Na’aleh’s 28 Core Skills of Leadership – Hit’orerut

Hit’orerut: Awaken yourself and others to the complex and evolving systems in which you are embedded.

Self-Awareness: Know your surroundings and how you are feeling, acting and perceiving at any one moment.

We are social creatures by nature, influencing and being influenced by people and the physical environment around us.  This often happens without us being aware.  When someone becomes angry, are we automatically responding without pausing to consider how we might best respond?  Is the space in which we are working making us edgy or tired?  Knowing how our surroundings impact us make us better able to rise above and lead with conscious intention.

Being with Others: Become aware of how others are showing up.

Similarly, how are others showing up?  Are they being reactive and are they tired, for example?  Moreover, what skills and character strengths are they bringing?  What values and interests are guiding their behavior?  Knowing who is in the room – their strengths and biases, their desires and concerns – enable us to better navigate the interpersonal landscape of leadership.

Action Toward Change: Perceive the web of relationships among others and yourself.

We never show up as isolated individuals; all of us are connected in a web of relationships that exist prior to any meeting or encounter.  Moreover, the existing relationships among participants and stakeholders can increase our effectiveness, if we understand who respects whom, who doesn’t like whom, and who is most influential. 

Advanced Skill: Sense systemic emergence.

Systems operate according to their own internal norms and patterns.  This is true of ecological systems, as well as human social systems, such as schools, congregations, and federations.  Moreover, these systems are constantly adapting to external changes and new forms within are emerging (and being adopted from other systems), such as new educational curricula, new ways of engaging Jewishly, and new directions in philanthropy.  It’s difficult to intentionally change a system, but we can observe what is emergent.  And, if it aligns with our goals, we can leverage the power of the emergent system to fulfill those goals.