Leading With Your Heart

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‘What in your life can give you feedback about what things light you up?’

John Baird & Edward Sullivan

‘Leading with heart isn’t just about being chummy or making people feel good. It’s about creating an environment of safety and connection versus fear and isolation.’

‘Growth needs are those things that we need to feel like we are living to our full potential- belonging, affirmation, intellectual challenge, access to the outdoors….’

‘If we pay close attention to how we feel in certain environments, around certain people, and when eating or drinking certain things, we can develop a very clear idea of what we actually need to feel resourced and creatively alive.’

‘Underneath all fears are deeper underlying emotions and unmet needs, uncovering these emotions is critical to understanding what is keeping you from becoming the leader you can be.’

‘Not all fear is bad, and finding the right balance of fear on your team can help you maximize your performance and the performance of the organization.’

‘Storytelling is an effective way to normalize fear in an organization. Sharing your story can be a powerful step in embracing your fear and sparking conversations about fear with others.’

‘Blindspots like fantasy, paranoia, and denial keep us from seeing what’s actually going on and can contribute to us getting derailed by our desires.’

‘Healthy competition is a potent driver to keep people united, but it can also create incentives for unethical behavior.’

‘Power and status are as motivating as they are intoxicating. Overreliance on them as motivators can create unhealthy dynamics and abusive behavior.’

‘Everyone has a special gift, but we tend to undervalue our natural talents and strengths because we didn’t have to work for them like all of our learned skills.’

Source:

John Baird & Edward Sullivan (2022). Five Conversations that Unlock Creativity, Purpose, and Results

Becoming A Reality-Based Leader

Great leaders lead their people. They don’t run away when things are not going well.

They don’t blame their people. They do the opposite. They learn from problems.

Above all, a great leader faces his or her reality.

If you as a leader do not embrace reality and deal with it directly, those you lead will not know how to invest the precious resources of their time and energy.’

Leadership is about winning hearts and minds and consistently calling employees up to greatness by insisting on- and investing in- their growth and development.’

Leadership is working on the overall willingness, morale, and capacities of employees rather than micromanaging and becoming overinvolved in their daily activities.’

Reality-based laeders help people to change their mindsets, knowing that beliefs- not circumstances- are the greatest predictor of results.’

Reality-based leaders know that high expectations are a gift, and that it is not generous or loving to give someone that which they are capable of providing for themselves.’

‘Reality-based leaders make their expectations of the team very clear.’

Reality-based leaders assess a team’s results honestly.’

Lead the team through a thorough accounting of their individual contributions to the results.’

Reality-based leaders do not damage their credibility by perpetuating the ridiculous notion that employees should never bring forward a problem without also having a solution at hand.’

Reality-based leaders never entertain complaints about coworkers.’

When you’re in judgment, you are dealing with your story- not with reality.’

Source:

CY Wakeman (2010). Reality-Based Leadership: Ditch the Drama, Restore Sanity to the Workplace, & Turn Excuses Into Results