On behalf of The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (Division for Multilateral Diplomacy) in Geneva, Switzerland and The International Anti-Corruption Academy in Laxenburg, Austria.

Thank you to the participants who flew in from across the globe and to our participants who attended online for your superb enthusiasm and active engagement in our workshops on: Emotional Intelligence, Stakeholder Engagement and Project Management, towards your Masters in Anti-Corruption and Diplomacy.

The international cohort represented 12 counties: United States of America, Canada, China, Peru, Ecuador, Azerbaijan, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

The training was well received, with one of the delegates, Carey CB LaMontagne from Canada, sharing that:

"Nicole’s delivery of the final component of our hybrid module this week in Geneva was a magnificent example of the power of diplomacy. Her verbal and nonverbal messaging, aligned to deliver with maximum impact and absorption rate, permitted learning at the highest levels I have come to expect and appreciate of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and the International Anti-Corruption Academy, Geneva Switzerland. The superior technical delivery of the program complemented perfectly the unique insights I haven’t seen in programming anywhere else. It is always a pleasure to be learning and growing amongst the world leaders."

The year 2022 brings along the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac. These fearless and passionate Tigers are respected and revered by friends and foes alike. However, although courageous, the Tiger can also be impatient, restless, and autocratic.

So what embodies the typical Tiger leadership style? What are the characteristics of the Tiger manager?

"One of the primary leadership characteristics typical of a tiger personality is effective crisis management. They have a definitive and unwavering mind, which works very effectively in driving change and mitigating crisis. Moreover, they are often incredibly proactive and are almost always ready to tackle new challenges.

A Tiger leader's natural ability to dominate can often override logical thinking and they can benefit from and enhance their leadership agility by activating their rationale to override their instinct to 'attack.'

It is important to note that dominance does not always equal power, especially at a time when (globally), teams are evolving rapidly, and employees are increasingly seeking acknowledgment, recognition, validation and a 'voice'.

An autocratic leadership style is very effective in crisis management mode, however, it can contribute to decreased employee motivation and engagement and it is often known to develop a polarized team culture, depending on the circumstances and context.

Developing one's Emotional Intelligence competencies such as: self and social awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and relationship management results in the co-creation of teamship intelligence and raising the wisdom of the collective.

Remember that being adaptable does not mean compromising one's principles, faith, culture, or ethics. It is about our ability to be agile when dealing with different personality frameworks in the context in which we are communicating and operating within the workplace.

Ultimately, People Drive Organizations. As long as we are dealing with another human being, we are dealing with energy in motion—EMOTION."

The reality is that the world is in a constant state of flux, and a person's attributes are rarely cast in stone. Leaders (and followers alike, for that matter) are continually inundated with challenges, some of which are unprecedented challenges born of our unique circumstances that have come to be known as the 'new normal.' In these emotionally charged times, skills and strategies for crisis management are necessary.

So whether we are dealing with someone with a Tiger leadership style or grooming Rabbit or Dragon Managers, remember that at their core is a human being's evolutionary instinct for preservation; take cover, retreat, or run away from crisis. What defines a leader is their ability to manage a crisis by exercising emotional intelligence (EI)—to inspire, lead, and motivate their team members amid chaos and turmoil.

In his book Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman defines EI as "the capacity for recognising our feelings, and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and our relationships." Driving a critical message, Goleman posits that "Emotional competence is the main factor influencing success." 

EI equips leaders with unique skills to interpret, work with, or work around highly stressful situations. Emotionally intelligent leaders do not give in to an onslaught of emotions. Instead, they actively look for effective coping strategies for handling challenging, tricky, and even unprecedented situations.

Most importantly, a true leader develops actions and management mechanisms through a deep and consistent understanding of the organisation's goals. Doing this keeps her or him anchored—so when a crisis hits, he or she does not panic, deviate, or make decisions from a reactionary perspective.

"Crisis is temporary." That is the edict of a true leader—one who looks beyond the challenge and readdress goals with urgency, efficiency, and accurate decisions.

How does your organisation view a true leader? Are you equipped to optimise the potentials of and, consequently, empower the leaders in your team? Let us show you how!

At the heart of successful leadership is the ability to build stronger, more empathetic relationships. The first step to achieving this is by looking inward and exploring what makes us the leaders we are and the leaders we want to be. Only then can we truly start observing our teams objectively and identify what is needed to motivate and inspire their collective minds.

Self-motivation ultimately leads to accountability, which is the moment individuals start working as part of a team, for the team. As leaders, to ensure we remain a driving force for this cohesiveness within our teams, we need to continuously seek better and more efficient ways of empowering and inspiring others.

Here are my top five leadership tips for 2022:

1. Develop your Emotional Intelligence competencies. Amongst other things, these include our sense of self-awareness, self-regulation of our emotional framework and of course, social awareness. Get to know the people that you are working with. Understanding who your team members are will afford you the opportunity to better enhance your relationships and develop your team’s competencies and their growth journey.
2. Understand the power of perception and how it defines your reality as a leader. Explore how you are being perceived by your team members. Similarly, analyse how you are perceiving others and investigate how accurate you are in that perception.
3. Explore and understand the psychological schemas and biases that affect team integration cohesiveness - both at an individual level and as a collective. People drive organisation and as long as we are dealing with human beings, we are dealing with thoughts and feelings based on a multitude of extrinsic and instinct influences.
4. Give your team a voice. Giving your team members a voice creates a sense of ownership and accountability, which is vital in increasing the wisdom of the collective and what I like to refer to as Teamship Intelligence.
5. Remain teachable as leaders - always. If you are growing, then your team is growing. If you can adopt an executive coaching leadership style you can become highly effective in the development of yourself, your team and, of course, towards the organisation's vision mission and objectives.

In my experience, the most effective way to achieve all the above is to explore your leadership scope with an executive coach. Often, the perspective gained from a neutral third party is exactly what is needed to put leaders on the right trajectory by giving them the skills needed to lead in a better and bolder manner.