On Becoming an Inspirational Leader Part 4: Show your human side
If there is one thing that has become glaringly clear since the start of the pandemic, it’s this: None of us have got it together all the time. Nobody. When we started working from home 18-months ago, a lot of energy was used to maintain the façade of being in control that was so much easier to put forward at the office. But then the world changed. Suddenly, we were contending with societal changes our generation had never experienced. Kids were at home, and we couldn’t keep them quiet. Some days we forgot to switch on the electronic background and our colleagues saw the mess our house was in. Most of us immediately realized how much we rely on the IT guy we’ve taken for granted for years. Our businesses had to adapt unexpectedly and quickly, and our leaders did not have all the answers. It reminded us of our very real shared humanity. All at once and all at the same time we did not have it all together.
About a year ago we ran a survey on LinkedIn about the experience of leadership, asking employees to share what they appreciated most about their company’s leaders during this time. You would expect the typical responses: the leaders were calm, strong, confident, had all the answers etc. But in fact, what we got was the exact opposite: the participants were most impressed by the fact that the best leaders admitted that they were unsure, uncertain, and scared. Their kids were also noisy, their houses were a mess, and some hadn’t shaved, combed their hair, or wore make-up for a bunch of days in a row. They shared their humanity, warts and all.
This brings us to the fourth point of being an inspiring leader: You need to be human.
It is true that people are impressed by our strengths, capabilities, and brilliant ideas. But, they connect with our weaknesses. Being impressive is not the same as being connected to your people, being trusted, respected, and loved. Obviously, it is advantageous to your team when you are a skilled and competent leader. But its very insightful to note that followers don’t expect us to be perfect, smart, or right – rather they need us to be there. To be accessible, present, and real. What they need more than a perfectly mapped out solution is for you as a leader to be honest, humble, and vulnerable. And make no mistake about it – being these things will take a boatload of courage. This is not for the faint of heart.
So yes, do the absolute best you can to come up with great ideas on the way forward. Involve others in your decision-making and think out of the box the navigate these continued uncertain times. Make sure to surround yourself with great people. Maintain high expectations of your team, demand and give your best. Humanity does not equal mediocrity. But be very real about the fact that, some days, we will not have it all together.
Do the best you can with the information you have available.
Say sorry when you fail (and mean it).
Stay connected to your people.
Lead with your human side.
Inspiring leaders are not inspirational by accident – they do things differently on purpose. And so can you. But it is up to you to take up the challenge: will you become a leader that people would love to follow?
The Takeaway
Anybody can become an inspirational leader if you know what to focus on. One way of doing this is to show your human side.
PurposeWorks offers a 10-week in-depth leadership coaching course that is aimed at developing inspiring leaders that people love to follow. If you are interested and want to know more talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
