We are summing up an interesting, unpredictable year, a year of unknown situations, unexpected series of events and previously unfelt emotions. It was a challenging year for everyone but allow me to focus on Leadership. 

To explain my focus, I will try to explain the understanding of leadership. Psychology talks a lot about the locus of control – the energy from which we find power to do things and to which we assign consequences. As people we can either have the internal locus of control – when everything comes from us and ends as a consequence to us, and the external locus – when other parties inspire us to do or act but then they are responsible if we win or lose. However, in our nature, we have always, at least a bit, depended on the external locus. It all started with the tribal leaders, then religious leaders, spiritual gurus, scientific idols, political leaders, country leaders - we always put a little hope in the external power and look upon them to find our way. The same replicates in the business world.

While developing in the business field, we always have a figure whose example we follow. No matter if it is an appointed supervisor or manager, influencer in the field, or a coach, we idolize the actions and connect not just professionally, but on a deeper personal level, and let this person develop the best of us. These people are the real leaders – sometimes anonymous by the business card.

The Leaders were vital for us in this year while we were facing the biggest fear of the mankind - the fear of the unknown, the fundamental fear that a person recognizes in the developmental years. The uncertainty of the health of us and our loved ones was inflated by the uncertainty if we would be able do cover the existential life costs. This interfered with our creativity, productivity, with our enthusiasm and eagerness to work and grow professionally.

However, after we passed through all the psychological phases of coping with loss, as we have lost the normal way of living, we are finally rounding up the cycle of the year and putting up the dreams and hopes of the year that knocks on the door.  

Therefore, if we compare the business ecosystem with the family ecosystem, since the human mind has the ability of replicating the same concept in the different spheres so that existence becomes easier, we can simply look at the leaders as the parents and the employees as the children. As you would like your children to grow carelessly without fear in the world on unknown, you need to reflect the same encouragement in the work as well. This year, instead of counting the ‘non-grasped’ opportunities, focus on the achievements although they seem small. This year, we all need to develop our empathy, spread the enthusiasm that not all is lost – on the contrary – each crisis presents an opportunity to start anew and create wonderful opportunities.

Hug your employees with words of gratitude and involve them in the vision of co-creating the new tomorrow. You will be amazed by the engagement, enthusiasm and proactive skills of people who are acknowledged, recognized, and offered a helping hand in a year like this!