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A common misconception that many people have about leadership is that you have to be intimidating and demand respect in order to be a great leader. In fact, many of us see leaders as cold, aloof or emotionless. These presumed characteristics paint a portrait of leaders as people who are disinterested in being shown any sort of love, affection or friendship. This could not be any further from the truth. The best way to foster this love is through mutual trust and open communication. Here are my top reasons why compassion is your greatest leadership tool.
Forming Meaningful Relationships
Leading with love and compassion means we can form more meaningful relationships with our co-workers. One thing that sets good leaders apart from great leaders is the ability to care enough about people to know what is important to them and how you can best support them on their route to success. Effective leadership begins with understanding and connecting with the people that you are leading. When you understand what inspires and empowers the people whom you work with, you can help them succeed more effectively.
Another vital aspect of forming meaningful relationships is fostering trust between you and your co-workers. Finding ways to connect to the people you are leading on a personal and genuine level is one of the best ways to build trust with them. Engaging in genuine conversations with your team can encourage them to be honest and open with you. This will help you build a strong group culture on the basis of respect and understanding.
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Embracing Differences
Let’s face it, nobody is great at everything. We all have weaknesses or things that we wish we could be better at. However, it is our natural tendency to try to hide these flaws and overcompensate in other areas of our work to make up for them. With that said, it’s nearly impossible to find solutions to the challenges that we face without admitting that we are struggling with them.
When you choose to lead with love, you will be making a choice to support a culture that allows people to feel safe enough to be vulnerable and admit their shortcomings. By embracing everyone’s unique weaknesses, you will open the floor to finding solutions that people may not have thought of on their own. Of course, we will be expected to learn from the feedback we receive. However, leading with love eliminates the feeling of rejection after making a mistake.
Encouraging Difficult Conversations
Every relationship that we have in life will come with difficulties from time to time, including professional relationships. Although it might be your instinct to want to walk away from conflict or avoid it altogether, this is not a productive way of resolving issues. That’s why it’s important to walk into conversations knowing that even if they are difficult, the opinions and boundaries of the participants will be respected. Facing difficult conversations head-on can improve the way we communicate and relate to one another in general. It can also help to resolve serious issues before they escalate or get out of hand. To call upon compassion in the midst of difficult conversations means being prepared for genuine emotional engagement.
When you choose to lead with love, success will follow. This can be applied to every aspect of your life: your leadership, business and your personal relationships. When it comes to being a great leader, the first step is leading with love. When you choose compassion and understanding over fear and intimidation, the results might shock you. In fact, you will find that you and your coworkers can have difficult conversations, embrace weaknesses, provide solutions, and form more meaningful relationships with your team.
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