A kind word or a smile can mean so much to someone having a bad day. Just like a casual response that is tactless or cruel can crush someone. Often, actions themselves speak louder than words, and actions have the same power to lift someone up or negatively impact them.
The butterfly effect basically says that small actions can have more significant consequences than ever imagined or intended. Think back to your school day. Were you ever bullied, or maybe, if you’re honest, were you the bully? If you were a bully, you might not have given much thought to the words or actions that hurt someone else. They were small to you, but to the person being bullied, they may have been profound. If you were the victim, you likely remember those days with strong feelings of sadness or anger.
You have the same kind of power when you are in a leadership role. It isn’t enough in this Imagination Age to merely be a good manager—you have to be a good human being, too. Having the awareness to understand that your actions can have the butterfly effect, in both positive and negative ways, will improve your agility and the relationships you have with those around you.
A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches, and thoughts. And the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are far-reaching.
Swami Sivananda
Do you even know how others in your office, or in your circle of peers, or in your family feel about your actions and behaviours in general? There are tools available within the i4 Neuroleader Model that can give you real feedback about what others think. Unless you have the keenest sense of perception on the planet (and possibly a dose of omniscience), you cannot honestly know what people think of you until they have an opportunity to share their thoughts.
Using neuroscience, and integrating the work of vertical development and motivational theory, our assessment suite can help you identify where you are strong in adaptability, influence, self-awareness and your ability to handle complexity. Leadership begins with an awareness of who you are, and what you stand for.
No matter how insignificant, for someone out there, your careless word or gesture could have a bigger meaning. Wouldn’t it be lovely to instead try to pepper the world with kind thoughts and actions? While the trickle-down theory may be hocus pocus in economics, there is some truth to this theory when it applies to human emotions.
You have the power to positively impact everyone around you and ‘below you’ on the business organizational ladder. Choose to embrace a new way of leadership, and develop your awareness. It’s never too late to make that butterfly a positive force
of change.