Young Monk with Flour

We use stories to break down obstacles to learning…..

The stories that we have used in this series are meant to teach us that we are ultimately responsible for our actions and ourselves. We have to take responsibility for our decisions as well as our miscalculations.
We are told that we must exceed our limitations. But in order to exceed your limitations you must first know what your limitations are.
These stories will help us become more aware of ourselves – our strengths and weaknesses, our values and beliefs, our actions and reactions – because once you become aware of something you can learn to manage it better.

Leadership competencies are leadership & management skills and behaviours that contribute to superior performance. By using a competency-based approach to leadership, organisations can better identify and develop their next generation of leaders. While some leadership competencies are essential to all firms, an organisation should also define what leadership attributes are distinctive to the particular organisation to create competitive advantage. However, skills needed for a particular position may change depending on the specific leadership level in the organisation. By using a competency approach, organisations can determine what positions at which levels require specific competencies. Competencies are the skills, knowledge and behaviours that lead to successful performance.

The following stories look at some of the leadership and management competencies (“The Value-Added Employee,” by Edward J. Cripe and Richard S. Mansfield, Copyright 2002 by Workitect Inc) that are necessary in today’s modern and successful organisation.

Once upon a long time ago there lived a young monk who would, as per tradition beg for his food because he would eat only what he received in alms. And every day the gift of food that he received would be a small quantity of wheat flour. And of this wheat flour the young monk would eat a little bit and save the rest in an earthenware pot that he kept at the bottom of his bed. One day the monk noticed that the pot was almost full and this was very exciting because for the first time in his life he actually had something that was worth money! And in his excitement the young man fell into a delightful daydream. He dreamt how – now that the pot was full – he could go sell it for a great deal of money. With the money he would buy 2 goats that would soon breed and expand into a whole flock. He would then sell these goats and buy cows and when they grew he would sell them and buy Buffaloes, then houses, then bigger houses. Seeing these enormous mansions a rich merchant would offer him his beautiful young daughter in marriage. He dreamt that she would bear him sons. He imagined how he would shout at her to take the boys away so he could read in peace and when she did not pay him any attention he would give her a kick to show her who was master. And the daydream seemed so real that the young monk lashed out with his foot – so hard – that it broke the pot and covered him in a cascade of flour.

Actions speak louder than dreams. Do it rather than dream it.

This competency is Dealing with People -Social Intelligence (SI). Social Intelligence is one of the best predictors of effective leadership, but it is poorly understood and under-researched. Social intelligence is the ability to understand social situations, to play social roles, and to influence others. It involves being able to see others’ perspectives and to understand the complex and abstract social norms, or informal “rules” that govern all types of social situations. Social intelligence is quite broad, but can best be seen in terms of understanding of social situations and dynamics, and ability to operate effectively in a variety of social situations. Click here for more about empathy and how it works. 

How to develop SI?

• Expose yourself to different people different social situations
• Work to develop your social perceptiveness
• Improve your ability to engage others in conversation.

Social intelligence is what some refer to as “street smarts” or “everyday intelligence.”