Everyone has some kind of hobby. From collecting stamps to playing basketball, from gardening to traveling, each of us finds an activity that helps us escape stress and the daily routine. As we grow older, we change some hobbies, while others remain a favorite thing to do until our golden years.
But did you know that certain hobbies do more than just help you unwind after a busy day at the office? Many leaders across the world admit that they owe their professional success to their hobbies.
How Do Hobbies Shape Us?
Pursuing a hobby changes you for the better. First of all, you learn to be persistent. You set aside time for your hobby. You strive to be better at what you do, whether it is playing tennis or planting a shrub. You are committed to that activity and do not let other issues sidetrack you from it.
These are also some of the qualities of a good leader. Companies are facing increasing challenges and they need a sure and decided hand to steer them in the right directions. Your employees need motivation — and the best way of learning it is by having you as an example.
Which Hobbies Enhance Your Leadership Skills?
After analyzing the hobbies of several successful leaders, we came up with these five hobbies you should consider pursuing if you want to become a better leader:
1. Chess
Contrary to common belief, chess does not help you plan your next 20 moves in advance, foresee the future and become the corporate version of Batman. Instead, it teaches you tactical thinking. You learn to analyze difficult situations and make the least sacrifice to obtain the greatest benefit.
Chess also helps you learn something from your mistakes. Each chess match you lose is a learning opportunity. You can go over your moves, see where you made the first mistake and discover what you could have done differently to win the match.
For example, Richard Branson is known for being a chess fan.
2. Playing an Instrument
Everyone loves music. Some want to do more than be passive spectators — they want to make music. And the simplest way of doing it is learning how to play an instrument. For many leaders, this is an incredibly relaxing activity. After the longest and busiest day, they can forget about the stress and fatigue by spending a few moments playing violin, guitar or piano.
Also, they realize that learning to play that instrument made them better leaders. They had to be consistent in practice in order to reach an acceptable level of proficiency. They had to be patient and repeat the same basic notes over and over again until they could move on to more complex pieces. They have to embrace hard work in order to be able to play their favorite songs.
Aside from being an influential entrepreneur, investor and the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett is also a ukulele player.
3. Gardening
After a day of putting your mind in overdrive, it is extremely relaxing to use your hands to tend to plants, flowers, vegetables, and shrubs. Gardening is a very peaceful hobby. It also helps reinforce one of the principles any leader should know: you reap what you sow.
A well-tended garden is like an efficient business organization. Every plant thrives and the weeds are kept under control. Likewise, a team managed by a good leader is motivated, productive and free of toxic people.
The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, the Dalai Lama, has a variety of hobbies, and it’s not surprising that among them is gardening.
4. Writing
For many people, writing is a great outlet for expressing emotions and releasing negative energy. You don’t have to make your writings public in a blog or a book. You don’t have to fear that you will be judged. Keep your writing to yourself if you want.
However, you should at least try it. Many leaders find that creative writing helps clear their minds. At the same time, they discover creative ideas that can be used in their work.
One of the most fascinating billionaires in the world, businessman and investor, annd the owner of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, is also a published author. His book “How to Win at the Sport of Business: If I Can Do It, You Can Do It” was published in 2013.
5. Team Sports
We left one of the best hobbies for last. Any kind of team sports — baseball, soccer, basketball or ice hockey — is very useful for a leader. You learn that you are only one element in the entire mechanism and that what really matters is that the team wins.
Thus, you learn how to manage and motivate people and how to steer their talents towards achieving the goals of your company. As far as possible, try to practice team sports with your own team of employees. This will strengthen communication and team spirit better than any other type of team building activity.
One example is the former US president, Barack Obama, who aside from being a huge basketball fan, also has it on his hobbies list, along with reading, writing, and cooking.
This article was originally published on pldx.org.
