Haris Ahmed of Chicago: Tough Questions Leaders Must Ask Themselves

Haris Ahmed of Chicago: Top 4 Questions Leaders Must Ask Themselves Constantly

Haris Ahmed, a Chicago consultant, is a leadership expert who has served as executive coach for numerous clients. His management consultancy, Pragmatium Consulting Group, Inc., focuses on helping organizations improve their performance.

When it comes to business, the role of leadership has been debated to no end by scholars, philosophers, executives, and just about everyone else in between. On one end, some people believe that leaders are born, and thus, leadership is a natural trait. Yet, on the other side of the fence, there are also those who believe that people can be trained to become effective leaders.

No matter which side of the fence you’re on—whether your opinion is strongly for the former/latter or a mix of both—there’s little doubt in the discussion that leadership is a valuable trait to possess. This is why for any manager, high level executive, entrepreneur, or even a team lead, asking the following questions constantly may help them become more effective at what they do:

1. How do I deal with others who may have different opinions than mine?

Do you embrace dissenting opinions or do you silence them? Not surprisingly, great leaders do the former, even if it may seem counterintuitive or difficult to do. Simply put, great leaders don’t confine themselves in an echo chamber. Instead, they seek differences out, because they are humble and wise enough to know that they can learn from others.

2. Do I motivate members in my organization?

There’s this saying, managers have to order people around them to get things done, while leaders simply inspire others to act out of their own volition. There are many ways one can go about motivating others. Among all of them however, the most sustainable one is intrinsic motivation. As a leader, you can nurture intrinsic motivation of employees by offering them opportunities for self-development.

3. How well am I adapting to change?

Do you welcome or resist change? Welcoming change may not come easy for some, but one has to remember that change is that one constant which can ultimately dictate failure or success. In this cutthroat business environment especially, where new technologies are being discovered each day, businesses should start viewing flexibility as a much-desired quality.

4. Does every member in my organization know how critical they are to the bigger picture?

Leaders can sometimes appear unapproachable, and this “distance” can adversely affect employee morale. Do employees know they are valued? Beyond salary and compensation, in what other ways are you able to show employees that they are valued? It could be through giving more recognition, providing mentorship, or even just the deceptively simple act of listening. When employees feel valued, they are more likely to perform at their best, which can only translate to the organization’s success.

In the end, these are all hard questions with no easy answers. What matters, however, is that leaders continue to challenge themselves, so they can improve and reach their full potential.

For more thought pieces on leadership in the work place, stay tuned to this blog by Haris Ahmed, a Chicago consultant and executive coach.

 

 

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