Effective Leadership - Dr. Matt Bowler, Director of MBA Program, Oklahoma State University

Okay so you mentioned leadership challenges, what do you think are three main things that students should know about leadership? Okay, I think leadership is one of the most important things that students can learn about, and and know. First of all, I think a big part of understanding leadership is understanding yourself, and being able to know how you come across, and how people see you. It's nearly impossible to understand how other people see you, so it's important to get that feedback. But, three things that people need to understand about leadership.. number one is that, in today's environment, you can't be a cold and distant leader. You have to be engaged and get to know your people and understand them. Know who they are, where they come from , what their background is, what they're dealing with, and what their situation is. Because every person is different, and people are also different from today, to tomorrow, from the morning to the afternoon, and they're constantly changing.

So, the second thing really would be, understanding that people are constantly changing and dealing with different situations and in order to lead them and motivate them, you have to understand what they're going through and figure out how to motivate them in that moment, and in that situation that they are in. That's constantly constantly changing. Whether it's somebody that works for me or one of my kids, I'm trying to figure out what that situation is, and what that one trigger is that will be successful in motivating them to do the things that need to get done.

The third thing is, it's much more powerful to get people to want to do the things that need to get done, rather than to feel obligated or that they are forced to get things done. If you can transition people from feeling obligated to get things done, to them respecting you, liking you, liking what they're doing, they understand the why of what needs to get done, and they're intrigued by those things, and they want to fulfill this purpose, and mission, then they will want to get those things done, and all you need to do is give them the tools and resources and time and stay out of their way. It makes your life easier. It makes them happier and they'll be much more successful.

What's the number one tip you think people should know when trying to build those relationships with other people? So, when you want to build relationships with other people that would maybe be the fourth arm of leadership.. getting to know them and understanding them and asking good questions. Okay so, imagine the person that you think of as one of the most interesting people you know. You may not actually know that much about about the person, because it's counterintuitive but what you'll come to find out is that, people who are perceived as really interesting, don't talk about themselves. They engage other people and ask them about them, and they learn about that person, and by asking that person well worded, well-timed and well positioned questions, about what they're about, who they are, what they do, all those things, you're actually perceived as more interesting than if you talk about yourself. And that's the counterintuitive part, people think "oh people will think I'm interesting if I tell them everything I know." You don't, you just come across as a know-it-all.. but if you want to be known as somebody who's very interesting and intriguing, ask other people about themselves and what they do, what they're interested in, and what their background is. Okay, thank you.