Leading With Heart
We all know about the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, generational differences, labor shortages, and all the rest. And certainly, plenty of ink has been metaphorically spilled trying to root out the villains in the 2022 story of workforce disruptions.
But looking for villains and someone to blame is a fast path to even further unrest. Instead, try to adopt an approach where you're leading with heart. I recently chatted with Edward Sullivan, co-author of the new book Leading with Heart: 5 Conversations That Unlock Creativity, Purpose, and Results, and as he told me, those who are leading with heart "are more curious than judgmental."
Exhibiting curiosity, listening empathically, and responding constructively are all easier said than done. For example, while listening empathically might seem like an easy skill, less than a third of people receive a perfect score on the test "Do You Know How To Listen With Empathy?" And in the Leadership IQ study, The State Of Leadership Development, only 26% of employees say their leader always responds constructively when people share their work problems.
Think about the old management admonition that employees should bring their leader solutions, not problems. While that sounds like it would encourage accountability and proactivity, the reality is far more fraught. As Sullivan shared, "The best leaders today say, 'bring me problems, not just solutions.' Too many leaders say, 'don't bring me problems, only bring me solutions,' but that just trains employees to sit on intractable problems. A problem that could have been solved six months ago wasn't raised because employees didn't have a solution. And now the problem is far worse and a complete mess."
Notwithstanding the elegant logic of that argument, plenty of leaders are still searching for scapegoats. Generation Z, for example, often comes under fire from more seasoned leaders for experiencing burnout, not silently enduring unpleasant working conditions, and the like. But Sullivan’s coaching work finds that "Generation Z is leading the way right now in that they're getting more comfortable asking for what they need from an emotional and mental health standpoint. And while some people criticize or lampoon that sentiment in memes, etc., it's actually emotionally intelligent and brave for this generation to be clear about their boundaries and needs. All the research shows that if people are close to burnout, they're no longer making great decisions, and we should appreciate those who are willing to communicate that openly and honestly."
Think about your employees. Would they be comfortable telling you, as Sullivan says, that "I'm actually redlining right now, and I need to take a couple days off"? In Leadership IQ's study on employee burnout, 75% of leaders agree that their people are making mistakes as a result of burnout. But are your people willing to tell you directly that they're fried? It's safe to assume that at least some of your people are burned out, so if you're not hearing those concerns directly, it's unlikely that it's a positive sign.
On a practical level, leaders can foster greater openness by simply walking the talk. Sullivan shared, "Creating the space to talk about burnout is easier if the leader leads the way. A leader who can talk about the intensity of the pace at the office, who can very visibly take a vacation, who turns off Slack and email every night, sets a tone like we're going to work sustainably. It's the leader who sends emails all weekend, who attends calls while on vacation, that sets the example that there's no such thing as a vacation at this company."
Sullivan cautions leaders to recognize that employees take their cues from leaders' behavior. He notes that "even Olympic athletes have to rest; that's part of their program. The coach builds rest into their program because, without rest, performance starts to break down."
