The impact of leading from the heart

One day a person on my team sent an email with highly confidential information to the wrong recipient. It was about a complex process that included coordination between several countries and where the dismissal of a senior leader was at stake.

She called me crying to tell me what happened and the actions she had taken to mitigate the potential leak.

I calmed her down by telling her that it was a human error and that we were going to solve it.?Although I was kind in my words, I recognize that I maintained a minimal – perhaps imperceptible – coldness. After all, a mistake had been made.

Because of the criticality of the matter, I decided to inform my boss. I knew that this could end in a strong reprimand and I acted under the premise that everyone should take responsibility for their actions. I gave him the context expecting his justified anger at the situation.

His reaction and response, however, gave me a lesson in what it is to lead with the heart:

"I feel deeply sorry for what she must be feeling," he told me, “It hurts a lot when something like this happens to us. Please thank her for everything she is doing and tell her that she has our full support."

I was embarrassed by my previous flash of coldness.

Not content yet, he sent her an email directly reiterating his support, offering his help, and telling her how he remembered at least two occasions in his career where he had experienced something similar and how it was still a painful memory for him. "You responded immediately, you took actions to inform the right people, and I am sure that the situation is contained. I appreciate your leadership and have full confidence in you."

My phone rang and again there was crying on the other end of the line. This time it was one of surprise, relief and gratitude.?Her wrinkled heart had been restored.

Over time I witnessed how the level of commitment, desire to do things right and sense of belonging of the person on my team (and to be frank, my own), increased exponentially.

I took a great lesson. In situations like these we can take 3 paths:

1. Enrage and pursue culprits.
2. Be reticently empathetic, as was my case.
3. Lead with total humanity, as my boss did.

When the individual that makes the mistake is a good person, I invite you to explore the third option.

The most powerful way for leaders to eradicate fear in organizations, create a healthy culture, leave a positive print, inspire and generate unwavering commitment, is to face mistakes with full empathy. Knowing that we are all human and prone to error, and building an environment of psychological safety to act, correct and learn.

Try it yourself: the impact of leading from the heart is way stronger and long lasting than any performance correction.