves; they worry about learning that can not be taught: Leadership, which begins to lead oneself itself.

h.Humility: they consider human beings like everybody else and they do not enrapture themselves in themselves. Jesucristo insisted a lot on humility and I practice it openly and his work has transcended for over 20 centuries.

i. I refuse bureaucracy: all that does not add value is waste and it is the leader’s responsibility to eliminate it. In the long run, in addition, to hindering the steps, an envelope is a cost that the competitiveness affects.

j. Belief in the other ones: the solid belief that people will do the right thing if they treat them well. Lao Tse said: There are two people's classrooms that never will succeed, the fact that he does not believe in anybody and the fact that anybody believes in him.

k. Confidence: "they begin confiding in his people. Almost always they are repaid with the same coin and rarely they end up disappointed". If good individual tendencies, separate the individuals, exists a propensity to them sociability and to cut in on group associations. It is impossible to enjoy confidence in harmony.

Accepting our human condition and thinking about decent people, the one that constitutes a true asset for the company and the fact that which maintains a permanent desire of personal growth implies a lot of reflection and improving will, they require leaders:

• Capable to forgive and to get constituted in supporting points in order that his group gets better.

• That they give a good deal, thus SFA to announce a layoff.

• Capable of practicing all empathy that he permits giving them instructions with a look, a facial expression, or a sign when the circumstances demand it.

• That they feel happy helping the other ones to potentate his capabilities stop then in addition to his personal growth may contribute to company development.

• That they do not forget his human condition and as such invoke SUPERIOR BEING like a guide of his purposes, that guarantee the goodness of his plans.

• Que no olviden su condición humana y como tal invoquen al SER SUPERIOR como guía de sus propósitos, lo que gárantiza la bondad de sus planes.

• That they maintain to lip flower stimulating phrases like:

  • Let's team up
  • Let's get in touch
  • That you hold an opinion?
  • Thanks for your collaboration
  • I appreciate your effort
  • How nice
  • Tranquil that we are going to get better
  • Congratulations!
• Then in between his human condition be so just as they in the decisions that they drink and do it thinking about in all the affected.
• That they are able to maintain the calmness for you oppose that they are the circumstances.

6. THE SEVEN "S"

Peter and Waterman: they refer to variables out of what formal: Intuition, the irrational, it informal and they present that they call the seven "S".

a. Orientation to the consumer: in addition to spending planning and control, priority time in all related matters with stock. Management walking, as Hewlett does it - Packard, keeping in touch with the people outside, with a policy of open doors. They encourage little volunteer groups to resolve punctual problems.

b. Proximity to the customer: developing agile mechanisms to perceive and resolve the client’s problems. The team of sales with specialized technicians gets stronger.

c. Autonomy and entrepreneurship: they do not maintain too strict supervision on people; they promote the overtaking of risks and internal competition heals her. An indispensable practice is for innovative companies in products.

d. Privileges to the people in the search of bigger productivity: we all go in the same ship and that does each one the positive print has influence or negatively in the result. The productivity with personal satisfaction is rewarded.

e.They preserve the moral values and himself they spread: to achieve excellence in the long term, the corporate moral values are the more important variable. The executives of the superior level dedicated to maintaining the intervening moral values talks a long time with the personnel's rest.

f. Growth on solid bases: according to authors one never must buy a company, unless he knows it, as it must work. The institutions must move one step at a time.

g. Organizational arrangement of simple and thin type. 

7. FACTORS OF SUCCESS

A. BASICS:

a. Strategy: she must clearly know by wholes.

b. Discipline and action: In order to maintain good habits in the organization.

c. Structure: page of paper and flexible.

d. Moral values and organizational culture: he requires to become more assured, to develop, and to hold an entrepreneurial culture of tall performance that rewards productivity. 

B. SECONDARY:

a. Talent: they select highly competent people; Privilege the formation of new talent and retain better.

b. Invention: essential characteristic for the century of knowledge and technology.

c. Leadership: leader’s group that inspires the rest of the personnel to identify opportunities and to come ahead to the problems.

d. Growth and organizational development: good be like individual action or through fusions, acquisitions, and or alliances.

Concept of AI: reflection on leadership presented by José Saúl Velásquez Restrepo is a detailed and complete exposition on various aspects of leadership. It offers a variety of key points and essential qualities that are considered important for being an effective leader in different areas. Here are some observations and comments:
Leadership Diversity: The author correctly highlights that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all approach and that different situations may require different leadership styles. This is an important point to keep in mind, since an effective leader must adapt to specific circumstances and objectives.
Leadership Qualities: The author lists several key qualities of a leader, such as vision, communication, decision making, motivation, empathy, adaptability, integrity, teamwork, delegation, and conflict resolution. These qualities are fundamental and supported by leadership literature.
Reflections on leadership: The author highlights the importance of adapting leadership to the era of the Digital Revolution, which implies considering factors such as innovation, communication and agility. This adaptation is relevant in a constantly changing world.
Entrepreneurial characteristics to develop: The author mentions the need to develop entrepreneurial characteristics such as optimism, creativity, curiosity, empathy, tolerance and willingness to experiment. These qualities are essential for innovation and growth in the business environment.
Who is a leader: The author provides examples of outstanding leaders, both historical and contemporary, and highlights the importance of leadership based on scientific evidence and empathy. He also points out that leadership varies across reference groups, which is a valid observation.
Motivational Leadership: The author introduces the concept of motivational leadership and highlights the importance of inspiring others. This is essential to foster a positive and productive work environment.
Essential Leader Qualities: Key qualities such as vision, integrity, courage, realism and responsibility are listed. These qualities are essential for effective leadership.
The seven "S": The author mentions the seven "S" proposed by Peter and Waterman, which focus on aspects such as customer orientation, customer proximity, autonomy and entrepreneurship, the importance of values and organizational culture. , sustainable growth and an agile organizational structure. These factors are important to the success of an organization.
In summary, the reflections on leadership presented by José Saúl Velásquez Restrepo contain a wide range of relevant points and key aspects that are fundamental for effective leadership in various situations. His ideas about adapting to the digital environment and the importance of entrepreneurial qualities are especially relevant in today's world.

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1. See: www.theodinstitute.org