Encouraging The Heart
“Courage. Encourage. Two words, same origin. Heart. You gotta have heart. Miles and miles and miles of it. There’s no bravery or boldness without heart. There’s no spirit or support without heart. There’s no sacrifice or soul without heart. Nothing great ever gets done without heart. You gotta have heart.
And at the heart of leadership is caring. Without caring, leadership has no purpose. And without showing others that you care and what you care about, other people won’t care what you say or what you know. As a relationship, leadership requires a connection between leaders and their constituents over matters, in the simplest sense, of the heart. It is personal and it is interpersonal.”
-Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner in Encouraging The Heart: A Leader’s Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
A few years ago, the company I worked for was sold to an investor group. During one of the many site visits by the new leadership team, a senior board member asked to meet with me for a “getting to know you” conversation.
At the time, I had the GiveMore.com “Love Your People” poster in my office, reflecting the kind of leader I tried to be every day. The previous year I had been recognized as the Encourage the Heart Champion as part of our company’s leadership development program; it was a philosophy I was/am passionate about.
Near the end of our chat, the board member asked me about the poster. I explained my thoughts on leading from the heart. I told him that I believed coaching, discipline, recognitions and many other interactions were all more successful if they were rooted in caring for the whole person. I also shared my experience that employee satisfaction and commitment to excellence were higher when employees felt that leadership was focused on both their professional success and overall well-being.
I thought it was a great conversation and was happy to have the time with one of our new leaders.
The following week, my direct supervisor at the time “suggested” that I take the poster down. He said that it was “not professional” and “all this talk about love and caring and the heart” would negatively impact my reputation among the new leadership team.
Ultimately, the poster came down but my leadership style did not change. Loving your people does not require words on a piece of paper. It requires a commitment from within.
This Valentine’s Day week and always, find the courage to lead from your heart, no matter what others might say about it. Caring deeply for your team members is a good thing. Let your love for them guide your decisions, coaching conversations, recognitions and disciplinary actions.
For further reading:
Encouraging The Heart: A Leader’s Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner
Lead With Love: 10 Principles Every Leader Needs to Maximize Potential and Achieve Peak Performance by Gerald M Czarnecki
Lead with LUV: A Different Way to Create Real Success by Ken Blanchard and Colleen Barrett
Love Works: Seven Timeless Principles for Effective Leaders by Joel Manby
The Radical Leap Re-Energized: Doing What You Love in the Service of People Who Love What You Do by Steve Farber
The Leaders We Remember Most (blog post) by Lolly Daskal
To order items from the Love Your People product line, follow this link.
