Broad-Minded #7

Leadership Trait #7

We continue our ten part series on Leadership Characteristics based on a Harvey McKay weekly blog.

The research for these ten words came from a four-year series of executive seminars conducted by Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group/Learning systems.  This list first appeared in Management Review Magazine).  These thoughts are my own creation.

Leadership Trait #7

Broad-Minded

The opposite of “broad” is “narrow”. 

Narrow is another way of saying “tunnel vision”.  Who likes tunnel vision?  Tunnel vision is locked on the immediate; the small pin-point of light that looks like it may be a train coming at you rather than a way out. 

I like these synonyms for “broad”.

     Wide-ranging

          Extensive

               Expansive

                    Open

An expansive view is unrestrained, unreserved and extensive. 

That’s the kind of leader I want to follow – one who can see the possibilities in the tiny acorn or the giant sky-scraper in a pile of stones. 

Are you a leader?

Are you broad-minded? 

Is your vision expansive?

How does one become a broad-minded leader?  Great question.  Consider these ideas.

~Rub elbows with someone more broadminded than you.

~Find a broad-minded mentor.

~Read some excellent books by reputable authors who stretch you with new thoughts and ideas.

~Read trade journals from other industries than your own just for the mind-expanding experience of seeing how others think in their world. 

~Find a common thread that can take those ideas to your world.

~Spend some quality time alone with your thoughts and leave the limiting beliefs at home.

~Go on an idea hunting trip.  Take one or two key players on your team and look for expansive ideas to apply to your business.

Finding ideas is the easy part.  Knowing which ones to apply to your work is the challenge, and a broad-minded leader will develop the skills and people around him/her and help them strategize and apply the ideas best suited for the work at hand.

Being broad-minded doesn't come easy to some, but it is an essential skill for quality leadership.  The world changes on a daily basis.  What worked in the past is often so out of step with the trends today that some of those ideas are laughable.  The broad-minded leader spots those pitfalls and finds better ideas that are applicable for today.

P Michael Biggs

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