Are Great Leaders Un-Leaders?

 

In a recent interview with Forbes, Kronos Incorporated CEO Aron Ain attributes their Glassdoor 100 Best Places to Work distinction to the practice of Un-Leadership. Ain explains, “Un-leaders are humble. They put employees first. They downplay the status that comes with their titles, preferring to put team members on the same level as they are.”

It seems then that un-leadership is less about what you are doing but more about how you are doing it. In many ways, un-leaders are leveraging the power of their own Emotional Intelligence to suit the changing demands of workers today … no matter what they may be. It’s a process strongly supported by Lumina Learning’s pioneering new model of emotional intelligence that focuses on our agility in understanding, adapting and managing our emotions day-to-day in order to guide effective thinking and meaningful behavior.

At Kronos, having regard for others is critical to their methodology of un-leadership and a keyLumina Emotion personalized assessment, those high in regard for others tend to naturally be more accepting and open. They pay more attention and will listen to fully to ensure they understand other’s perspective. Many are optimistic, upbeat and tend to the see positive in a situation. However, when overextended, they may sacrifice their own needs to please others. It’s a distinction made clear at Kronos, a
contributor to building an organization where everyone loves to work.

In the“All of this is not to suggest that Un-Leaders are ‘people pleaser’ types who shrink from making tough decisions. Quite the contrary: Un-leaders know how to step up and exert their will when they need to,” explained Ain in the Forbes article. “On a deeper level, though, they understand that real power and influence come not from status and a sense of superiority, but from the affection, admiration, and respect we’re able to engender in our team members.”
It’s an understanding derived from self-awareness, and awareness of others; to manage and choose one’s emotional response to any situation. At Kronos Incorporated, they are using this awareness to build “un-leaders” who are creating a best place to work culture. As individuals, we can use this same awareness to examine our own unique patterns of behaviors and how we might tune up or tune down to suit the needs of our environment for greater interpersonal effectiveness.

For more information on Lumina Emotion, email me at info-us@luminalearning.com or call (888) 827-8855.

Learn about Lumina Emotion here