Observation: a fundamental leadership skill

Leaders know that observation skills are vitally important to success, in any dimension. They work hard to develop their own and identify the skill in their people.

Leaders rely heavily on the observations of others to test their own impressions and to add to their body of knowledge on whatever topic is on the table. Observation is learning as you go, it is not something you sit down to do. And each experience adds to your body of knowledge, leaving you a superior asset to your organization, your industry, your family, and yourself.

At the same time that it is such a valuable skill, it is amazing how little value many, many managers place on it. Over and over again you will see people walk out of a meeting with the declaration that it was a waste of time. When pressed, they will say they didn’t learn anything, or the meeting was inconclusive, or they weren’t the right person to be there, or they felt gagged.

One suggestion: the next time you find yourself in a meeting where you feel like it is a waste of time, promise yourself that you will take at least 3 pieces of information from that meeting: perceptions, opinions, facts, observed behavior, which may be helpful. in your job. Then apply those elements to your relationships. It works, most people don’t. Most people do not become effective leaders. For most people, they don’t even know that observation is a highly valued skill.

If you want to be in the top ten percent of everything you do, work consciously and hard on developing your observation skills. It will be worth it, I guarantee it. If you want to be world class at something, you must develop the skill of observation: seeing the world around you and seeing it every day, in every way, and making observation a habit of thought. The price of success is taking a step forward: observing the world in all its variety, learning from it, and taking that accumulation of inputs and putting them into practice in decision-making, in improving intuition, in building relationships. .

Ten Critical Behaviors and Thinking Habits for Developing Accurate Observation Skills:

Evaluating people: observing people

Clarity: see the world as it is

Curiosity: asking why

Listening skills

Willingness to put aside personal prejudices

Willingness to seek input from others.

Looking for new experiences and possibilities

Be comfortable with ambiguity

Knowledge of the behaviors and attitudes of people.

Self-awareness: knowing precisely your own personal behaviors, attitudes and abilities, and how they affect others.

It’s easy to get so focused on our own work that we don’t really see the forest for the trees, even if we are invited to the highest ranger station in that particular forest.

A personal story:

I was hiking Phoenix Mountain Preserve and going down a steep, rocky, narrow trail. A young woman approached me from below, with a baseball cap pulled down to her eyes, dark sunglasses, a hydration pack, and headphones. I stepped aside to let her pass – hikers climbing take priority – I said “Hello”, and she passed me, inches from touching me, not recognizing me! Wow, two people, close enough to touch, no one else around, and not even a nod.

What does this have to do with observation skills? A lot of. This hiker was so in her own zone that nothing around her could enter her consciousness. The chirping of birds, the green of spring, the warning rattle of a rattlesnake, the crunch of boots reaching for her, the beautiful blue sky, none of that could penetrate her “zone.” I see that a lot. Mountain bikers, hikers, runners, all focused on their journey, oblivious to their surroundings except what is right in front of them, and in danger of missing all kinds of messages. Observation? Aside from their own heart rate, miles traveled, calories burned, goals achieved, time elapsed, mountains climbed, Gatorade consumed, how they feel, they could be in a dark tunnel. Too bad for them: they miss out on all sorts of critical inputs that could help them grow, develop, and enjoy the process of fitness gaining.

To the extent that we close ourselves to the unknown; of the things that would challenge us; of the things that make us think; of things that are not in accordance with our beliefs; From things that can stimulate our senses, we create our own cocoon, that safe place where we can exist without being affected by all the things that swirl around us. Some people call it focus, I think not.

A suggestion. We all need to win or regain our sense of wonder for new things. Take a different route to work, buy a different newspaper, listen to a different news program, go for a run in unfamiliar territory, hike through the woods or mountains, without your iPod, try a different routine at the gym, eat a meal. that I have never before. And observe with all your senses. Acquiring observation skills is an active and exciting process. It is best to feel, as if it were the first time, the world around you and then see more of what you saw the last time.

Give it a try today. Become an active observer of life and achieve greater success in whatever way you define success.

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