3 Traits of a Human-Centered Leader

As I am re-reading the fantastic books “Leading Below the Surface ”, “Dare to Un-Lead” , and “The Humble Leader” in preparation for my conversation with the authors LaTonya Wilkins , Céline Schillinger , and Julian Stodd next week [Join us! ], I couldn’t help but reflect on the key traits of a human-centered leader .

Obviously, there are many traits that make a great human-centered leader, but I wanted to challenge myself to narrow it down to the few that I think form the foundation for creating and sustaining a human-centered culture.

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Trait #1: Humble

It all starts with the internal work, doesn’t it? I absolutely love the beautiful description of humility that Julian Stodd offers us in his book: “I know people who are humble, but few who would describe themselves as such. The badge of humility may be one that is bestowed. With that thought, humility may not be a state that we attain, but is, perhaps, a light that is shone upon our actions.”

This definition makes me curious - if we can’t attain the “badge” of humility ourselves, what are the actions that we CAN take that might get us closer to being worthy of that state?

Once again, Julian inspires us with a few reflection prompts. For example, we can always be kind. We can take pride in others’ successes, not our own. We can learn to spot power imbalances in our organizations, relieve the burden of those in our care, and distribute power. The need of a leader to be seen as a hero and to constantly seek the spotlight are villains of humility.

This self-reflection, Julian continues, might include asking ourselves:

“Not ‘What will you do?’, but ‘How can I listen?’

Not ‘Who can I blame?’, but ‘How can I help?’

Not ‘What will it cost?’, but ‘What am I prepared to invest?”

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Trait #2: Empathetic

Empathetic leaders are key to building a culture marked by psychological safety. And that environment nurtures fertile soil where innovation and creativity can thrive.

In her book, LaTonya Wilkins describes empathy as a “fallback” to REAL (reliable, equitable, aware, and loyal) below the surface leadership behaviors. Meaning, “if everything else fails, practice empathy.” LaTonya defines empathy as “our ability to understand and to connect with the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others.”

One of the key aspects of empathetic leadership, according to LaTonya, is empathetic listening. It is evidenced to build trust and respect.

LaTonya highlights key empathetic listening behaviors we can practice:

• Active listening by “asking open-ended questions, checking for understanding, and summarizing interactions.”
• More listening, less speaking. “When you are talking, it’s mainly to check for understanding.”
• Fully paying attention to what the other person is saying.
• “You are cycling through and playing things back, checking for understanding. You are curious and you continue to reflect.”

The next level of empathetic listening according to LaTonya is when you become an observer and see others as part of a larger system, especially when they are being marginalized. LaTonya shares an impactful exercise for how we can become better observers in this context: “In all your interactions over the next few weeks, try to spend more time observing and listening rather than talking. Notice how people who are different from you are experiencing the world. Observe – and ask- what’s happening in their bodies.”

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Trait #3: Co-Creative

It’s not till the last chapter of her book that Céline Schillinger outlines the traits of a leader. I think this is no coincidence since the premise of the tome is to “un-lead”, meaning to cede power as individual leaders and re-distribute it throughout our organizations and societies.

It’s a bold and powerful manifesto.

What if we dared to re-imagine leadership in such a way? Might it help to truly surface the best ideas, no matter where they come from in an organization? Might it empower voices we haven’t heard before? Might it create more equitable workplaces?

In this model, Céline likens leadership to gardening. Leaders-as-gardeners “make space for other viewpoints and elicit connection through play, curiosity, creation, empathy, and art. Naturally, they do not do this in a heroic way, standing out with exceptional skills. Instead, they invite their colleagues to practice their emotional fluency with them.”

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As always, I am curious to hear what you think! How do these human-centered leadership traits resonate with you? Which others might you add?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Design Thinking for HR is a biweekly LinkedIn newsletter that aims to inspire HR professionals to experiment with the human-centered design framework. The newsletter is curated by?Nicole Dessain who is a talent management and employee experience leader, founder of the HR.Hackathon Alliance , and a Northwestern University instructor. Nicole is currently writing her first book about Design Thinking for HR. Join the Early Readers’ Community here .