Lead from the Heart is a book written by Mark C. Crowley about transformational leadership for the 21st century. The book was first published in 2011, and the second edition was published as an Amazon #1 New Release in 2022.
Crowley argues that the solution to effective leadership lies in the human heart and provides a roadmap for workplace leaders to transform their leadership style. The book has been taught in 10 US universities and is praised for its compelling insights and evidence-based approach to leadership.
Leading from the Heart
There’s a massive shift happening in society. The quest for individual meaning and purpose has hit critical mass. People are seeking personal fulfillment from their work and require a much greater sense of well-being in order to thrive. Organizations and individual workplace leaders that ignore these trends will do so at their own peril.
People work harder and contribute more to their organizations when their hearts are engaged. This is largely because feelings and emotions drive human performance; they determine what motivates us and what we care most about.
Inspire the Heart: Value and honor achievements
The practice of giving trophies to children just for participating in activities has been found to be misguided, and the same goes for giving working adults recognition when it’s not deserved. It’s important for employees to understand the performance standards expected by their leaders and to be praised when they meet them.
However, recognition loses its meaning and importance when it’s not fairly earned. Leaders should hold people to high standards, proactively help them reach them, and authentically honor those whose achievements warrant it.
Praising people only inspires greater future effort and commitment. Choosing to ignore accomplishments or reserving recognition just for unique or long-term achievements undermines people and their performance.
The necessary means
It’s been proven that companies where employees are more fully supported, and thereby engaged, enjoy phenomenal benefits. Employee turnover is consistently low, individual productivity is remarkably high, and financial performance makes a quantum leap over that of less enlightened competitors. All constituencies win.
Therefore, leading from the heart is by no means a soft, ineffective, or “feel-good” strategy. More accurately, it’s a necessary means to restoring worker satisfaction and motivating people to care about and deeply connect with the ambitions of their organizations. Leadership from the heart has become essential in the 21st century workplace.
Heart to Heart: Connect on a personal level
Authors Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall assert in their book Nine Lies About Work that a leader’s span of control is determined by how many employees they can check in with every week without fail. Check-ins are one-on-one conversations where the manager asks about priorities and how they can help.
The authors suggest that the frequency of these meetings is more important than their quality, as employees need attention and connection to thrive. Their research shows that leaders who check in weekly with all team members have higher engagement and performance and lower turnover.
The Four Practices
Here are the four practices of leading from the heart:
- Hire People with Heart
- Heart to Heart
- Empower the Heart
- Inspire the Heart
Empower the Heart: Maximize human potential
We often underestimate people’s potential and limit it. To unlock their potential, treat them as the best version of themselves, not just as they are now. Good leaders recognize talent, nurture it, and utilize it to the fullest, while bad leaders hold people back and micromanage.
Liz Wiseman’s book Multipliers explains how good leaders are known as “multipliers” and can get twice as much from their people as diminishers,” who get much less. When people work for “multipliers,” they reciprocate with hard work and loyalty.
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
Hire people with heart
At every step of the hiring process, you are revealing a part of your personality and leadership style. Refusing to hire someone who isn’t a good fit shows that you are honest and considerate of others. Involving your team in the selection process demonstrates that you are team-oriented and empowered. Being truthful and complete in your job description shows that you are thorough, trustworthy, and caring.
When you make an offer and hire a candidate, take the opportunity to honor them by acknowledging their success in the interview process. Recognize their interpersonal skills and work samples, and express gratitude for having a highly qualified person join the team. This also recognizes the candidate’s first accomplishment: winning the job.
