Real-Time Leadership

5

Get Smart about People

To handle yourself, use your head. To handle others, use your heart.

—Eleanor Roosevelt

You know your external priorities. You’re working on your internal challenges. The third factor in Mindful Alertness is the interpersonal challenges—learning how you can best connect with others depending on what they need and what the situation requires, while shifting in real time as needed.¹ Interpersonal challenges may occur with one other person, your team, or even an entire organizational culture. The overarching interpersonal goal is to be mentally alert to which stance is appropriate and to be able to shift quickly and seamlessly. It’s the heart of leadership.

This makes sense.

As a leader, 80 percent of your time can ...