Being a leader takes courage! The pressure to achieve goals and results often collides with the need to take care of your own well-being and that of your employees. And how much courage do you have to take on this role in a positively influential way, for yourself and those you lead?
In this article I will explore the importance of empowering leaders - those who value their people while creating a positive and fruitful workplace - and what approaches I consider crucial to providing them with a little courage and daring to change mindsets.
Imagine a workplace where leadership not only provides guidance, but also genuinely cares about the well-being of employees.
In a world in constant evolution, the search for innovative approaches to management and the work environment has become imperative. Uncertainty, complexity and volatility marks the internal and external environment of organizations and their employees, which makes it crucial to bring different ways of thinking and acting. When we recall the humanity that characterises us all, we are not only generating more positive workplaces, but also improving everyone's performance and cooperation.
1. Theory U: changing mindsets
Leaders are people. And people who learn to understand and manage their emotions, aligning them with principles and values, will be more able to create and promote a climate of trust and empathy in their circles. By developing skills to effectively adapt to change, it is possible to foster creative problem solving and remain agile in the face of unpredictable scenarios.
Theory U (1) offers an innovative approach, helping leaders to adopt a deeper and more conscious perspective when facing challenges and when leading their teams, which goes beyond tangible results. This model encourages participants to question their own assumptions, explore new perspectives and be open to new possibilities.
In fact, it implies a change of mindset, moving from traditional management approaches to a more open, collaborative and future-oriented approach. By taking care of internal and external conditions, leaders support more engaged teams and more resilient and innovative organisations.
2. Mindfulness: having the courage to change the paradigm
We understand that it is crucial to have a leadership capable of innovating and driving this change, flexible in the way of thinking and operating. It takes courage to face challenges, drive change and still have the energy to influence your teams in an inspiring and constructive way. But how to do it? It is essential to include in professional training the development of essential soft skills to self-regulate, strengthen resilience, empathy, focus and mental clarity, as well as approaches that support the implementation of an agile culture and true cooperation.
The practice of Mindfulness has shown increasing benefits in the increasing of attention, focus, clarity of thought, ability to communicate empathetically. Change happens from the inside out. A large number of scientific studies (2) have proven this, as well as organisations that have adopted its regular practice report better performance and engagement of their employees. In this way, leadership can be provided with the ability to create psychological safety in the workplace which, according to some studies (3), ensures that employees feel free to express ideas, ask questions and even make mistakes, knowing that they will be supported and respected regardless.
3.The Way of Council: transparent communication aligned with the strategy
Creating a culture of transparent communication sets the stage for teams to feel safe sharing their perspectives and experiences. The capacity for mindful listening and authentic sharing, based on recognising and valuing each person, can also be trained and applied at any level. The Way Of Council (4), an ancestral practice of empathetic communication, not only fosters interpersonal bonds, but also promotes transparency in communication, allowing everyone to have an equally valued voice and making decision-making processes more agile and effective decision-making. And the ability to listen and understand the other's perspective, whether in the leader or in the "led", allows aligning expectations with results in a climate of trust, while strengthening an environment of cooperation and connection between teams.
As we all know: we are living in greater disruption and toxicity, with more mental health problems around us, distractions and urgent problems increasingly louder. And we need to strengthen the capacity to create internal and external conditions for creativity, collaboration and achievement of positive impact. By bringing these disruptive practices together, leaders can create a culture where employees feel valued, heard and empowered. This transformation not only promotes organisational success, but also contributes to a more humane and sustainable business world.
I would love to know your thoughts on this.
References:
(1) - "The Essentials of Theory U: Core Principles and Applications." - Scharmer, C.O. (2018), Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
(2) - "Human Empathy Through the Lens of Social Neuroscience." - Decety & Lamm, 2006.
(3) - "The Role of Psychological Safety in Human Performance and Well-Being" - Edmondson, A. C. (2018);
- "Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams" - Edmondson, A. C. (1999);
- "The Five Keys to a Successful Google Team" - Project Aristotle (2015)
(4) - "The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair" - Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea (2010)
- "The Way of Council: Origins and Adaptations for the Modern World" - Jack Zimmerman & Virginia Coyle (1996)
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