Leading Well and Being Well
Leaders are always in the spotlight. In the last year, even more so. As this decade unfolded, we were presented with profound challenges. We immediately looked to our leaders – in government, business, communities – to help us maintain our equilibrium and to show us how to move ahead in our daily lives.
We are still charting the way forward in our post-pandemic world. What we know is that when our leaders lead well they build the bridges that employees need to be well, which is essential to creating a thriving workforce and a successful organization.
In the book Cracking the Leadership Code, author, speaker and thought-leader, Alain Hunkins, shares three core principles that leaders can employ to lead well. Those principles are connection, communication and collaboration.
Connection
Human connection has been disrupted on many fronts in the past year. The widespread move to work from home has resulted in seeing our colleagues only on screen. We no longer have the casual interactions and conversations that allowed us to deepen relationships. The result is that our networks have shrunk and our social capital, or fellowship with others, has decreased. This has the potential to stifle innovation and productivity.
I recently spoke with Hunkins to discuss how connection impacts well-being and he stated, “What we know from the research and the science is that when people feel cared for they are much more engaged, they are much more likely to do better work and they are much more likely to tell other people about their positive experience, whether they are customers or employees.“
Making people feel cared for and creating a culture of caring influences employee engagement and productivity. Hunkins commented further, “As leaders, we have to know there is a time and a place to go slow, to care for, to connect, and for us to put the people before the task. This is getting out of the old industrial age mindset of seeing people as human resources, as literal things or spare parts that can be interchanged, and understanding that we are leading human beings. That starts with empathy. When people feel cared for in that way, their performance is going to accelerate and it’s going to be more sustainable for all parties and for the long-term viability of the organization.”
Communication
Leadership communication plays a key role in a thriving business. In its absence, employees will make up their own stories. When communication is transparent, authentic and frequent, it provides clarity. Hunkins stated, “Communication and the goal of creating clarity and understanding is critical to leadership and well-being because confidence comes out of clarity. When I am clear and I know I have understanding, I can move forward with boldness. Whereas when I have confusion and uncertainty, I’m doubting my decisions. I’m wondering, ‘is this okay?’, ‘is this the right thing to do?’ When we have clarity, it provides shared understanding. And the point of communication is to create this shared understanding which further creates the platform on which we take all future action.”
Collaboration
Collaboration is at the core of what we do in workplaces. Without it, businesses can’t succeed. Hunkins describes collaboration as multi-faceted and linked to innovation, “Every organization that I’ve worked with says, ‘we want to be more innovative.’ So what are you doing to create a climate that supports that? The climate is a result of specific behaviors that you do as a leader every day. In my work and in my research I have found that there are four fundamental human needs that must be satisfied for employees to perform at their best. Those needs are safety, energy, purpose and ownership. When people have those basic needs met. You are going to have a much more robust, high-performing, collaborative culture.”
Leaders can create a productive, motivated and engaged workforce by prioritizing the needs of their employees. When leaders lead well, using the principles of connection, communication and collaboration, their followers will be well.
