"The Water Crystal Theory of Leadership: How Surrounding Yourself with the Right People Can Impact Your Success"
"It takes a village to build a leader".
It's often said that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, as their beliefs, values, and behaviours can influence our own. So when it comes to surrounding yourself with people, you want your closest circles to contribute to your own growth and development. The same principles apply when it comes to leadership, as the best leaders are able to communicate, inspire, and collaborate with others.
Research shows that the people we surround ourselves with can have a significant impact on our success and well-being. In a study conducted by the University of Notre Dame, researchers found that people who had strong social networks were more likely to achieve their goals and reported higher levels of well-being. Similarly, another published journal study found that our social networks have the power to even affect our genes; influencing our immunity to certain health conditions.
In the context of leadership, surrounding yourself with a diverse group of people with varied backgrounds can help develop leadership skills, expand knowledge, and improve decision-making. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Leadership and Management found that leaders with largely diverse social networks were associated with higher levels of transformational leadership; a leadership style characterised by inspiration, motivation, and empathy.
But it's not about surrounding yourself with just anyone.
The people in your closest circles should not only be positive, inspirational and supportive; they should also be aligned with your goals and values. It’s pretty much common sense that negative people have the power to dampen our mood, drag us down and make it harder for us to succeed. On the other hand, surrounding yourself with positive, successful people can help create a supportive and motivating environment, where you all bounce off one another.
Interestingly, the concept of the impact of our environment on the self can be illustrated by Masaru Emoto's water crystal story. Emoto conducted experiments that showed how the structure of water crystals can be influenced by positive and negative words, thoughts, and emotions. When surrounded by negative energy, the water molecules formed harsh and ugly shapes, but when surrounded by positivity each crystal formed beautiful symmetrical crystals. The energy of our environment affects the physical world around us, and can have a real impact on our bodies and minds.
As a purpose-driven leader, it can often be a lonely place guiding and supporting your team, while learning from your own ‘mistakes’ and ‘successes’.
It’s not often that leaders get the opportunity to share their experiences, challenges, and ideas with people who are in the exact same boat. That’s why we’ve created the Purposed. Mastermind.
This is a 10-month program for purpose, heart and soul-driven leaders to connect on a more authentic and vulnerable level with other aligned individuals. This brings the opportunity to not only share successes and stories, but to also gain new perspectives and insights that can be applied to their own work. This can be particularly helpful for leaders who may be facing similar issues or challenges, as they can learn from the experiences of others and avoid making the same mistakes.
By spending time with other successful and aligned leaders, individuals can absorb the habits, attitudes, and behaviours help them develop and progress their own leadership skills. This is often referred to as the "osmosis effect," where individuals adopt the traits of those around them simply by being in their presence.
By tapping into this powerful network, individuals may be able to connect with potential clients, partners, mentors, and collaborate on new projects or initiatives.
When it comes to leadership, surrounding yourself with a diverse, positive, and supportive community of people you are inspired by, can help develop essential skills and qualities. By doing so, we can create a village of support that can help us become the best versions of ourselves.
References:
Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., & Sachs, J. D. (2019). World Happiness Report 2019. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227-237.
Quirin, M., Bode, R. C., Kuhl, J., & Düsing, R. (2018). On the benefits of social circles for leadership development. Journal of Leadership and Management, 3(3), 28-39.
Bradberry, T. (2020, October 13). The people around you have a massive impact on your success. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/influential-mind/202010/the-people-around-you-have-massive-impact-your-success
Emoto, M. (2004). The hidden messages in water. Atria Books.
