President & CEO, SHRM, F500 Board Director
What traits make a good leader? When I think about leadership, values like empathy, mindfulness, mutual understanding, flexibility, and compassion come to my mind. Skill sets for effective leaders have shifted, and we must adapt our leadership strategies accordingly. What skill sets would you add to this list? #SHRM #Leadership #CompassionateLeadership
The only difference between a manager and a leader is empathy. Compassion, flexibility and mindfulness can be packed inside of empathy. Too many times we forget that empathy should always come first. Not only at work. But also in life. Next time when someone cuts you off on the road and doesn't even use his/her turning signal, instead of honking it away, try to think of so many reasons as to why this person has cut you off. Maybe they are in a rush to a hospital, maybe they are running late for the first job interview they have been invited to in months. If every person realized the value empathy adds to our every day relationships, we would have so many more successful people, that didn't quit when they once faced a challenge. Great post, thanks!
Humility Creativity Empathic listening...listening with an open mind and heart, working toward solutions together Loyalty not only to the organization but to the team they are assigned to lead Courage to take a stand for what's right, even when it's not easy Courage to have the tough coaching conversations to give an employee time and opportunity to correct themselves, rather than shy away from the performance issues until they're forced to by the end of the evaluation period or worse, by a problem too big to ignore any longer, that may result in costing one or both of them their jobs I could go on, but the others have probably already been touched on. I know I already saw integrity, which really encompasses so much of this...I apologize, I got carried away... if it's possible, sometimes I can be a little too passionate about leadership!🤦🏽♀️🤷🏽♀️ Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP Thank you for initiating this important conversation. I'm looking forward to you joining us in Tallahassee and seeing you in person this time!
Your critically important message aligns with Dan Beutner's research around Blue Zones. His research identified that positive relationships/connections with others contributes to a long and healthy life. We spend a significant part of our life at the workplace ... and your manager & workplace culture can have greater impact on your health & wellbeing than your physician. A toxic workplace can contributes to low morale, high turnover, higher stress levels for employees, lower productivity ... which all impacts the employer's financial wellbeing. So important to provide support & ongoing training for managers to support a positive workplace culture.
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP appreciate the chance to engage- it's been said but I think it's worth repeating- Be Humble. Leaders have to be careful they're not believing their own hype and that they are working to create an environment and culture where every employee has the opportunity to display their own particular smartness, they thrive and can expound on their KSAs for themselves and the organization. Second, I think leaders need to Stay Hungry. Hungry for change, learning, opportunity, creation, collaboration, discovery, you name it! Leaders should be ever searching, ever growing...ever hungry!
Commitment to a great purpose could be added to this list. Thanks for sharing!
To me compassion is empathy in action. I would say self awareness but that could be a part of mindfulness. The one trait I would add is humility or vulnerability. I think this list is great!
Ram Charan
2y
That's a great list, Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP! Having the right skills as a leader can help you bring out the best in your team and grow as a company. I would add courage and adaptability to the list, especially with the uncertainties we face.
Self-awareness. Know where your strengths are and build a team to compliment your weaknesses. Leadership is a team sport, it’s your job to show them where they fit. If you don’t know who you are, you can’t help them figure out who they are.
John Briggs
2y
Individuals who don't possess empathy nor compassion aren't leaders and shouldn't be in a leadership position. They can only hide their lack of empathy and compassion for so long before it's exposed. If they don't have it from the beginning, very few ever will. Those types of individuals don't care who they "step on" to get to the top.
I would add trust and vulnerability.