Are you a KIND Leader...?

There’s a lot of talk about Leadership, especially in the past 10-15 years: The agile or adaptive leader; the wise or charismatic leader; and not to mention the authentic leader….so, with the amount of energy going into the subject of ‘Leadership’ I’m baffled as to why are there still so many incompetent leaders.

Travellers frequenting the lounges at a number of capital city airports of late may have seen the big banners promoting the newly rebranded Institute of Managers and Leaders-Aust/NZ (previously the Australian Institute of Management).

The banners read “30% of people leave because of their manager” or words to that effect. Startling. And sadly I have to say, in my experience, true. What does this actually mean for you as a manager? 

Are you part of the problem or the solution?  

Staff engagement is a bare minimum if an organisation is to remain vital and the greatest influence and impact on that engagement is one’s manager – statistically speaking a manager can influence a staff member’s engagement by up to 53% while the type of work they do only impacts them by 21%.

The gap is partly related to emotional intelligence – studies suggest that 36% of a leader’s effectiveness is said to be related to this attribute. But…are you a Kind leader? Do you demonstrate a genuine connection with those you lead in a way that is generous, considerate and thoughtful? 

We live in a world where the strong, loud and assertive are more often than not promoted, given air time and respected – the energy is extroverted. What of the gentle art of kindness...it’s not hard. We talk of mindfulness – a conscious form of thoughtfulness. Why don’t we talk about Kindness?  

Realistically this is about being a socially responsible leader – really understanding the impact of your connection with others and their wellbeing. In my mind, taking emotional intelligence just one step further.

How can you be a Kind leader? There are three things you may like to think about -

1. Empathise – put yourself in the other person’s shoes.  

2. Enable – empower, give space, create a positive working environment where your staff can work at their best, succeed and shine.

3. Encourage – support, mentor and respect your staff and their abilities. Show that you value them by trusting them, giving feedback and connecting them with the right people.

 ….and by the way, you don’t have to be a Leader or Manager to be KIND.

Trish Favretto-Dicer is a highly regarded and experienced Executive Leadership Coach, Career Coach, Wellness Coach and Organisational Cultural Strategist. She has been the principal of Wisdom in One for close to 20 years. She works with organisations to promote engaging people in life and work, developing enlightened and responsible leaders, ensuring we build positive workplace cultures and have everyone performing with meaning and at their best. To connect with Trish and enquire how she can make a difference in your workplace, please call on 0411 626 549.  www.wisdominone.com.au