How to retain your heart strengths, even while driving performance.
Should I be a results-driven leader or a heart-based leader? Should I make the tough call or be loyal to my colleagues who have become friends over time? These are examples of polarizing questions that create inner conflict in leaders daily.
But what if it’s not an either/or decision?
What if you can drive performance AND be a leader who cares about people? One does not preclude the other if you want to lead well, especially during tough times.
Yes, there are times when the business's health must precede what each individual in your organization would prefer. Layoffs are a great example of one of the most challenging decisions a leader ever has to make. In such times, the good of the many and the sustainability of the business entity must be prioritized. And, yes, when this occurs, individual lives are impacted. But it doesn’t mean you, as the leader, are compassionless. Quite the contrary, most great leaders feel the loss personally and struggle to live with the necessity to make grave decisions that impact human lives. Especially those they have worked beside for years and come to know as human beings with families. They do what they must to ensure healthy financial results and kindly express their emotions to those impacted by their decisions. The kind of leader you are matters during good times. But it matters even more during economic stress.
Who You Are During Tough Times Reveals Your Agility.
Generative leadership demands more than technical expertise in today's post-pandemic and fractured business economy. Now more than ever, to be an effective leader, one must have a strong skillset in emotional intelligence and soft skills. These critical skills enable leaders to connect authentically with team members, build stronger relationships, and ultimately drive organizational success. This pillar article will uncover key concepts in cultivating emotional intelligence and demonstrating the leadership attributes of Humanity: The Meta Strengths of Heart (specifically Empathy, Trust, and Likability) and provide practical insights and strategies for transforming yourself into a more impactful and inspiring leader. So get ready to unlock your full leadership potential in an era where your most mature soft skills are needed more than ever.
The Role of Self-Awareness in Developing Emotional Intelligence
As leaders, we often focus on our technical expertise and hard skills to execute performance more swiftly. While these are undoubtedly important, they are not the only qualities that make for effective leadership. At Tilt365, we have scientific evidence that four discrete categories of character strengths lead to exceptional leadership that continuously produces innovation. The important one for social success lies in developing and leveraging what we call Humanity: The Meta Strengths of Heart.
Heart-based strengths are critical for effective leadership. This category of strengths refers to the extent to which a person embodies qualities such as empathy, trust, compassion, humility, likability, and authenticity. These attributes are essential for building solid relationships with others, fostering trust and loyalty, and creating a positive workplace culture. What we say and do as leaders lingers in the minds of our team long after we’ve spoken and continue to influence how they think about the business and its future. In addition, these relationship skills are necessary for leaders to connect with their team members and build a cohesive and productive work environment. Developing Humanity attributes and strengths-based leadership should be a priority for any aspiring leader.
