If I were to ask you to describe the new style of leadership that is emerging in organizations with the most attractive, efficient, high performing work environments, what qualities would you see?
How about respectful, caring, enthusiastic, honest, good communicator, collaborative, committed, accountable, helpful, coach, excellence, trustworthy, integrity, ethical, and visionary? Notice that most of these qualities are personal, not professional. They are “soft” skills as opposed to “hard” leadership disciplines.
If you were an employee and you worked for a leader with these qualities, how would they make you feel? Perhaps you would feel valued, respected, loyal, enthusiastic, positive, happy, energized, committed, engaged, and empowered. Notice how reciprocal these values are. What you give you receive.
Now observe the energy in these feelings and how they might drive personal performance. Visualize the impact it would have on achieving results if you could harness this energy and use it to create a workplace where people are thriving, excited to come to work, and giving their 100%. This is a high performing culture.
The opposite reciprocating effect is also present when negative leadership qualities are experienced in the work environment. What would it feel like to work for a leader who was disrespectful, dishonest, authoritative, demanding, and manipulative? I can imagine it would be stressful, drain the life force out of you on a daily basis, cause disengagement and reduced productivity.
The journey of cultural transformation begins with awareness—self-awareness, awareness of others and what is happening around you. A paradigm shift is taking place in leadership since the pandemic, as the baby boomers are leaving organizations and being replaced by younger leaders who were raised with a different set of values, education, and living conditions.
Leaders are recognizing the importance of “soft” skills, such as empathy and heart-to-heart communication, the power they have in developing trust relationships, and the self-mastery it takes to develop them. How aware am I of my leadership values? How does my behaviour affect others? Am I a joy to work for? The answers to these questions will help you become a heart-based conscious leader.
To learn how you can become a conscious leader and build a high performing workplace through values, register for our 2-day online course.
Much love,
Joanna Barclay, CEO, Culture Leadership Group
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