Unlock the secrets to becoming a transformative leader who puts people first. Imagine revolutionizing your leadership style to one that prioritizes empathy, compassion, and employee well-being. In this episode of Things Leaders Do, we explore the inspiring journeys of leaders like Satya Nadella and the groundbreaking policies at Patagonia, showcasing the powerful impact of valuing your team's needs. Find out how this shift from traditional top-down management can drive engagement, productivity, and loyalty within your organization.
Discover actionable insights you can start applying today, from mastering the art of active listening to creating a supportive workplace environment. Stay connected with us—reach out via LinkedIn and Instagram with your questions and stories. We'll also share how fostering these connections can lead to successful one-on-one interactions and more meaningful relationships. As we wrap up, remember that leading with empathy and integrity is key to your success. Don't forget to subscribe for more valuable tips on becoming a better leader in future episodes of Things Leaders Do.
Unlock the secrets to becoming a transformative leader who puts people first. Imagine revolutionizing your leadership style to one that prioritizes empathy, compassion, and employee well-being. In this episode of Things Leaders Do, we explore the inspiring journeys of leaders like Satya Nadella and the groundbreaking policies at Patagonia, showcasing the powerful impact of valuing your team's needs. Find out how this shift from traditional top-down management can drive engagement, productivity, and loyalty within your organization.
Discover actionable insights you can start applying today, from mastering the art of active listening to creating a supportive workplace environment. Stay connected with us—reach out via LinkedIn and Instagram with your questions and stories. We'll also share how fostering these connections can lead to successful one-on-one interactions and more meaningful relationships. As we wrap up, remember that leading with empathy and integrity is key to your success. Don't forget to subscribe for more valuable tips on becoming a better leader in future episodes of Things Leaders Do.
Welcome to Things Leaders Do, the podcast that uncovers the secrets of becoming an extraordinary leader. If you're a leader who's constantly seeking growth, inspiration and tangible ways to level up your leadership, then you've come to the right place. Remember, the world needs exceptional leaders, and that leader is you. Now here's your host, colby Morris.
Speaker 2:
Hey, leaders, welcome back to Things Leaders Do, or, as I like to call it, the TLD podcast, where I try to explore actionable steps that leaders can take to become better leaders faster. I'm your host, colby, and today I really want to dive into what I see as an exciting and increasingly important topic, which is the rise of the people first leader. I'm going to examine the shift towards a more compassionate, employee-centric approach to leadership and why that's so crucial in today's workplace. So let's jump in. Over the past few decades, like we've probably seen, we've seen a significant shift in leadership styles. Traditional, you know, the top-down management is giving way. It's a more compassionate, people-first approach. And hear this, this isn't just a trend, okay, it's a necessary evolution in leadership. Today I want to cover two main points that highlight the importance and the benefits of this shift, and then I'll give you two actionable steps to start implementing a people-first leadership style at your workplace.
Speaker 2:
So point one the importance of empathy and compassion in leadership. Let's start with that first one, the importance of empathy and compassion in leadership. See, in the past, leadership often focuses heavily on results, efficiency, sometimes at the expense of employee well-being. See, research has consistently shown that employees who feel valued and understood, are more engaged, they're more productive and they're loyal. What does loyal mean? It means they stick around, they stay, they want to be a part of a place where that's a focus. Take, for instance, the story of Satya Nadell, ceo of Microsoft. When he took over, he prioritized empathy and inclusiveness, which really transformed Microsoft's culture. By focusing on understanding his employees' perspectives and really trying to foster a supportive environment, nadella was able to rejuvenate the company's innovation and their growth. Empathy allows leaders to connect with their team on a deeper level. You understand their needs, their challenges, their motivations. That connection doesn't only build trust, but it creates a more cohesive and motivated team.
Speaker 2:
Moving on to our second point, the benefits of an employee-centric approach. See, when leaders prioritize their employees' well-being, the entire organization benefits. Okay, this approach leads to higher employee satisfaction, reduced turnover which we just talked about and increased productivity. Look at Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company. Patagonia has long been known for its employee-centric policies, such as offering on-site childcare, encouraging work-life balance. This people-first approach has not only made Patagonia a desirable place to work, but it's also driven the company's success and reputation for innovation. By putting employees first, companies create a positive feedback loop. Happy employees are more likely to go above and beyond. They're going to contribute to a positive workplace culture. They're going to create better business outcomes. It really is a win-win situation.
Speaker 2:
So now that we've looked at why people-first leadership is important and beneficial, let's talk about how you can start implementing this approach in your own leadership style. Here are two actionable steps to get you started. The first is you need to start practicing active listening, and we've talked about active listening on here a lot, but if you're new, I'm going to define it for you. Active listening is defined as've talked about active listening on here a lot, but if you're new, I'm going to define it for you. Active listening is defined as listening to understand and not to respond, okay. It is a critical component of empathetic leadership, because you have to be fully concentrating understanding, responding and then remembering what the other person is saying, okay. So how do you do that? Well, first be present, give your full attention to the speaker. That means no multitasking. Put your phone up, close your laptop, lock your desktop whatever it is, put it away Now. Acknowledge and show that you understand, okay. Nod, use verbal affirmations like I see or I understand, and mirror back or paraphrase what the employee has said to you so that you show you're truly listening. Say something like well, what I hear you saying is and say it Okay, you're checking for understanding to make sure you're truly hearing and understanding what they're saying, and then follow up after the conversation, take action if you're supposed to. Okay, follow up shows that you value their input and you're committed to addressing their concerns. All right, let's go to action.
Speaker 2:
Step two, which is foster a supportive environment. Okay, creating a supportive environment means providing the resources and the support your team needs to thrive. This can include professional development opportunities, mental health resources, a positive work-life balance Okay, all those things show that you have a supportive environment. Okay, so how do you do it? Professional development let's say you encourage continuous learning by offering training programs, workshops, opportunities for advancement, and you're thinking we don't have a budget for that. Then take it on yourself to start training your people. You can read a book. You can train them. You can do a book discussion. You can have discussions at your next meeting about things.
Speaker 2:
If you're a leader, it's your job to develop your employees. Mental health resources you can provide access to mental health support, such as counseling services or stress management workshops. A lot of companies these days offer EAP services okay, which offer free counseling. Make sure your employees know about that. Something's going on and you have an EAP program, you need to tell your employees going on. And you have an EAP program, you need to tell your employees. Okay.
Speaker 2:
And work-life balance Make sure you're promoting policies that support work-life balance. Okay. Now some things I will recommend. Not everyone can do. But flexible working hours, remote work options, things like that those are all things that can promote work-life balance that a lot of us take for granted. We really do.
Speaker 2:
And I go to the flexible working hours one because I hear this conversation from leaders quite often in some sort of spirited debate about you know when they need to be there. Let me backtrack. My thoughts are this unless their attendance is tied to a specific need of the company for example, your hospital and you have nurses that need to work specific shifts well then flexible working hours aren't necessarily a part of that Okay. But if you have an office person, a manager, who's working remotely on a more administrative task, if that person works better from 10 to eight, then they do eight to five. Is it really that big of a deal that they work those hours? Okay, and how big of a deal do you want to make it? Okay, and then I'm going to throw this out there because it'll be next week's topic the one-on-one meeting.
Speaker 2:
If your entire team is not participating in the one-on-one leader rounding you are, you're behind the eight ball. Okay, you're running behind. If you've not implemented one-on-ones as a mandatory structure of leadership, okay. And again, I'm going to talk about this later on. But the one-on-one is probably one of the single greatest leadership tools out there if not the greatest, all right, Well. Tools out there. If not the greatest, all right, well. As we've discussed today, the rise of the people first. Leader is not just a trend Okay. It is a necessary shift in how we approach leadership. See, by focusing on empathy, creating employee-centric environments, you are going to foster a more engaged, productive and yes, loyal workforce. Remember, leadership isn't just about driving results, it's about connecting with people, helping them achieve their best. By practicing active listening, fostering a supportive environment, you can make this important shift in your leadership style. I've seen it done.
Speaker 2:
Thank you everybody for tuning in to today's episode of the Things Leaders Do. I hope you find our discussion insightful. I hope you found some actionable tips. Again, next week is the one-on-one. I really want to encourage you to make sure that you join that one and take some notes, because it's really going to change the way we do things. Okay, and again, if you ever have any questions, you want to reach out. If you want to connect with me, the link is in things Okay, and again, if you ever have any questions, you want to reach out. If you want to connect with me, the link is in the show notes. You can connect with me on LinkedIn and also on Instagram, but love to do that. I'm having some great conversations with some of you and, in fact, the one-on-one meeting that's coming up next week was actually from one of these discussions, so I want to make sure I follow up with that. Until next time. Keep leading with empathy and integrity, and you know why? Right, because those are the things that leaders do.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader by doing the things that leaders do.
