天美传媒

Given this unusual moment in politics and economics around the world, the crucial role of a leader is more evident than ever. How to be an effective leader, what makes a leader and how to improve leadership abilities are questions clearly on the table.

Arthur Brooks, president of the and a best-selling author, shared personal insights on what lies at the root of good and much-needed leadership, during a visit to the . With the auditorium full of students, Brooks spoke directly and sincerely, recognizing them as the future leaders of tomorrow.

鈥淓veryone asks 鈥榃hat do you do?鈥� which is really 鈥榃hat do you do for money?鈥� But the real question, the important one is: 鈥榃hy do you do it?’鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to know the answer to the important question or you won鈥檛 be able to do what you鈥檙e supposed to do and the answer will be decided for you.鈥�

The head of the conservative think tank emphasized the place of service towards others in the mission of an authentic and successful leader and in personal happiness. 鈥�The purpose of your work is to serve others. As business leaders, you are going to pull people out of poverty. 罢丑补迟鈥檚 颈尘辫辞谤迟补苍迟.鈥�

The MBAs will have to decide whether they become leaders who bring people together or leaders who divide people, Brooks said.

Confident that the MBAs would seek to unite people around a common, aspirational purpose, he offered five keys to becoming a better leader:

1. Learn to Tell a Story and Practice It EndlesslyBrooks recognized that this could seem like nonsense. However, backing his argument with research from Princeton Neuroscience Institute鈥檚 Uri Hasson, he said telling a good story at the beginning of a meeting or presentation has the ability to synchronize the listeners鈥� brainwaves with the storytellers. 鈥�Do you want to unite people around a common purpose? You must tell a story about people,鈥� he said. If you tell the story successfully, before it鈥檚 over the listeners鈥� brains will be predicting plausible endings, illustrating that, if you want to lead people to places you haven鈥檛 been, 鈥測ou do it with stories鈥�.For this to work, Brooks identified five ingredients for every story: simplicity (avoiding complexity and unnecessary details), emotion (including humor, pain or joy), truth (the speaker must believe what he or she is saying), reality (that the speaker was there) and validity (that it works with every audience).
2. Be NiceContrary to the infamous quote 鈥渘ice guys finish last鈥�, Brooks said being nice is essential in impactful leadership. Studies have shown that people are drawn to friendly individuals. 鈥�Great leaders fight contempt and bitterness by personally modeling warm-heartedness. Kindness and compassion are not for weak people. They are for leaders. Weak people can鈥檛 do it,鈥� he said. Being genuinely nice is a challenge worth striving for and it鈥檚 this 鈥渃hange of your own heart that can change a poisonous environment around you鈥�.
3. Smile
   
   鈥淵ou own your moods. As leaders, you cannot be a slave to them,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淚f you are stressed out, you can聮t bring that to the office.鈥� In a study, when participants were asked to rate the effectiveness of two team leaders, the non-smiling team leader was perceived to be only one-third as effective as the one who smiled, although they had said the exact same thing. 鈥淣obody wants to work for someone who doesn鈥檛 smile,鈥� Brooks said.
4. Avoid AngerGetting mad will prevent you from being kind, he said. 鈥淎nger neurologically turns-off your kindness. So, avoiding it is essentially a way to keep on your kindness switch,鈥� he said.
5. Express Gratitude鈥淪ay 鈥榯hank you鈥�. You defeat your enemies when you make them your friends,鈥� Brooks said. 鈥淭his is your secret weapon. If you learn this, you鈥檒l have a leg-up. And you鈥檙e going to have virtuous and earned success.鈥�Gratitude also helps you on a personal level. 鈥淩ealizing and expressing your gratitude to those around you is the key to success. And your personal happiness.鈥�