The Rough Guide to Awesome Leadership: A Brain Friendly Approach to Take Action and Be an Inspiring Leader

By Ivan Palomino and Elena Agaragimova

WHY IT MATTERS TO BE AN AWESOME LEADER AND WHY IT CAN SOMETIMES BE PAINFUL

Like many people in leadership positions, you have probably sweated a lot to make it there – long hours of work to prove your commitment, some extra work to prepare for presentations to show that you have brains to solve problems, socializing with colleagues (the ones you like and the ones you don't), enduring some amazing and some painful bosses, learning and repeating new buzzwords, awkward discussions about when you will be promoted. It seems like a never-ending story to prove that you are cut out for the new position.

Now that you are part of the sacred circle, the question is - when does the painful aim to prove yourself ends? Some will tell you that it never ends. We believe that there is a way to make it less painful for you and others.

In our work with executive leaders, we have found some commonalities in leaders that were successful in escaping the rat race for validation and lead teams to superior heights:

• They take decisions based on what makes their teams flourish
• They have developed a process of regular practice of micro-actions to increase their capacity to manage their interactions with their teams
• They have developed a mindset where they trust their own capabilities to learn as well as the capabilities of their teams

This also means that they let go of existing paradigms on what motivates people, and they even went rogue with the practice of more human centric values.

This book is not about leadership frameworks. Instead, we wanted to share a list of ideas that can ignite curiosity and inspire you for some quick action. To come with these ideas, we have combined our experience in the field of leadership development with a couple of applications of behavioral science.

This is a book for leaders and leaders-to-be that feel that they can create great impact in their organization through the understanding of human psychology. The authors Elena Agaragimova and Ivan Palomino say it is as it is - plain, blunt, and simple.

This book is for people who had enough of knowing what it takes to change but simply find it hard to be motivated and consistent with actions to be an awesome leader. It is for people who believe that life is simply about trying and sometimes failing and that's ok, as long as there is progress.

Each chapter describes insights and actions that defines leadership in the way that leaders can thrive as a person and inspire others.

Many organizations are craving to create solid human centric cultures and build a new generation of leaders that are prepared to make the human culture sustainable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ivan Palomino
• Release date: Nov 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215154090

Ivan Palomino

Ivan is a recognized expert on Behavioral Sciences applied to Culture Change and Learning. With 18 years in global leadership positions in marketing and corporate strategy. As part of the senior leadership team in a global corporation, Ivan has led teams across all continents and delivered a track record of innovation and human development. He has launched global programs in Corporate Transformation & People’s Development: leading a global talent accelerator program to transform a Fortune 500 company. Ivan Palomino is an entrepreneur and founder - He has worked with more than 100 corporations to build high performing and human centric cultures at work. He writes and speaks about the future of work, human centric work cultures, wellbeing at work and the future of learning. Ivan Palomino is the host of the Growth Hacking Culture Podcast and founder of companies in EdTech [Bessern] and Work Culture transformation [PeopleKult].

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

WHY IT MATTERS TO BE AN AWESOME LEADER AND WHY IT CAN SOMETIMES BE PAINFUL

Like many people in leadership positions, you have probably sweated a lot to make it there –long hours of work to prove your commitment, some extra work to prepare for presentations to show that you have brains to solve problems, socializing with colleagues (the ones you like and the ones you don’t), enduring some amazing and some painful bosses, learning and repeating new buzzwords, awkward discussions about when you will be promoted. It seems as a never ending story to prove that you are cut out for the new position.

Now that you are part of the sacred circle, the question is - when does the painful aim to prove yourself ends? Some will tell you that it never end. We believe that there is a way to make it less painful for you and others.

In our work with executive leaders, we have found some commonalities in leaders that were successful in escaping the rat race for validation and lead teams to superior heights:

They take decisions based on what makes their teams flourish

They have developed a process of regular practice of micro-actions to increase their capacity to manage their interactions with their teams

They have developed a mindset where they trust their own capabilities to learn as well as the capabilities of their teams

This also means that they let go of existing paradigms on what motivates people and they even went rogue with the practice of more human centric values.

This book is not about leadership frameworks. Instead, we wanted to share a list of ideas that can ignite curiosity and inspire you for some quick action.

To come with these ideas, we have combined our experience in the field of leadership development with a couple of applications of behavioral science.

This is a book for leaders and leaders-to-be that feel that they can create great impact in their organization through the understanding of human psychology. Elena and I are not academics. We say it is as it is - plain, blunt, and simple.

This book is for people who had enough of knowing what it takes to change but simply find it hard to be motivated and consistent with actions to be an awesome leader. It is for people who believe that life is simply about trying and sometimes failing and that’s ok, as long as there is progress.

Each chapter describes insights and actions that defines leadership in the way that leaders can thrive as a person and inspire others.

Many organizations are craving to create solid human centric cultures and build a new generation of leaders that are prepared to make the human culture sustainable.

THE GAME PLAN FOR MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK

Having genuine relationships at work is essential for any professional, especially those in leadership positions, regardless of your industry, background, or culture. A business is made of people, and people are what make the business and organizations succeed, so it is inevitable that we must invest in those relationships. I am sure you are wondering: what the hell does a meaningful relationship mean? Meaningful relationships are based on a handful of principles:

Trust – someone must believe in your capacity to deliver what you promise and vice-versa

Respect – caring for others’ views

Awareness – getting to know in yourself and others what matters

Inclusion – creating an environment that is safe for expression of views for anyone

Vulnerability – talking truth even at times when you realize that you might get hurt

Openness – thinking that no matter how different an opinion is, you’re able to acknowledge it as an option

Creating genuine relationships starts with us making sure we practice these