Anyone who has reflected on leadership, done a business degree, attended leadership development programmes or read books about leadership will see, that whilst there are hundreds of qualities associated with leadership and a plethora of models it’s hard to identify anything new as such…we all pretty much ‘know’ everything about the theory of leadership…or do we?
What if there really is something new to understand about leadership. I’d like to suggest that the new that needs to be cultivated in all leadership lies in the leader’s ability to truly love. To love all living things to such a level that every act, every decision taken, every possibility considered is always through the heart.
When open and actively engaged, the heart has an incredible capacity for understanding, empathy, compassion, connection, relationship building and collaboration. It radically alters the quality of the decisions taken not in a whimsical, unreliable, sentimental way, but by expanding the perspective, balancing an overly rational and logical mind, and bringing in qualities that enable more inclusive behaviours.
None of which is to say that the mind isn’t also needed to play its part – it can help by bringing the logic, clarity, will, challenge and discipline that also facilitates the right steps to be taken. New leadership though is a blend of both with the heart qualities defining the culture and context within which leadership is being enacted. It defines the terrain for the mind to navigate rather than the rational, task mentality setting the parameters.
Working collaboratively love and will set a higher bar for creativity – in thinking, in solutions, in relationship building and in how we are with each other. Love helps build the space for trust and openness to be present and that facilitates inclusion – of people, ideas, beliefs, possibilities, obstacles and challenges.
Bringing love into leadership is bit new and old. Most of us will be able to point to times when we have led from the heart, perhaps motivated by our team or by clients and customers or other stakeholders – we may even be able to recall how it felt but it isn’t normalised…yet. It isn’t acceptable…yet. It requires something of a revolution to bring it into our organisations as an accepted and meaningful part of leadership. It requires a rebalancing of our task and profit mindset with a greater good mindset – they don’t have to be incompatible – we simply have to open our hearts.
Shall we start that revolution?