Day 13: What are the Benefits of Loving/Kindness for Leadership?
The traditional command and control leadership style trains us to lead with our heads, not our hearts. I am not disputing that this method is not useful, but could we lead with both?
High achieving women are not push overs! When we use the words love, kindness, and compassion, our brains could be conditioned to think, “enough”! “Just give me the facts”! Some may judge leading from your heart as “flakey” or useless !
All leaders need results, yet emotional intelligence and mindful leadership styles are emerging as complements to a coaching style of leadership. We are now showing interest in a more compassionate style: We are leading with feelings! Perhaps this could be an important breakthrough and a new leadership advantage!
Emotionally intelligent, mindful, and compassionate styles of leadership invokes questions like:
· How could I be a more compassionate leader? What would motivate me to be this way?
· What would being more compassionate look like for me, my team and clients?
· What value would this bring? (qualitative/ quantitative benefits)
· How could I inspire others to show compassion?
· How could coaching help in this journey?
There’s no simple definition of love, kindness and compassion. Part of being compassionate to your clients is ensuring they have the one page business plans, the return on investment markers, the leadership and number dashboards, the structures, facts, figures, and anything else they need to properly do their job.
Loving Kindness often conjures up vulnerability and seen as weakness!
Personally, the secret sauce in my career was a more compassionate caring style. Like many of us I was becoming conditioned to believe this was a “wrong” approach! As life and leadership lessons do, I am re-emerging to advocate for more humane workplaces for our leaders of tomorrow! The world today needs a little loving-kindness from the C-suite to the front-lines, because at the end of the day, we are all just people! So today, what would it look like to experiment with a simple yet grounding exercise called, the Loving- Kindness Meditation?
Simply allow your mind and heart to be directed to the intention of sending loving-kindness. Do this practice while sitting, walking or while out in the world. Start with saying:
May I (you) be filled with loving-kindness
May I (you) be safe from inner and outer dangers,
May I (you) be well in body and mind,
May I (you) be at ease and happy
Here is the audio for the meditation if you desire: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s76tsqjrtv13mdp/Newsletter%20Loving%20Kindness%20Meditation%20%282%29.MP3?dl=0
What would it look like to notice how you feel, think or even behave after practicing this simple mantra? How could this inform your leadership presence?
I often find I develop a more calm, peaceful and caring attitude toward myself and others. My habit of listening and presence as a leader feels more natural and authentic.