Great Leaders Understand Psychology
Great Leaders Understand Psychology
In the past, a person with a mental illness was either a demon, a witch, a wizard, an evil spirit, or another unknown entity. Today, nations around the globe, including the Philippines, are more open-minded and invested in mental health care, psychological research, therapeutic developments, and treatment approaches.
How has the world evolved into a place where mental wellbeing is valued and understood? Can this persistent curiosity for Psychology have made the world’s best leaders who nurtured strong and resilient individuals?
How could it not? For it is our world leaders, no matter what field, who are in position to lead not just a singular man but communities of them.
Understanding the human mind and behavior has given them a stage and platform to fruitfully translate a vision into reality through words and actions understood by many.
How, then, does psychology groom us to be leaders?
- A leader is a friend to many.
A leader has more than a few close relationships. When you aspire to lead, expect followers who believe in your vision and whose values align with yours. You are the frontline at investing and nurturing in these relationships, and as with any healthy relationship, you must learn the art of open communication and peaceful conflict resolution.
- A leader inspires motivation.
If you are a leader, you must inspire others towards action. You must be highly motivated and disciplined, so you influence your followers to do the same. You learn to understand what the crowd values most, what concerns them, what arouses their curiosity, what interests them, what makes them passionate and ambitious, and what they desire. If you can deeply connect with the crowd, you can lead others on a podium.
- A leader practices emotional intelligence.
When you lead, you become the bigger person in every situation. With an enlightened understanding on how people think and behave, you may have cracked the psychology behind emotions. This knowledge creates great leaders because they effectively identify and manage not only their emotion but of others as well.
- A leader is self-aware.
Before knowing your followers, as a leader, you must know yourself first. Great leaders are mindful of their thoughts, actions, and behaviors. Their impeccable self-awareness teaches them to make wise decisions and sound judgments.
Great leaders understand humans. They hint at what truly matters to people just by noticing how they react and behave. It's possible that from an educated view about Psychology, we can lead others.
What better foundation for leadership than knowing what it means to connect with humans in ways that go farther than physical connections?
References:
David-simanoff. (2023, May). 3 Ways Psychology Is Connected to Leadership. Online Degrees - Florida Institute of Technology | Florida Tech Online. https://www.floridatechonline.com/blog/psychology/3-ways-psychology-is-connected-to-leadership/#:~:text=To%20understand%20leadership%2C%20you%20must,behaviors%20to%20achieve%20set%20objectives.
Riggio, R.E. (2021). How Psychology Helps Us Understand Leadership. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/202105/how-psychology-helps-us-understand-leadership