those with high engagement, the average
one-year operating margin was close to
three times greater, at just over 27 per cent.
There is strong evidence that these results
may be due to the positive impact that a
more heart-centred leadership approach
has on employee performance.
In our business culture, and society
in general, the image or metaphor of
the heart is often associated with yielding,
kindness or perhaps weakness. Yet,
the heart is also strong and powerful, as
well as the driving force of life. A leader’s
ability to lead well is hindered when
there is an unbalanced connection with
the heart.
Anyone can be a heart-centred leader
if he or she has the determination
and daily commitment to practice certain
core principles. The root or basis of
these principles is fueled by “the power
of the human element.” Two things are
required to tap into this human component
that will enable leaders to connect
to and inspire their employees. The first
is the ability to listen or, better yet, the
ability to learn how to listen. The second
is to have an unwavering willingness
to clear personal obstacles and organizational
limitations that get in the way of
this deeper listening.
Leaders can move mountains when
they understand that they share the same
universal needs that their associates do.
People want to be valued, listened to,
appreciated, respected, involved and
connected. They wish to have meaning
in their lives. At the very least, people
want their self-esteem to be maintained
and, ideally, enhanced. However, these
needs are rarely expressed out loud.
People in a working environment will
not come right out and ask, “Will you
value me?” or “How can we create more
meaning on the job?” But when leaders
step back and really take in all that is being
said, both verbally and nonverbally,
they will find that – at the root of the
problem, frustration or challenging situation
– people are really saying that they
want to be valued.
It is important to understand how the
human element shows up at work. Many
problems result when human needs for
self-esteem and meaning are not valued or
are even thwarted. The following is a short
leadership
THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP IS, AT ITS CORE, ABOUT PEOPLE
CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE – THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT COST WHEN
YOU NEGLECT THE HUMAN CONNECTION POINT IN BUSINESS.
Baranq/Shutterstock
list of the ways that these “people needs”
surface when they do not receive the attention
they deserve:
■■ Meetings that drag on. Time is often
wasted in meetings because an associate
just wants to be heard or feels that what
he or she has said is not valued.
■■ Office politics. Office politics are
usually about protection, self-interest
and self-esteem; they are about being
valued.
■■ The need for team-building. When
a team is in trouble, it is often more
about relationships and less about
team processes and structures.
Leaders want and need their
associates to get along, cooperate
and have their needs met, both as
individuals and as a group.
■■ Retention problems. Associates
rarely quit the company. More often
than not, they quit their boss. For
more than 30 years, researchers have
studied factors related to associates’
commitment to their organizations
and their reasons for quitting. Almost
always, the number one determinant
of leaving was the lack of leadership or
support by administration, managers or
supervisors.
A wide variety of problems that companies
face today can be improved through
effort spent in the human connection point.
In short, there is great power in understanding
the importance of heart-centred practices
in business. Remember that honouring the
heart does not signify weakness. True power
means listening to and from the heart and
having the commitment and humility to
clear all that stands in the way of that heart
connection. Leaders who have authentically
tapped into this power can positively transform
any organization and run extremely
successful and profitable businesses. n
Susan Steinbrecher is a business consultant
and coauthor of Heart-Centered
Leadership: Lead Well, Live Well.
54 ❚ MAY/JUNE 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL