OPINION
The self-development process at Aalto EE aims to measurably contribute to participants’ wellbeing and ability to reach their potential. Through targeting the development of so-called soft skills, we bolster their hard skills. Leaders are individuals and their personal progression is a holistic journey. When it comes to learning new competencies, no matter whether they lean more towards the technical or emotional side of the aisle, I believe the rising tide lifts all ships. Transferable skills Not all participants that come through the course see the point straight away. Sometimes, they can be cynical about the usefulness of working on this aspect of themselves. They soon start to see the benefits, however, once they reflect on the applicability of being able to more constructively self-reflect and empathise with teammates. There is a reason that soft skills are also called transferable skills; they are as relevant to engineers and lawyers as they are to politicians and CEOs. A growing number of organisations are starting to realise the advantages of investing in their people. Personal development should ideally be happening constantly and at all levels. Not only does it boost productivity, it also gives companies a competitive edge in recruiting young talent. “The younger generations shun the stone-age style of leadership. They are not willing to work for an organisation that doesn’t let them grow as human beings,” comments Lange. Indeed, attitudes have changed starkly in recent
In contrast, low self-awareness prevents leaders from accurately deciding which skill they should use to handle dierent situations, or deal with dierent people. It limits a person’s ability to become a more eective leader, regardless of how much they want to develop. In the long term, it drags down your potential. Participants in our programme learn about internal and external self-awareness. This is the dierence between realising how certain behaviours benefit or limit your own wellbeing and performance and identifying how your actions have an impact on the people and culture around you. rational creatures. Emotions play a key role in decision-making, manner of communication and overall performance. Regulating your emotions is, therefore, a critical part of eective leadership. The aim is not to create a repressive sti-upper-lip attitude in the workplace. Instead, leaders should be able to understand and manage the impressions left by their emotions on those around them. They should The importance of loyalty Of course, human beings are not strictly seek to create a climate where workers are considerate of each other. When team members are mindful of others’ feelings, they work better together. To help make this happen, leaders need to be able to empathise and build loyalty. This can be by promoting feelings of belonging and attachment to the company culture and motivating employees to achieve their personal goals. If they feel a strong enough connection to the organisation, their aims and those of the firm will start to overlap. This means leaders need to pay close attention to circumstances that can impact workers’ performance and relationships in the oce and in their private life. Mountains of testimonies exist on how important listening is to achieving anything. The ability to be fully present, mentally as well as physically, is one of the foundational stones of every leader’s journey. Ronald Heifetz was the founding director of the Centre for Public Leadership at the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He describes paying attention as “the currency of leadership” – it is that integral.
“Not only does personal development boost productivity, it also gives companies a competitive edge
times. Employees are now pushing to be seen as more
than worker bees by top management. Corporate reputation is a strong factor in deciding which companies see the most applications. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that an organisation’s human resources are just as important as its financial ones.
in recruiting young talent”
Ambition APRIL 2023 | 33
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