The name of this blog comes from our mission at INFLUENCE: “To empower people with clarity and confidence.”
Our objective is to provide brief but meaningful topics (under 500 words) that inspire, educate and empower leaders through resources both inside and outside of INFLUENCE. This week’s edition is provided by David Salmons.
Last week we briefly addressed toxic cultures and their most common attribute: disrespect.
This week we’ll touch on the opposite, a leadership approach increasingly referred to over the past decade as simply “Human Leadership.” The term itself is associated with three specific leadership qualities as defined through research by the Gartner Group, these being: authentic, empathetic, and adaptive leadership.
The value of this approach was recently highlighted by Caitlin Duffy, director of research in the Gartner HR practice, when she wrote: “Although these qualities may have been important for good leadership in the past, today they are non-negotiable – particularly to compete in today’s new talent landscape.”
In other words, where in the past good Human Leadership was discussed in terms of less turnover or higher productivity, the great resignation has elevated cultural issues across dozens of industries to leave many organizations in crisis, with barely enough employees to keep doors open.
So, what do these leadership qualities look like up close (or what can we do or practice to become better Human Leaders)?
1. Looking at the first quality in more detail, we see that authentic leaders build relationships primarily by inspiring trust. This requires leaders to practice:
- Self-awareness, typically involving reflection on one’s own strengths, weaknesses, and values.
- A coaching/listening/feedback mindset, which encourages the sharing of ideas and opinions.
- Transparency, with an emphasis on honesty and leading by example.
- A clear, mission and vision focus, meaning that the organization’s goals are more important to the leader than gains in personal power.
2. Dialing in on the second Human Leadership quality, an empathetic leader demonstrates interest in the lives and feelings of others, and they interact in ways that show respect for others’ personal and professional value.
This kind of empathy allows leaders to “read the room,” meaning, both understanding the words and behaviors of others’ – in light of their emotional states – as well as being able to calmly, respectfully uncover and address challenges or conflicts.
3. And third, good Human Leaders are adaptive, a quality or approach characterized by the following:
- Work environments are safe and just.
- The growth and development of team-members is a priority.
- Leaders and team-members are held to the same high standards.
- Team-members are informed and expected to solve problems – and when doing so, they are heard and supported as individuals.
In summary, not only do studies show that good Human Leaders generate higher engagement, but higher engagement produces better performance and less turnover. And with work cultures rated openly on public platforms, it’s no wonder that those who practice good Human Leadership keep ending up with the best employees, while others may be struggling to survive.