All those who have played leadership roles in organizations have had to face conflictive situations or failed objectives due to a war of egos, replies and reactions. What is rarely known is where the problem started in that tangle of personal interests that worsened because someone threw the first blow and the counterpart did not know how to contain it.
"The answer almost always lies within ourselves as managers, although it is not easy to recognize," says Professor German Retana, a specialist in leadership and management processes.
Retana, Academic Director of the Management with Leadership program, maintains that people show in groups what we carry within ourselves and, therefore, it is important to have emotional balance and general wellbeing before taking the lead of an organization.
Everything must begin with a question as basic as it is difficult to assume in its full scope: "who am I? This question can cover skills, attitudes, purposes and work values, vital aspects to know if we are prepared, if we have control of ourselves to be able to exercise a positive leadership towards others. It is to be able to be sure that we are managers of ourselves, something fundamental.
We can then go on to ask ourselves the question of what we want to see in our organization, our environment or our country.
"It is knowing how to identify our cause in order to proceed in a consistent manner, without losing our way or falling into maintaining power for power's sake. In this way, we can be clear about the mark we want to leave in the environment where we work," says Retana.
And with two questions resolved, we can move on to the next one: what do I need to move towards the goals I have set for myself? This involves a critical but benevolent self-assessment to identify our strengths and opportunities.
"It is an exercise of putting the evaluative focus on ourselves, avoiding thoughts about how we would like the other people in the team to be. Nothing, they are the way they are and it is me, the manager, who must know my Grade preparation or what needs I must meet to be that good leader," the professor emphasizes.
We will then be able to answer the fourth and most important question: do we remain in reflection or do we act? It is time to ask ourselves questions about the legacy we want to leave and what transcendent works we can promote in others. This generates a type of happiness that in turn fosters leadership based on collaboration and, therefore, a greater likelihood of achieving goals.
"The quality of an organization's performance is really the quality of the relationships of the people who make it up," emphasizes Professor Retana, drawing on his experience as a consultant to sports organizations, where teamwork is fundamental.
That is why he gives the example of Pele, the great former Brazilian soccer player, who said he was always thinking during games about what to do for the benefit of the team if the ball came to his feet. The applause, the bleachers and individual recognition will come only if the work has had an impact on the rest of the organization.
This is possible only if we have first gone through a rigorous self-knowledge, since the authenticity of actions is the basis of collaborative leadership, that which avoids giving orders and rather seeks to ask questions to the collaborators and promote healthy internal social networks with passion. This is when the possibility of achieving the company's or institution's objectives reaches its peak.
Because the main barrier of an organization is the growth of relationships based only on internal competitiveness and not inclusive leadership, complementary and sustained by synergies, even with other departments of the company. At the end of the day, the goals are common to the entire organization.
"For that, a leader who is attentive to others and is proactive, patient and supportive is important. Collaborative leadership implies learning from others, regardless of rank, and knowing that we do not work for a company, but that the company is contained within ourselves. We are the company," emphasizes Professor Retana.
And we fall back on the main point, to know what we have inside us, to know ourselves in order to set our internal course and then, only then, to turn it into a positive guide for the team.
