Leaders today need to understand the assignment. And it’s no longer about telling people what to do like a ruler from on high, filling out paperwork, or even getting a cushy office. Unless your WFH space is decked out and super-glam.
So I ask you: Do you fully understand the assignment….or are you working off an outdated model of the skills you need to be a successful leader?
To access this episode transcript, please scroll down below.
Key Takeaways:
- Foster collaboration – diversity enables your organization to look at challenges from every angle without missing anything. And it enables the best ideas to rise to the top.
- Take the time to get to know your team as individuals.
- Care about people as human beings. Understand their context. Empathetically listen before you start preaching.
“You are absolutely required to inspire, listen, empathize, develop, collaborate, and foster trust. And yes, deliver results.” — Maria Ross
References:
Check out my newest digital workshop, How to Grow Your Business With an Empathetic Brand Statement. Perfect for marketers, business owners, entrepreneurs, PR and design professionals, coaches, and consultants!
Gianna Driver: The Link Between Diversity, Inclusion, and Performance
Rhonda George-Dinniston: Why Betting On Your People Leads to Market Domination
February Hot Take: Why Can’t We Do Business With Love?
Lisen Stromberg: What Modern Leaders Need to Compete and Succeed in the 21st Century
Amer Kaissi: Humbitious Leadership
Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy
Connect with Maria:
Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com
Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com
Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross
Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy
LinkedIn: Maria Ross
Instagram: @redslicemaria
Twitter: @redslice
Facebook: Red Slice
FULL TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
Welcome to the empathy edge podcast the show that proves why cash flow, creativity and compassion are not mutually exclusive. I’m your host Maria Ross. I’m a speaker, author, mom, facilitator and empathy advocate. And here you’ll meet trailblazing leaders and executives, authors and experts who embrace empathy to achieve radical success. We discuss all facets of empathy from trends and research to the future of work to how to heal societal divisions and collaborate more effectively. Our goal is to redefine success and prove that empathy isn’t just good for society, it’s great for business.
Hi, and welcome to your march hot take. Before we get to the topic at hand, I have a little shameless plug for you all, if you are a marketer, if you’re a business owner, if you’re an entrepreneur, or if you’re a PR or design professional or agency owner working with clients, I have a fabulous workshop that I created just for you on demand, how to grow your business with a magnetic brand statement. It’s an on demand brand messaging workshop, to leverage empathy to attract ideal clients with the exact right fit messaging, I actually share the templates and the tools and the strategies that I have used with my own brand strategy clients over the years to help them accelerate sales to help them stand out. And mostly to help them communicate in an authentic values driven way, so that they can attract the people who are the exact right fit for them. And empathy is a huge underpinning of that work. And that philosophy, it’s empathy as a tool for sharing and communicating your brand story that led me to this work around empathy as a competitive advantage. So if you are like I mentioned a marketer, a business owner, a coach, a consultant, a freelance agency person, a PR person, a design agency, and you want to help your business or help your clients communicate to and attract the right fit ideal clients, please check out the workshop, it’s only $39 You can check it out at red dash slice.com/brand-messaging-workshop. And I will put the link in the show notes. So on to this month’s hot take. We are going to talk about what leadership success requires in today’s world. leaders today need to understand the assignment. And it’s no longer about telling people what to do like a ruler from on high, filling out paperwork, or even getting that cushy office. Unless your work from home space is indeed decked out and super glam then more power to you. So I asked you, do you fully understand the assignment? Or are you working off an outdated model of what skills you need to be a successful leader? See leadership in the past was all about command and control. You did the job so well. You were promoted to lead others doing the same job, and so on and so on. But many people who are excellent at the work are never taught how to actually do the job of leading. Leading requires a different mindset, skill set and frankly, temperament. It’s not the same as doing the actual work. In a world where talented workers have options where people are demanding respect in the workplace, and where the data now tells us that innovation, creativity and engagement increase when the right leadership is in place. Here’s the assignment as it stands today. One you’re in, you’re responsible for fostering collaboration. Diversity enables your organization to look at challenges from every angle without missing anything. And it enables the best ideas to rise to the top. So it’s no longer acceptable to simply hire people who look and think like you, or silence dissenting voices, or create fear and competition among your own people foster collaboration, to take the time to get to know your team as individuals, what motivates them? What are their what are their lives like? Who do they want to be? And you must tailor communications incentives and career development accordingly. Invest in your people. Yes, it takes more time. Yes, it’s your job. Now if you want high performance and to ensure you get your own bonus, no, it’s not distracting you from the work. It is the work of leading. Number three, care about people as human beings understand their context. empathetically listen before you start preaching, accommodate for their challenges and differences. Get as personal as people are comfortable getting. Create a culture where people have each other’s backs. Be willing to be vulnerable and encourage connection and love for each other. You can encourage high standards expect excellence and be compassionate. We are not machines. We cannot turn our struggles challenges or mental health issues off to put on some quote unquote professional facade for embrace failure and admit mistakes. Spoiler alert, no one ever believed you knew it all anyway, that’s not the job of leading the job requires risk taking and encouraging new ideas, celebrate and learn from things not going right. It means you’re innovating or getting better. If you’re still parroting, this is the way it’s always been done, then you’re done. Five, be humble. If you can’t admit you’re wrong. What are you doing? Everyone around you knows you were wrong. And when you don’t admit it, you just look foolish and lose people’s trust. If you are still puffing out your chest, acting like you’re better than and not sharing credit or space because you think that makes you the big dog. It’s time to step aside and let a leader with humility take over to get better engagement and results. Let me be clear, these are not niceties. They are not a waste of time. They’re not distracting you from the work. This is the work of leading in today’s world. These are the skills required of successful leaders right now. You are absolutely required to inspire, listen, empathize, develop, collaborate, and foster trust. And yes, deliver results. If you’re lucky enough to lead people, then please understand the assignment. I’d love to know your thoughts on this month’s hot take. Please contact me through Instagram red slice Maria. Or you can always reach me through red dash slice.com. I am here for it all. And please if you enjoy this podcast, which is a labor of love on my part, please share it with a colleague or friend. And you know what to do rate and review it and let me know what you think. Until next time, take care. Remember that cashflow? Creativity and compassion are not mutually exclusive. Be kind.
For more on how to achieve radical success through empathy, visit the empathy edge.com. There you can listen to past episodes, access show notes and free resources. Book me for a Keynote or workshop and sign up for our email list to get new episodes insights, news and events. Please follow me on Instagram at Red slice Maria. Never forget empathy is your superpower. Use it to make your work and the world a better place.
