In today’s business world there is a disconnect between leadership and being human. “Traditional leadership” is about influence and power. The primary focus is on performance, results, profitability, and deadlines. True leadership is about being authentic, listening, and leading with heart.
The primary focus of True leadership is on the people and recognizes performance and profits will follow because of being respectful and valuing humans.
I have experienced firsthand the success an organization can have by focusing on the people and their well-being. It has an impact and changes peoples’ lives. Somewhere we have lost our human connection. We have become distracted by success, wealth, and material things forgetting the importance of loving and caring about other humans. We must awaken to how we can contribute in a meaningful way. We must recognize how when we lead with empathy, heart, and kindness we positively influence the lives of others.
We no longer live in a world where you can “tell” an employee what to do and they will just do it without question.
Employees want to feel valued and respected. Loyalty, job security, and gratitude for having a job are no longer the norm. Employees want deeper, more meaningful connections to what they do and how they do it. Employees expect support and guidance and are expressing deeper emotions in their work.
We have moved into a time where respect, trust, and accountability are valued more than spreadsheets and performance metrics. Please do not misunderstand this is all relevant and important to the success of any business but cannot continue to be the primary focus. Trusting the process of caring for your people first and knowing the results will follow is the new way of business.
I want to bring to light the notion of gratitude, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, accountability optimism, empathy, kindness, perspective, and strengths. These true leadership characteristics each play a role in the success of any business. I realize this list is long but trust me these skills are all relevant and imperative to the success of your business today. Without them, your team will experience a culture that lacks purpose and meaning. But, with them, you will have an organization that is awakened to changing people’s lives and providing them with an enlightening experience.
To be transparent what I am talking about is not speculative or theoretical. I am speaking from experience.
What I am sharing is real and based on my experience of being a Chief Heart Officer of a startup company that grew from 0-250 million in 5 years. I, along with the CEO and a purposefully chosen true leadership team, focused on the people first and the profits followed. The organization experienced minimal to no turnover, built a dynamic and thriving culture, and sustained strong internal and external relationships throughout many tumultuous times. It was not easy, took hard work, commitment, and a belief in something that just made sense. Express love and kindness you will build a team that collaborates, connects, and feels respected.
I want to help other leaders of growing organizations know that they can remove fear and formality from the workplace and still get results.
Employees should not experience a wave of anxiety the moment their boss says, “I need to talk to you”. This is a false and outdated belief system. We need to lead with heart so we can change how people experience work.
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