MBA Application Leadership Qualities - Acknowledgement

Leaders have the ability to listen and empathize. But acknowledging a person involve more than that. We had comprehensively covered about leadership qualities in our Essay Guide (download here). A quality that proves our listening capacity is the ability to acknowledge. As kids, we were trained to acknowledge the other person while they were talking. The rudest listeners gaze up, or get distracted when the conversation lasts more than 30 seconds. The speaker gets anxious and feels disrespected when the listener shows signs of “boredom”. In a 140-character universe, this tendency might seem acceptable but leaders are the exception.

Acknowledge Emotions

Great leaders have the ability to acknowledge emotions. During the 1992 presidential campaign, Bill Clinton famously used the words “I feel your pain”. Although the authenticity of the emotions remains unverifiable, Clinton understood the need for acknowledging the emotion of the crowd. The acknowledgement need not be explicit. Even a casual remark “That must be tough”- connects the team member to your leadership. Without acknowledging emotions, if the leader jumps straight into problem-solving mode, problems will be solved less efficiently.

Acknowledge Problem

Problems that seem minor in your experience and worldview might seem unsurmountable for the team member. Instead of dismissing the problem as ‘minor’, understand that for different skill levels, the problem solving capability varies. Customer call executives have mastered this technique. They repeat the problem, and then acknowledge the emotions. What it does is that the customer gets perspective about the problem, and calms down during the process. Leaders do the same although less explicitly.

Highlight the Positive

It is easy to get lost in emotions and blame games when things are not going well. Even when the team member was making a mistake, one of her approaches or thought process was right. Leaders understand team dynamics and the truth that “Team thrives on positive feedback”. When the feedback is all about what went wrong, the morale goes down. Leaders look at details, and highlights positives first – approaches and thought processes that should be replicated in the future.

Solve – “What went Wrong”

Most personal feedback are about lack of judgment, but leaders understand that all decisions are related to judgment – both positive and negative. There is no point focusing on that. By focusing on the negative, Managers might win the battle but will lose the war. Leaders have the capacity to focus on the corrective measure that is required. That is why MBA Application Essays expect applicants to cite their weaknesses and shortcomings, and then write about the corrective measures taken. That is how leaders think.

When was the last time you acknowledged the team’s problem as a leader?

Did you follow the ideal route?

Acknowledge Emotions -> Acknowledge Problem -> Highlight Positive -> Solve “What went wrong”