People perform when they know YOU CARE! Human Centric Leadership and why YOU should CARE!

Human-centric leadership means you put people first. And why should you care? Well, first of all, it's just the right thing to do. If you're a caring person, you want to be a caring leader. You want to treat people fairly, and you want them to appreciate you as a leader too. But you still have the bottom line to worry about, right? Well, studies show that human-centric leadership means profit. When we introduce this concept, some leaders worry about going soft. They're worried that unless you drive people hard, they're just not going to produce. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. The age of command and control is dead. It's over. This is the model that's given us 85% disengagement, and that's an expensive problem. Now think about it. Do you want to be in command of a bunch of people who can't think for themselves? Or do you want people to see what needs doing and they do it? People who are innovative and creative, people who are self-directed, self-motivated, and want to go the extra mile. The research is bombproof. People perform at their best when, and only when, they know their leaders care, when their work has meaning, and when they have a real chance to learn, grow, and develop. And to accomplish this, leaders need emotional intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and a well-developed, or I'd rather say an accurate sense of self-awareness. This is who we call a human-centric leader. In the dojo, we call this person sensei. How can sensei help us become more effective leaders? Well, the sensei leader is a human-centric leader. A sensei's job is simple. It's to inspire, empower, and guide people to their very best. Now, isn't that what the most effective leaders do too? Your success as a leader is measured by one thing and one thing alone: the success of the people you serve. You succeed when you help others succeed. When they fail— well, you get the point. Our most important job as leaders is to help people achieve their very best and then bring these people together to achieve a common goal. And that's where the idea of the sensei is so powerful. Again, inspire, Empower and Guide. Now, in the dojo, that means helping people get to black belt and hopefully beyond. But what does that mean in your life, in your role as a leader? What are you trying to accomplish? And are you doing it alone? Now, I hope you agree by now that no leader acts alone. The very fact that there's a leader means there are followers, right? I just said that one of the most important jobs of a leader is bringing people together to transform me into we. One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "What's the ROI?" What's the return on investment if I decide to embrace this sensei leadership, this human-centric leadership? Let me give you the highlights. First of all, an organization that practices human-centric leadership will outperform others by 500% or more. Strong leaders for the coming decades see human growth as essential to business growth. Leaders who make this connection are positioning their organizations for success. Those stuck in command and control are dying. There are just too many good people available today, and they have choices. And they are choosing. Many of them are choosing with their feet. Globally, it costs an average of $15,000 US dollars to replace an employee. Much more if you're talking about a manager or an executive. And one of the top reasons people are leaving? Lousy leadership. How many good people do you know who've left a job because of a lousy leader? I'm sure you can think of at least one. Might even be you. Organizations with the best leaders don't take those leaders for granted. In fact, they focus on making more of them. Tom Peters said, "Leaders don't create followers, they create more leaders." Fortunately, the answer is just that. Focus on supporting and developing good leaders at all levels. From the front lines to the C-suite. But there's another problem. Today, only 34% of business leaders worldwide are satisfied with their leadership development programs. And I know why. There are actually two major problems. The first is that there's too many cookie-cutter programs out there. They try to put everyone through the same curriculum. Leadership is as much art as it is science. This means we've gotta understand the needs of leaders at different levels. The second reason so many LD programs fail is because they're not really leadership programs at all. They're management programs. Now don't get me wrong, management is important. It's just not leadership. Admiral Grace Hopper said it beautifully: "You manage things, you lead people." Management and leadership are two different things. They require two different skill sets. Now most programs spend some time talking about how important humanity is in leadership. But very few spend enough time actually helping people do something about it. Let's bring this to a clear focus. You know, we already said the most important jobs of a leader is to bring out the best in people and unite them in a common cause, whether that's serving the best food in a restaurant, delivering global technology, or saving lives. We said in order to do this, leaders need emotional intelligence, strong interpersonal skills, and a well-developed sense of awareness. Now, a minute ago I talked a little bit about return on investment, but I didn't tell you the most important return on your investment in human-centric leadership: respect, trust, and loyalty. Now, before you throw that in the soft bucket, let me ask you an important question. What can you possibly accomplish without the respect, trust, and loyalty of the people you serve? The people who look to you for leadership? These are a leader's most valuable assets. There's not much you can do without them. And these things, well, you've got to earn them. And you earn them by leading with courage, compassion, and wisdom. Now, I'm going to give you the quick rundown. Nelson Mandela said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." The absence of fear is stupidity. Fear is our built-in warning system. It's designed to keep us out of danger. But sometimes we've got to face that danger and keep moving in spite of it. That's courage. And that's what people expect from their leaders. Compassion. We already beat that drum. People perform at their best when, and only when, they know their leaders care. If you don't care, don't bother. And wisdom. Now, too many people think wisdom is somehow reserved for hermits and sages. That you have to shave your head or go live in a mountain cave to be wise. I just want to share the martial arts definition of wisdom with you. Wisdom is knowledge and experience tempered by awareness. This means you're willing to share your knowledge and experience, but you're also willing to look in the mirror once in a while. Not to see how beautiful you are, but to see where you can still learn, grow, and improve. Now, everyone can express this type of wisdom, and we should. Now, let's come back to the fundamental role of a leader: to inspire, Inspire. Empower. And guide. This is where vision comes in. But don't leave your vision on an office poster. Give people what they need to succeed and guide them to it. Let's break it down. Inspire. Managers talk about motivation. Leaders inspire. And there's a big difference. Motivation is simple. Bribe people or scare them. You can create incentives or you can impose quotas. These things motivate people and they can produce results, to a point. But motivation works on reason. In fact, the very word means to provide a reason to act. So you can motivate someone to an expected outcome. Inspiration blows expectations out of the water. Like it or not, we're emotional creatures. Our emotions drive our decisions and actions much more than reason or intellect. Emotion is what connects us to a higher purpose or to a cause that's bigger than any one of us. Managers motivate, or try to. Leaders inspire. So, how can you tap into people's emotions? How can you elevate a cause and inspire people to their very best? Empower. Like I said, give people what they need to succeed. Now, this means providing the right tools and equipment, enough money and resources, but it's not just material. In fact, the material part isn't even the most important part. People can do amazing things with very little. What they do need is preparation. They need the opportunity to learn and practice new skills. They need an opportunity to try and sometimes even fail. And all along the way, they need support and encouragement. And guide? Well, the best, most effective leader is a good teacher, coach, and mentor. The best leaders know how to get the message across. They know when to take people under their wings and when to let them fly. And most of all, they understand the importance of always developing their own replacement and how to guide people not just to equal their own achievements, but surpass them. So if you want to earn the respect, trust, and loyalty of the people you serve, then lead with courage, compassion, and wisdom. And if you truly want to serve, if you want to lead people to their very best, Inspire, empower, and guide. That's what the human-centric leader does. That's what the sensei does. So my job really is to help you be sensei too. Level up your life and career by helping others level up theirs. Be a leader. Get involved. Join the Sensei Leader Movement today and we'll help. Just go to slmjoinfree.com. 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