Leading Outside the Box

Source: Partner Insights

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, from an article by Eric J. Romero.

Unconventional leaders are fanatical about their products and services, rather than about their profits, yet they tend to lead the most profitable firms in their industries. Unconventional leaders are unconventional thinkers, but what does that mean? Below is a comparison of conventional and unconventional thinkers.

Conventional thinkers:

• Avoid risk
• Say things like “This is just the way we do things”
• Accept things as they are
• Avoid expressing their ideas unless agreement is likely
• Follow trends
• Continue doing things the same way
• Value agreement, as well as consistency
• Have a negative perception of differences
• Do not question why things are the way they are
• Value established knowledge

Unconventional thinkers:

• Strive for improvements or even perfection
• Think and act differently from most people
• Re-evaluate everything
• Integrate disparate ideas and knowledge into new ideas
• Are not restricted by other people
• Like change
• Are willing to try new things
• Believe that constructive conflict leads to a better understanding of issues
• Openly express what is on their mind
• Value thinking and creating knowledge

To become a more unconventional thinker:

• Try new things: music, food, activities, travel
• Question everything
• Tell people what you think
• Debate with people who disagree with you
• Talk to people who are totally different from you
• Try new ideas
• View failure as part of the learning required to try new things
• Don't take yourself too seriously

For the complete article, read “Lead Unconventionally and Beat the Competition.”

From Partner Insights, Aquila Global Advisors, LLC, February 2012, www.aquilaadvisors.com.