After many of my coaching sessions and given my own experience in leadership positions, I have come to the conclusion that what best summarises what I want to achieve with my coaching is: more human leadership.
So, in a couple of posts, I want to dive deeper into what the topic of human leadership means to me and my coaching approach.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Why does human leadership matter?
To me, what it comes down to is happier and healthier people, better (business) relationships, and more trust. In essence, many things that will lead to a more productive and healthy work environment.
One in which you don’t have to ask for trust or loyalty, as it’s an integral part of working together.
A work environment where people will go the extra mile, not because it’s a must, but because together your team wants to achieve the best possible results.
Healthier and happier people also mean less turnover, something that should not be neglected.
What action does human leadership entail?
This being part 1 of this series, I want to focus on one topic that I deeply care about in leadership. And one that I like to work on also in my coaching sessions.
People want to be seen. It is a human need to want to connect, to know you are being acknowledged, basically that you’re a member of the tribe. And whether that’s work or family or friends is equally important.
What wanting to be seen means is that you show people you care about them. And that can start with simple things such as asking them “how are you doing?”.
It also means giving people the opportunity and space to speak up, to share their opinions, and to speak up if they have a different opinion (obviously, all of this needs to be within cultural settings).
My own approach
Here are two things that I’ve always done, both of which really worked well not only for me but also for my teams.
- Get to know the team members. Not in team meetings, but in 1:1 meetings. This has always been a top priority for me. With new teams or team members, I always made sure to take the time to talk to them, listen to them, and understand who they are, what they enjoy about their role, and what they struggle with. And I’ve tried not to talk about projects.
- Spend time with your teams on the ground – especially if they are in different locations. I cannot overstate the importance of this. People value it if they feel you make an effort. To me, it’s never been about having meetings or even having to have a specific schedule and program while with my teams. But it was “just” being there and working in the same location. Frankly: priceless.
What I’ve learned
One of the main learnings that I had when doing this: never think that any action is too small to be taken seriously. No action is too small to have an impact.
What do I mean by that? I remember asking one of my team members how they were doing (this was our first meeting). And the person was so puzzled at first that they started talking about projects and deadlines. I asked them to put projects and work aside and to tell me how they were doing. I was wondering how they managed working from home (it was a lockdown period) for such a long time. How they were dealing with pressure.
The response was so telling. The fact that I had asked that question was proof that I cared and was proof to that person that I “saw” them. And this was worth so much.
This is certainly a moment that I won’t forget easily. It was this moment that made me realize that even a simple “how are you doing” isn’t asked by many. And if it is, not always with a genuine thought behind it.
Will this impact my coaching?
Yes and no. Firstly, I don’t impose any opinion or direction onto anyone. This is not what coaching is about. But, of course, I am interested in bringing a more human touch to leadership in general.
If that’s an area which you want to work on, let’s do it. Know that I won’t push you or tell you how to do it. But I will help you bring out the best side of you. Get in touch if you want to talk about this. I can’t wait to hear from you.
Here is to part 2 of Human Leadership.
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