Leadership with a human face

Let employees know who you are and they will react positively

By Stephen Walmsley

I once attended a sales and marketing conference in which the CEO of a mid-sized company was the special guest. He spoke to 200 of his senior sales managers in his twice-annual appearance. At the close of this supposedly motivating conference, he intoned, “If you are working at this company only to make a lot of money, this may not be the place for you.”

Quite an uplifting message, wouldn’t you say? As his perplexed managers left the conference in their Toyota Corollas and Honda Preludes, he climbed into his E Series Mercedes Benz. The obvious question on everyone’s mind was, “If we’re not to expect much money, why is he working here?”

The CEO I’m referring to is actually a nice person with many wonderful leadership traits. Unfortunately, the only people aware of this — and who could identify with him as a person — were those who reported directly to him. The other 1,500 employees didn’t have a clue what kind of person, or leader, he could be. I really don’t think the CEO recognized that, with that speech, he had torpedoed his leadership credibility.

If I learned anything that day it was that people need to know who their leaders are — as people. If you look back over the past 30 years, there are many half-truths held about leadership and they haven’t changed much: leadership is a science, leaders are born, not made, leaders are extroverts, leaders demand respect and leaders have to know how to direct and, if necessary, intimidate.

If you look at what employees want today, however, you will see a much different landscape. Traditionally, employees wanted security and to work for a large organization until they retired. But today’s new breed of employee is looking for a more whole and humanistic approach to corporate life. They are more concerned about having leaders they can identify with. They want to know how and what they are contributing to within the organization. Above all, they demand to be engaged and see the big picture no matter how small their cubicle.

We’ve been reading about “old” leadership and “new” employee expectations. Jack Welch, who was the epitome of a successful command-and-control leader, didn’t hesitate to predict the end of his own era. “The leader must become an even more engaged coach, an even more engaging person,” he has said. “You’re going to have to create an environment where excitement reigns, where the challenges are everywhere, and where the rewards are both in the wallet, yes, but also in the soul.”

How do leaders bridge that gap in their experience and the expectations of more and more of the people they are trying to influence? They need to be true to themselves while making the transition and recognize that they must bring more of themselves to their work. Some leaders are oblivious to feedback that isn’t stated explicitly. Some leaders are dedicated to leadership examples they experienced during their formative business years — very different from the expectations younger professionals have today.

There’s little doubt that becoming a leader is difficult for people who once (wrongly) assumed they had to give up their true personality to put on a corporate, stony face to go along with their new responsibilities. The great leaders of tomorrow realize that putting on a human face and communicating with employees isn’t easy if you have a reputation as a subdued, distant or intimidating person.

I was once coaching a client, a very professional, dedicated woman in her thirties who was an executive in a fast growing firm. She was at a crossroad in her career. She wanted to evolve her leadership skills and was worried about her reputation for being hard on people. Her concern was that her reputation was already etched in stone and there was little she could do to change it. Her “face” had been hardened in the ritual of naked ambition that many firms expect for ascendance to the hallowed ranks of the corporate office. “How can I reclaim myself?” she asked, exasperated.

We chose a behavioural route. We realized that with a substantive change in attitude, the perception of her would change among her people and grow with consistency and positive assumptions demonstrated day-to-day. This was the kind of behaviour she wanted to be recognized for.

This leads to another leadership myth that many hold as truth: that leadership is steely jawed, strong and unflinching. If asked, many employees say they actually prefer to be lead by someone who shows vulnerability from time to time and asks questions. A leader who knows all the answers is actually detrimental to keeping employees connected to their work. Instead, there’s a sense the leader will always swoop in and solve any problem. The employees only have to sit back and wait for the solution.

Business is facing more uncertainty. If there is complexity and uncertainty in the company’s framework, employees can be given space and accountability to step in and help define solutions. Employees thus make a contribution to the whole and feel validated at the same time.

Leadership is about knowing when to lead and when to stand back and allow people to discover their own skills. Leadership is also about letting your staff know who you are, as a person. Bringing your heart to work and leaving the ego at the door will do more to catapult a leader’s career forward than any tactic or technique meant to drive sales. Driving sales sometimes just drives employees crazy.

Leaders trying to make this shift should find a mentor or reputable coach with the expertise to help them change. There are many executive coaches who focus on this aspect of leadership evolution. Many of our eminent leaders today have a mentor or coach to help them through the rough spots and ensure their message and human side is accurately portrayed throughout the organization.

I feel confident that my client, who asked, “How can I reclaim myself?” will be one of her firm’s great leaders. She recognizes that average leaders work on external issues of performance such as acquiring more certifications, education and technical business skills. But professional development is so much more than that.

Unlike the CEO who was an enigma to most of his staff, she knows intuitively that the medium is the message, and skill or technique can never make up for self-awareness and character. She asks for validation and uses external mentoring to complement what her own firm provides her. She looks for tools and approaches to make her leadership style more effective, faster. Her employees will happily follow her because she knows people commit to and follow purpose and strength — with a human face.

Steve Walmsley is the founder and president of Walmsley & Co. Inc. (www.walmsleyandco.com), a Toronto and Dallas based firm focused on high impact leadership and relationship sales practices.

Top