Written by: Marguerite Thibodeaux, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Being an effective leader in the 21st century requires more than technical knowledge and executive presence. It also requires courage and compassion.
Leaders are having to navigate more and more complex, delicate issues in the workplace like well-being, politics, and antiracism. Leaders no longer have the luxury of saying, “That’s a personal problem; let’s get back to work,” or “The company needs you to work this weekend,” without repercussions. Research has shown that treating employees like numbers breeds a tit-for-tat working relationship and undermines loyalty and retention, costing US organizations $550 billion a year according to Gallup estimations. On the other hand, compassion cultivates trust and loyalty, which in turn increases productivity and retention. Shifting from punishment to compassion is no small change and takes concerted effort and courage to implement, both courage in deviating from old leadership styles that many senior leaders still subscribe to and in delivering difficult messages and holding colleagues accountable.
What does it mean to lead with courage?
Leaning into courage in three main areas will help you reap the benefits of leading with courage.
Courage to speak the truth
Leading with courage means saying the true but unpopular thing. Providehard feedback. Pushback on unrealistic expectations. Ask the tough questions. Often, leaders use this as an excuse to be rude. Instead, aim for the sweet spot: focus on the intent of the conversation, and meet your audience where they are without sacrificing clarity for being liked. Provide facts with purposeful transparency. You can be courageous and bold without being rude and condescending.
Courage to ask for help
Contrary to popular belief, asking for help is actually a sign of courage. It takes self-awareness and vulnerability to admit when you need help.
It earns your team’s trust by showing them that you prioritize the team’s success over your own appearance of perfection. Delegating also shows you trust them; you don’t feel like you have to lift the heavy load on your own. You are empowering your team. And when you empower them, you will be confident that even if you’re on vacation or a leave, you can still rely on them to hold down the fort while you are out.
Courage to celebrate wins
Leading with courage also means intentionally creating space to celebrate wins. When your teammates see that their efforts and milestones are recognized, good things happen. Making people feel safe and valued can result in increased motivation, psychological safety, retention, and more.
What does it mean to lead with compassion?
Effective leaders invest in people and genuine relationships. It’s quite hard to deliver feedback and correct behavior if you have not established a positive relationship first.
Compassion means letting people know you see them as human.
Let’s start with feedback. Show care by giving empowering feedback that doesn’t blame, shame, and condescend. Compassionate feedback focuses on the facts and assumes your teammate had a reason for doing what they did; compassionate leaders are open and curious about how their teammate can improve in the future.
Compassion also means letting other people see you as a human.
Show your teammates that the leader they see at work is also a person with a home and loved ones. Show the same kindness to your teammates that you would show a friend. This is how you earn their trust that when you have to correct them or give hard feedback, they would know not to take it personally.
Compassion means creating a safe space at work for your teammates.
Compassion also means creating a safe space to hold difficult conversations. This means allowing your teammates to express themselves without the fear of their words being used against them.
Sometimes a major political decision or world event is weighing on your team’s minds. Giving them a few minutes in a team meeting to respectfully get things off their chest can allow them the space to process and feel heard in a way that allows them to get back to work.
Leading with courage and compassion takes an investment of time and energy and reaps real rewards. Both you and your teammates reap great benefitswhen you invest in bravely doing the right thing and showing people they are valued.
Want the benefits of leading with courage and compassion but don’t know where to start? Book a complimentary consultation. I’d be happy to help get you started.
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Want one-on-one help adapting these strategies to your team? Book a complimentary call with Marguerite. Every leader deserves support.
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Marguerite Thibodeaux, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Marguerite Thibodeaux, an leadership coach and talent management consultant, helps leaders and organizations bring the best out of people with courage, compassion, and clarity. After building development programs and leading a talent transformation at a Fortune 100, she became increasingly aware that not all leaders had access to a Fortune 100 Learning & Development team. To do something about that, she started Magnanimous Leadership, a leadership coaching and consulting firm that's on a mission to make resources and support available to every leader.
