Attributes of Human-Centered Leadership

Over the years I have come to know and work with hundreds of executives.

Some of these executives have tried very hard to do everything right on paper, and yet, when in focus groups, their employees still didn't experience belonging. Some struggled with the experience of having to manage a relatively mid-level turnover for sustainable periods of time. Others failed in driving transformative change because they were acting more like a manager than a leader, despite the statutory rights handed to them. It is a fact that many of these executives were actually promoted into people leadership roles because they were very successful at managing work at an individual level.

Unfortunately, our current people leadership philosophies and practices lead to the promotion of individuals who are not always ready for handling such power and authority. Inevitably, those promoted up to leadership roles because of their impact as individual contributors tend to take comfort in the known ways of working. They find power and authority through the boundaries, policies, procedures, and protocols self-established. They focus on getting to the finish line and consider that reach to be a compliment. But, can we blame them?

Leadership today is commonly defined as the state or the position of providing an opportunity for action. In its current (and economical) terms, leadership is one closely related to “doing.” We refer to those higher in organizational hierarchies and in roles of governing our communities as “leaders.” We elevate them instead of their roles and turn to them—the person, not the role—to drive action. We feed them through our interactions, and we sacrifice ourselves and others to do what it takes to support them – not the organization as a whole. Then, when they don't meet our standards or lose connection to reality, we question why.

Interestingly, when we look at the etymology of leading, we see a slightly different meaning than the one we have adopted over the years, a definition better related to being a guide, an educator to a flow. In this definition, there is a strong focus on the link between self and the other. There is a service aspect. Leadership in its original terms is more about “being” a certain way to drive a journey forward, to travel within service of a collective bigger goal.

Why do we care about the terminology?

Well, the thing about human physiology is that our brains and our hearts pulsate together. I do mean that literally. If you ever go into open brain surgery, you’d see that the two organs are keeping a rhythm. When one is going at a hundred miles per hour, the other tries to adjust at all costs. For the majority of our current leaders, who are living in their cognition most of the time, their hearts and bodies try to compensate, leading to severe fragmentation and imbalance.

Imagine being tapped for a leadership role because you are able to achieve results through your individual contribution over the years. Imagine being elevated in perception by your peers and colleagues for your status and being rewarded only for your results through the system. If you are someone who is not trained to live in harmony and balance with all your being, if you are not trained to access your emotions and know others from that authentic place, if you are not trained to enlarge your capacities in times of stress, over a period of time, I guarantee you will find yourself getting more and more rigid in your way of working because you will need to survive one of the most complex jobs of all time.

This struggle, this constant need and drive to survive is leading to what's now referred to as "Great Resignation", not the hybrid workplace or search for better compensation as predicted (yet again) by economists. It is a sense of belonging, being whole, and having the ability to build authentic sustainable relationships. So, what can you do? Train your people's capacities. Not only for the technical know-how and common management skills; rather, invest in learning what it means to be in the drivers' seat, how to lead from a place of belonging?

In our Human-Centered Leadership book, we included eight core human attributes that can help expand capacity in people and have them exercise choice around the climate they are creating. Below is a short description of each and their impact:

1. Purpose is a core belief or an aspiration as to what we do or why we exist in the first place. In an individual and organizational context, purpose may be thought of as an understanding of the WHY (of a behavior or a situation) and/or a specific mission in service. When we are able to work with purpose, science validates for us we contribute to the formation of better sense-making for our people. The opposite is also true. When we are disconnected from purpose, we contribute to the formation of lacking.
2. Courage is a willingness to be vulnerable against uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. It is often misunderstood as lack of fear; it is rather about our ability to remain true to our purpose no matter the threatening circumstances. When we are able to work with courage, science validates we contribute to the formation of psychological safety in the environment and when we disconnect, to the formation of fear.
3. Foresight is a mental and sensory representation of things that are not yet present or a sense or feeling of what may be or what may come and a memory that connects the past and what we know to do with the future and what may be. When we can work with foresight, we become more aware of changes in the environment and prepare for different possible scenarios to act quickly. When we disconnect, it leads to negligence.
4. Emotional Insight is a capacity?to become aware, to identify, express, and work with our emotions effectively. Emotions are traditionally pushed outside of the workplace; however, their presence is critical to an individual's wellbeing and culture formation. Science validates for us when we can work with our emotions effectively, we are able to drive better connections in the environment.
5. Wonder is a sense of curiosity and connectedness presented in a given moment. In an individual and organizational context, wonder may be thought of as having a beginners’ mind to consider options and to build a valence experience. When we are able to work with wonder, science validates we contribute to the formation of creativity in the environment. When disconnected, we contribute to more cynicism in the system.
6. Wisdom refers to our quality of having good, sound judgment.?It requires practice and when we are able to work with it well, it helps to see people for what they have to offer and bring their unique contributions forward. As a result, science shows we contribute to the creation of broader circumstances for inclusion. In the environments, where wisdom is lacking, there is often more ignorance.
7. Compassion is an ability to recognize someone's suffering and to take action towards resolution. When we exercise compassion, we literally mentalize someone's thoughts and feelings, engage in experience sharing showing empathic concern. Research validates when we are able to work with compassion, we contribute to the formation of higher fairness in the environment. When we disconnect, it leads to higher indifference.
8. Mastery is both related to a sense of competence and skill and to the wisdom of truth. It is about knowing and acting with the trust that a challenge calls for effort and learning, and that struggle is part of the journey.?When we are able to lead from that place of harmony, research validates we serve as an arm of rejuvenation and growth for the environment. Similarly, when we disconnect, we contribute to forming of mediocracy.

Remember remaining whole and having high-quality human connections at work aren’t just good for people. According to “Effects of Positive Practices on Organizational Effectiveness” research by Cameron et al. at the University of Michigan, when leaders adopt a human-centered view of business that emphasizes cultures of respect, trust, compassion, and wisdom, the performance of the organization rises along with individual well-being, too.

Leaders play a key role in our workplaces and societies, and while many may not be prepared to lead, all those who hold seats of power and authority have the ability to shape our day-to-day experiences.

We all have neurosis, we do. We all carry a child inside of us.

Transformative leadership is not about being perfect, nor it is about pretending something we are not, it is about putting effort toward being our best selves and bringing that effort forward every day to inspire someone. We’ve made a lot of progress in our people leadership and practices over the years, but a lot of inconsistencies and damaging behaviors have continued.

We know what’s broken across our organizations. If we can be curious about what we want to recreate, it can support us in becoming the leaders we want to be led by.

We won’t become whole without integration. We won’t heal without rewriting our stories. We must be willing to carry our current reality with grace and humility, advocate to become the examples of human leadership in our workplaces.