By: Stephen Brewster
I desperately want to be someone and work with others who show genuine concern for others, are empathetic and sympathetic to what is going on but have an unwavering necessity to push towards better and success!
In our last post, we talked about the six warning signs of unhealthy, insecure, and dangerous leaders. In this post, I wanted to turn the page. There is are alternatives to these type of leaders, and a few of us have had the change to serve under one of these fantastic forces of leadership. An easy way to categorize this leader is to call them a “good boss” or “someone who cared” but the secret is they have become a “compassionate leader.”
I was listening to the story of Jeff Weiner. Jeff is the CEO of Linkedin and at one point in his careers was named by Forbes magazine a leader of “blunt force.” That doesn’t sound overly compassionate. Over the course of the past few years, some life changes happened that shifted the focus and purpose of Jeff’s leadership. Today Jeff is a different leader. So different that he is one of a very select handful of leaders to receive a 100% “desire to work for” rating from a 360 review. That means that every person who works for him, LOVES working for him. Jeff will tell you it is because he shifted to being a compassionate leader. But how? How do you become this unicorn? Here is what we found out –
- Be a leader who inspires not a manger that directs. A great leader clarifies vision, lives the courage of her convictions and can clarify and communicate the vision and convictions. Meanwhile, a manager is task focused, top-down, and tells people what to do which is not the recipe for developing next level leaders.
- Know your values and live each one. You can’t be a great leader if people are not clear on what you value. Linkedin has six core values that Jeff lives every day. He leads from these values.
- Compassionate leaders begin by investing in their leaders. You have to invest in leaders so that they can invest in those they lead. If we are not investing in our leaders and growing them into rockstars, there is zero chance for scalability in our organization. Remember, leaders, inspire people while managers tell people what to do!
- Compassionate leaders also know the key metrics that require evaluation. They are focused on what matters most and don’t put preference over value. The convictions and values drive the wins, so it becomes so clear what matters!
- A compassionate leader takes it home with them. Some will have a problem with this and scream “boundaries” and “unhealthy.” I am not suggesting being overworked. I am talking about mindset. When you are a compassionate leader, you lead from a connection to your team on an emotional and relational level. You have become so entrenched in your work that everything impacts you spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Inside of your boundaries, you don’t remove your passion for people, convictions, or values.
- Finally, we as compassionate leaders, remember that failure is our chance to learn and stay humble. Nothing is more important than always learning and staying grounded.
How are you ranking as a compassionate leader? Have you noticed that maybe you are in a season of drifting into some lousy leadership habits? I hope you are growing in your leadership and become the compassionate leader your team needs!
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