All organisations are made up of talented individuals with a variety of different skills. From IT wizards to super talented creatives, scientific genius’ to standout salespeople; everyone comes with their speciality skillset.
Unfortunately, even the smartest individuals with advanced skills and great achievements can find their career coming to an abrupt halt for no apparent reason.
So, what could be the reason for hitting a metaphorical wall in your career aspirations?
One factor could be due to the way your brain functions: the way it’s ‘wired’.
We already know the left side of the brain performs tasks that have to do with logic; for example, when doing your accounts, mapping out a system process or other practical task, and that the right hemisphere controls anything related to creativity and the arts.
But what is less well known, is that the right side of our brain also controls the emotional part of our psyche – the one that helps us connect with and respond to other people.
Let’s dive in and take a look at how this works, and why it might be hampering your chances of getting that next role.
When you start your career, your left brain is in charge. This area provides the technical skills you need to get on the career ladder and progress to achieve your goals – your proficiency in a chosen field is what will enable you to make that move forward.
After a while, you need to develop other areas of the brain, and specifically, the section that manages crucial people skills – the one that will help you influence and connect with those around you who can help aid your goals and aspirations – to enable you to develop your leadership capability.
Developing your right brain skills will make you a more competent, well-rounded leader. As well as having the know-how to do your job practically, harnessing right–brain skills will make you more empathic, resilient and curious as a leader; all skills that will help you grow, succeed and unlock your full potential.
So, what are the main advantages of engaging your right brain skills in a way that enables you to stand out? All of the below are keys to continuous success:
Staying Curious
Curious leaders achieve more – and that is a fact!
Curiosity is one of those essential ingredients to success – it is the secret ingredient that drives an individual to learn more, seek out new opportunity and continuously look for an improved, better way to do things.
Staying curious means leaving your comfort zone and grasping change as an opportunity. It means being willing to embrace lifelong learning and having the desire to invest time and energy into exploring innovative and diverse options to challenges.
This willingness to embrace change leads me to the next advantage.
Having Courage
A truly courageous leader doesn’t rest on their laurels; they challenge the status quo.
A willingness to speak out and address problems will enable you to lead your team successfully forward, even through difficult times. Courage will give you the drive to try new things without fear of failure, seeing unsuccessful outcomes as a growth and learning process.
Being confident in your decision making is essential to courageous leaders, and not only will the knowledge of your courage give you inner strength; it will inspire those around you too.
Being Inspirational
Which leads us to inspirational behaviour. The ability to motivate others should never be underestimated. It’s no use being exceptionally good at something if you can’t inspire or persuade others it’s a good idea.
We all remember that teacher at school who motivated us the most – maybe they took the time to explain something we were struggling with or were so passionate about their subject that we fell in love with it too.
Inspirational leaders unlock potential in their team and foster engagement.
Remaining Confident
To be seen as a good leader, you need to remain positive, confident and develop your resilience.
Easier said than done in the face of adversity, of course. But without confidence in yourself, your abilities and your goals, you could find your career stalling.
Confidence is not just reflected in your plans and ambitions – confidence means having the courage to admit when you are wrong. For example, if you implemented an idea that just isn’t working, it takes courage to be willing to change and try a different approach.
Developing Relationships
The ability to build links, connect and nurture relationships is critical to good leadership.
Your career will not progress unless you relate to others, sharing experiences and knowledge, and growing together as a supportive team.
It’s critical to build links, and not just with influencers who can help you achieve the next step on the career ladder. The best leaders know it’s essential to talk to your team too.
So, leave your office, talk to colleagues and learn about them as individuals. Take time to discover their motivations, ambitions and ideas. Get your employees involved and make sure to inspire them and you will see them grow, be excited and prepared to take on new and more challenging tasks.
Developing relationships will help you see things from other points of view, gain new insights and help you take the next move forward in your career.
So, if you think your career is in danger of stalling – think about how you could develop more right–brain skills to help you stretch to new possibilities and opportunities.
Engaging some simple strategies could help develop your leadership style for the better and see you climb the career ladder to achieve your goals.
Thanks,
Tom Hallett
About Excel Communications
LEARN, GROW, SUCCEED
Excel Communications is a learning and development consultancy based near London in the UK. For more than 30 years we have been collaborating with clients across the globe.
Partnering with Excel empowers you to evolve your people and business, by fuelling a love for learning.
We work with you to create unforgettable, customised learning experiences to achieve your vision of success and growth, with tangible results.
We have a team of expert trainers delivering programmes across five continents in multiple languages. Call us now on +44 (0) 1628 488 854.
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