While journaling has resurged as a popular way to balance mental health and well-being, according to Fast Company, it can also help supervisors become better leaders.
Impraise founder Bas Kohnke lists five soft skills for today’s leaders to master: 1) active listening, 2) self-compassion, 3) empathy, 4) vulnerability, and 5) honesty. A journal is a private space where a leader can be candid about their thoughts.
As a leader, your thoughts can be “the secret sauce that can change the entire trajectory of your organization.” But Nancy J. Adler, of McGill University, said in a Harvard Business Review article that a frenzied schedule can drown out someone’s most valuable insights. Writing in a journal allows you to keep track and access those innovative ideas bouncing in your head.
“Research shows that when leaders crumple under pressure, teams also suffer,” the article reads. “Journaling serves as a pressure valve to help you release and manage stressful experiences.”
Before you open a new Word document to write out your feelings, you may want to reach instead for a traditional notebook. Experts say handwriting delivers more significant benefits than typing or writing online, including increasing focus and brain activity in the motor cortex, which can induce a meditative state of mind.
Here’s a few writing prompts to get started:
• How am I feeling right now?
• How am I feeling about my leadership?
• What is the most outrageous idea I’ve heard in the past 24 hours? What do I love about it?
