Aidan Higgins is the author of “Lead from you: We need aware, authentic and emotionally intelligent leaders. Leading from their best selves.” Aidan shares his insights on the importance of self-awareness, authenticity, and emotional intelligence in modern leadership. He discusses how childhood can shape the definition of success and the value of humor in leadership. He also shares practical tips on observing oneself to detect changes in emotion or behavior and finding a balance between productivity and calmness. The episode ends with a reminder to change one’s awareness of oneself in order to bring about personal growth.
Key Takeaways
[00:05] Aidan Higgins, is a leadership coach at Adeo Consulting and the author of “Lead from you”. He believes that personal awareness and leadership awareness are the same thing and that leaders need to be conscious of their thoughts, emotions and how they act out, so their beliefs, thoughts, and emotions become their actions.
[12:07] The conversation is about leadership and the need to adapt to changing times and technologies. There is a focus on the need for collaborative leadership rather than a top-down approach. The issue of control is also discussed, with the suggestion that some leaders need to learn to let go of control in order to achieve better outcomes.
[16:10] Effective leadership is not just about having good intentions but also about understanding one’s definition of success and the impact of childhood training. Many leaders strive for succes and may not even enjoy their achievements. Self-awareness is essential to achieving a balance between productivity and calmness.
[20:49] Aidan also covers the importance of work ethic and discipline in the past, the role of having fun in bonding and interjecting humor in the workplace, and the challenges that leaders face in creating a good atmosphere for their team outside of work.
[33:39] Aidan talks about the importance of overcoming addiction to being busy and finding a balance between productivity and calmness, which allows for more powerful and productive work.
[35:08] Aidan shares a story about a successful leader who initially resisted change but eventually embraced it and brought the whole organization along by creating posters and explaining the “why” behind the changes. Aidan finds joy in seeing the leader’s transformation and success.
[40:02] According to Aidan, commitment, openness, and trust were the three independent words that allowed the team to be successful in achieving their goals.
[41:50] Aidan challenges us to be more self-aware and authentic in leadership by observing one’s actions and thoughts, questioning why things are done a certain way, and being mindful of self-talk. The goal is to understand oneself better to achieve personal growth and avoid being controlled by external factors.
[45:43] Closing quote: Remember, what is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself. — Abraham Maslow
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Quotable Quotes
"Control was always an illusion.” Share on X "If the pressure is on so much, or you're in an environment where you cannot fail or you cannot take a risk, you can't move forward." Share on X "Character is who you are. Reputation is what people think of you, which you have no control over." Share on X "Not everybody has good intentions." Share on X "Appropriate humor in the right place at the right time is very useful, and having a sense of humor about things and about people and all that is very helpful." Share on X "Those without a sense of humor are not liked as leaders." Share on X "The truth without compassion is cruelty." Share on X "Stop and observe yourself." Share on X "You are not your thoughts." Share on X "If you're in the middle of a fog of anxiety or depression, you're not in the present." Share on X "You can't see opportunities because you're not in the present." Share on X "Watch the self-talk as well as another good indicator of the sort of mindset you're having." Share on X "What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself." — Abraham Maslow Share on X
These are the books mentioned in our discussion with Aidan
Resources Mentioned
- The Leadership Podcast | theleadershippodcast.com
- Sponsored by | www.darley.com
- Rafti Advisors. LLC | www.raftiadvisors.com
- Self-Reliant Leadership. LLC | selfreliantleadership.com
- Adeo Consulting Website| www.adeo.ie
- Aidan Higgins on Twitter | @aidanhiggins
- Aidan Higgins on LinkedIn | Aidan Higgins
- Adeo Consulting Facebook | Adeo Consulting Ltd.
- “5 Strategies to infuse D&I into Your Organization,” HBR
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