1 Clear Sign You Have What It Takes to Be an Exceptional Leader

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In my research and work with global leaders, I have combed the planet gathering evidence to crack the code on what makes a truly exceptional leader and what great leaders do to develop a great company culture.

Historically, and still true today, as we look at what the workplace has become, many organizations see people as objects or functions--as a means to an end in a transaction. Does that ring true to you? (leave a comment)

Consider this: If we continue to treat one another merely as a "transaction"—seeing each person only as a means to achieve our own goals—our interactions will ultimately suffer in the long run. If all you're valued for is what you can provide for me to complete my work, it’s clear that our work relationship will not thrive. It's not sustainable for growth, purpose, and even profit.

Exceptional leadership

What if I, as a leader or manager, chose to treat my employees with respect and empathy, seeing them as real people with needs that are as important as my own?

If I'm in that frame of mind as a leader, the dynamic in the workplace is going to be radically different, whether you're the founder of a 5-person startup or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

As a leader, you have an enormous responsibility to care for people. Remember this: whoever you're in charge of now is somebody's daughter or son; it's someone's spouse or partner. And each relies on you for guidance and support--to be taken care of. 

In short, what is the rarest quality an exceptional leader possesses today? It's treating another person as a valued human being.

In truly human workplaces--those companies that are also profitable and making a mark in their industries, human leaders show up at every level of the organizational chart.

Being a genuine human leader—one that those around you need to excel in their work—contrasts with fear, control, micromanagement, incivility, and self-centeredness.

Being truly human means you care for others. When caring and kindness are lived out, it raises the employee experience to new heights and then carries over to a great and positive customer experience. Do you get the business case here? But that's not why you do it; the financial performance is the icing on the cake with the cherry on top. You do it because you care about your people. It's just the right thing to do.

Too soft?

At first thought, this idea sounds fluffy and off-putting from a business and organizational standpoint. But we're finding that when you express your leadership humanity through care, belonging, respect, and even "love," it makes a stunning difference in how employees feel about work:

• It raises their performance.
• It improves employee engagement.
• It increases value and loyalty across the organization.
• It makes people arrive home at the end of the day and tell their loved ones, "I love my job and I can't wait to be back tomorrow." 

Your turn: Does this kind of caring and humane style of leadership actually work to achieve business outcomes? Give your honest opinion in the comments.

Podcast Flashback: Heather Younger

Occasionally, I like to turn back the clock and feature classic episodes from the Love In Action podcast. In 2022, I sat down with the great Heather Younger -- a TEDx speaker, trainer, coach, consultant, and friend! Younger wrote the seminal book The Art of Caring Leadership: How Leading With Heart Uplifts Teams & Organizations.

Heather's book and life's work emphasize the need for leaders to model kindness, compassion, and empathy and she outlines nine ways to manifest the radical power of caring support in the workplace.

Listen to this classic episode on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

A Special Offer from Heather

Do you aspire to spark real change at work by engaging and inspiring those you lead?

The Caring Leadership® Self-Assessment is a tool to help you define your personal leadership behavior style and identify key areas for growth so you can become known as a leader with heart.

Everyone who takes the Caring Leadership Self-Assessment will receive a report that will highlight areas in which they can improve. 

You will:

• Sharpen your leadership skills

• Bolster employee wellbeing
• Gain a competitive advantage

Visit www.CaringLeadershipLearning.com to take your assessment.

Readers of The Future of Leadership can use promo CODE20 to save 20 percent off.

What Are Your Current Leadership Challenges?

Here's a moment of truth that I hope you'll appreciate. I created The Future of Leadership newsletter to make you a better leader, plain and simple. That reflects my whole mission in life -- building exceptional human leaders for the next generation. But your challenges and obstacles in 2024 may differ from years past or even 2023!

To truly understand the challenges you're facing so I can deliver great content and provide new coaching programs, I've compiled a quick 60-second survey to take the pulse of my readers. Please click here or below and tell me about your current leadership challenges. I really appreciate it!

A Sincere Thanks to My Subscribers

I know you have many options for consuming content on LinkedIn and elsewhere. So, thank you...really, thank you!.... for spending the time to read my articles, engaging the discussion in the comments, and providing your valuable insights. I read every single one of them, so keep them coming! Also, let me know in the comments what topics you'd like me to cover in the future.

Lastly, I know that leadership development, coaching programs, and courses are not cheap. Worse, if your company isn't investing in developing your leadership skills and ponying up for coaching or training, or reimbursing you for those expenses, it's a big hit on the wallet. So, I get it. (Not to mention, they're totally missing the boat)

With that understanding in mind, I decided to do something about it. I created a community of “implementers” on Substack. Each week, I send insights and strategies from my work with global leaders and my coaching toolkit only available to my clients, as well as exclusive content from the highly-acclaimed From Boss to Leader course—all of this to achieve the mission of making you a better leader. The part you play is following through on the action steps and implementing the strategies. That takes commitment and a belief that what I have to offer will work for you (because I’ve seen many of the principles and practices I’ll share work for my clients).

I hope you'll consider joining. Oh, and all of that for the price of a couple of cups of coffee ☕☕ (medium roast for me, please) at your local Starbucks.

If you want to join my community and unlock Implementer Access, click below.