3 Steps that Help Human Leadership to Thrive not Drown
Help Human Leadership to thrive and not drown
“We just need our leaders to be more human” - They said in the boardroom
“I need support and space, to be the human leader I want and need to be” Said the mid-level leader
“I just want to work in a place where I can be treated as a human”- She said as she left.
Does this parody play out in your organisation?
What we want our organisations to be, is not always what we have in reality.
Many senior leaders are already convinced of the need for more humanity, inclusion and respect for people. But does that translate to all levels of leadership, all the way to the line manager and the employee relationship?
HR and learning programmes and policies speak of the importance of care for people.
The corporate values speak of integrity, care, trust, teamwork, collaboration.
The leader’s perspective
Strategies and plans may aim to foster human leadership and communication but what if… in practice, it doesn’t feel like human leadership is recognised or rewarded, training and development doesn’t equip leaders for the challenges faced. The higher up through the organisation we go, the less diversity we see and there is a knock on effect.
The case of inclusion and diversity- For organisations that seek and rely on innovation to succeed, cultural diversity could be the key, but the ‘diversity-innovation paradox’ shows that - People from under-represented groups are less likely to succeed in their careers.
“Without diverse leadership, women are 20% less likely than straight white men to win endorsement for their ideas; people of colour are 24% less likely; and LGBTs are 21% less likely.
Leaders who give diverse voices equal airtime are nearly twice as likely as others to unleash value-driving insights,
and employees in a “speak up” culture are 3.5 times as likely to contribute their full innovative potential.”- Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin- HBR (See references)
Innovation can only thrive when people thrive. Somewhere in the depths of getting work done, hitting performance targets and stretch targets, becoming more efficient, working smarter… we find it difficult to really be a human leader. Maybe it feels like this…
Difficult conversations are still overwhelming and often avoided
Leading organisational and cultural change is challenging
Giving and receiving feedback feels forced and disingenuous
Underrepresented groups don’t speak up, don’t feel like they are seen or belong- they do not make it to the most senior levels.
Decisions are made by the few, for the many
Decisions are made and communicated faster and clearer in favour of prosperity - but slow and vague for people and planet.
There is another way … A more human way to lead
What is human leadership? Firstly… It is felt! Human leadership is gauged by how others feel seen, heard, appreciated, valued and a sense of belonging.
The skills required include; Self awareness and mastery, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, deep listening, genuine care and compassion, a growth mindset, systems thinking and communication skills. These all sound like soft skills that are hard and take time and money to build up. But there are steps you can take to build up human leadership in your organisation.
WE CAN BUILD HUMAN LEADERSHIP- 3 STEPS YOU CAN TAKE
1- Find out what leadership feels like in your organisation and teams
We can’t fix what we can’t see so. Ask people from diverse backgrounds and at different levels in the organisation what it feels like to lead and be led in your organisation. Leadership that is human is felt.
Leadership is difficult to measure but the results of it are easy to feel. When you keep this in mind, go and ask questions… So what do people feel when they are led by you? What does leadership feel like in your organisation? What are the great examples of leadership that helps people to thrive, not just hold their heads above water- but to work at their best through each challenge presented to them.
You can use this information to plot the path to the leadership you want. If there were no barriers and you were able to design the type of leadership you want people to feel… what would that feel like?
2- Work on Systemic Cultures.
Fix the system not the people- Make space for real conversations, authentic dialogue can fight fear and discomfort.
In practice, there are years of legacy culture and legacy leadership and is hard to forget. There are policies and practices that put pressure of leaders to rank, judge and reward some people more favourably than others. There are interconnected systems and complexities that mean that change is difficult to make and sustain.
There is overwhelm, ‘not another thing, on top of everything else I need to do… I need to be human too!’
3- Role model at every level
Easy to say- Hard to do. For years, MBA students have been taught that ‘soft-skills’ like Emotional Intelligence will set them apart as a leader. But in practice this is harder if you don’t see emotional intelligence being practiced at the most influential levels in the organisation.
It has been so easy to say that we need leaders to be more human but much more challenging to overcome the barriers. For example- we have so much evidence that more emotionally intelligent leaders are more successful, we know that organisations where people feel motivated and passionate about their work, they have better engagement and the business performs better.
“It’s an act of rebellion to be a whole person.” - Courtney E. Martin
I believe that every leader is capable of building the skills necessary to lead in a human way because we are humans not machines- it is in our nature.
The commitment to learn is one of the biggest breakthroughs to real human leadership and communication. An ability to stand in the here and now and be ready to do better. Lead better, connect better and communicate better.
If you want to learn more, want to connect or want to get some support in your organisation to grow Human Leadership and Communication get in touch with me.
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Sign up to Human UP - a 90 minute workshop
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References:
How diversity can drive innovation - Sylvia Ann Hewlett, Melinda Marshall, and Laura Sherbin
Lopes, Paulo & Grewal, Daisy & Pepper, Jessica & Gall, Michelle & Salovey, Peter. (2006). Evidence that emotional intelligence is related to job performance and affect and attitudes at work. Psicothema. 18 Suppl. 132-8.
Gallup- Employee engagement drives growth
