Pedro is a man much loved by everyone. When he was young he already collaborated as a volunteer in several cultural associations in his neighborhood, always wanting to contribute ideas and projects. Thanks to a magical mixture of charisma and dedication, his responsibility in these entities progressed almost naturally, until he managed two of them. And it is that Pedro does not know how to say no.
At work, he has also managed to make a remarkable career and earn the respect of his colleagues, not only for his professional skills, but also for the human quality that he injects into all relationships, which has made him the unofficial mediator of conflicts of the office. Although he does not demand it from his contract, Pedro is stealthily mending the organization's structures.
The neighbors of his community also asked him to preside over the staircase where he lives. He only had to be there for a couple of years, but he's already been there for 12. The secret of Pedro's management is his high emotional intelligence, which allows him to find very balanced solutions. Perhaps not many academic titles hang on his wall, but his effectiveness is based on an innate and precise command of affectivity.
Pedro is not a real man, but he reflects a true stereotype. In fact, surely in our environment we can identify people with a similar profile, who treasure a kind of unconscious leadership, stripped of pretensions and dogmas. People who have not read any good leader's manual, but who have great power to attract, energize and unite people.
Professors Cormac Russell and Daniel Millor have studied these individuals for more than 25 years in 36 countries, and have dubbed them “connector people”, concluding that they produce more benefits for general well-being than prefabricated leaders. In this sense, in order to help recognize them, they have pointed out some of their most genuine characteristics.
For example, connecting people tend to have a well-honed communicative facet, with a special ability to talk about what people care about. They like to explain their own initiatives, but also the things that others do, always with the spirit of connecting (“Maria is doing this project that may interest you”). Likewise, they flee from forced speeches and inspiring talks, since they prefer to attend to challenges in a particular way and dedicate the necessary time to them.
According to Russell and Millor, connecting people know how to actively listen to the ideas of others, but not because of an imposed sense of education, but because of a sincere interest in knowing the motivations behind each proposal. In this way, they can provide the right conditions and the right environment to encourage action, without trying to impose their way of doing things.
One of the best virtues of these leaders is that they know how to focus on people's assets (not on their defects) and place them where they can contribute the most value. On the other hand, their professional network is not based on a multitude of superficial relationships anchored in the perverse logic of favors, but is made up of deep and true connections, perhaps of lesser quantitative scope, but with a high qualitative impact.
In all organizations there are hidden Pedros. It's just a matter of giving them wings to fly (and make them fly).
