Reflection on being a unicorn leader

THURSDAY 29 JUL 2021
“True leadership is not wearing the crown to show others, it is standing out in the crowd fearlessly and calmly by empowering others to put on the crown themselves.”
“True leadership is not wearing the crown to show others, it is standing out in the crowd fearlessly and calmly by empowering others to put on the crown themselves.”

Yes! It’s a challenging attribute and so is Leadership. Leadership is a responsibility of being value add constantly and being carrying your uniqueness that’s what we call as Leadership Style.

Like A Unicorn -Are true leaders mythical creatures or rare to find?

It took a pandemic to bring about a mindset shift to understand the core of leadership qualities which were never emphasized upon.

What are these attributes?

  • Conversationally -Intelligence
  • Spiritual Intelligence
  • Empathetic Intelligence
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • A coach in a leader

Why are these unique characteristics the need of the hour?

A new era with a new lifestyle and a new workstyle has started. Many organizations have decided to adopt hybrid work models in future also.

And, we all know it didn’t happen with a blink of an eye.

A reflection in time has compelled us to integrate ourselves and adapt with change. We realise how Leaders are now needed to be more Mindful and Conscious in their approach while leading teams remotely and driving business.

Instead of following, How Might Every Leader discover their innate unique core values and get into their own development journey.

How and where does the Journey of development of Leaders; to practice Unicorn Leadership begin?

The basic premise behind trail theory was that Effective Leaders are born not made.

Our learnings are mostly influenced by the place we are born as the socio-economic factors creates our belief system. With this constant shift in the socio economic environment, The learnings and the beliefs also need a mindset shift when we step out in the world.

Core Values of Martin King Luther as revealed in his speeches were- commitment to non violence, belief in democracy, equality and human rights.

These core values were developed with the aim and purpose that he found in his life

Similarly, to be an effective leader we need to rediscover our own purpose and core values which drives our lives.

Does this need a mindset shift?

Yes! Most of the time

How can we be better at what we do?

What stops us from having such a mindset change?

Fear makes us defensive till the time we continue with our fixed mindset.

The fear of socio-economic factors and not being acknowledged by others.

The moment we push our boundaries we create new perspectives and open the doors to develop our attributes.

Herein begins the journey!

In this path of evolution, people who realise their core values begin to lead their lives not just by merely surviving or living

They evolve to be Leaders and Lead with an Impact.

To lead your life in every situation and giving Inspiration to others to make them lead their own lives are attributes of Unicorn Leaders. That’s the Empowerment they do to their environment.

What are these Unicorn Leaders?

As Unicorn is a rarest animal and sometimes believed to be mythical, how do we ensure these rarest of the rare qualities forms a relevant part of our ecosystem.

Unicorn leaders are not very different and complex but live and lead their lives by being Self Aware with the utmost simplicity.

“Rarest of Rare is the Simplest of the Simple”.

“Any intelligent fool can make things better, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius- and a lot of courage- to move in the opposite direction”. - Albert Einstein.

Is Unicorn Leadership difficult to explore?

No, I don’t think so.

It is just rare because instead of reserving the term ‘leader’ for only societal heroes like Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill Hill, or Nelson Mandela, it is also within everyone - if the journey of self development is done consciously. All we have to feel significant enough is to make a real impact on other people and live life for a larger purpose. It requires a small push to get onto the path of knowing self. This journey allows us to gain a wealth of experience.

A Unicorn Leader is a Conversationally Intelligent Person who knows how to master her/his strong and impetuous senses.

These leaders contribute in their capacity in doing righteous things for long term impact and sustainability in the ecosystem.

“I’ve learnt that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel” - Maya Angelou.
When a Unicorn Leader speaks to you the conversations trigger higher levels of dopamine, oxytocin, endorphins and other chemicals to give the other person a security of Trust and Openness and they feel at ease.

Unicorn Leadership is not an impossible thing to achieve but only needs to be encouraged.