Leading from the Heart
A Mental Health Perspective on Leadership.
Gardening People’s Heart
Imagine you're a gardener and find one of your plants in a rather pathetic state one morning. Perhaps the leaves have turned yellow, wilted, or shriveled up. Maybe the stems are brittle, and there are roots at the surface. What would you do? Common sense tells you to figure out why the plant is in such a distressed state so you can do something about it. Did you not give it enough water? Or give it too much water? Did you not fertilize the soil properly? Was it kept in the sunlight for too long? Or not long enough?
When gardeners see a plant isn't growing well, they don't set it down, review its growth goals, and tell it that it needs to focus more or try harder. Instead, they get curious and take personal responsibility to give the plant more of what it needs: fresh soil, optimal light, water, and nutrition. As a manager of a team, you are the gardener! If people on your team are quitting, not performing, or seeming disengaged, it's your cue to channel your inner gardener and get to the root cause of the underlying issues (by John B. and Edward S. June 09, 2022, HBR).
People need someone who cares.
In today's world, what we have in each inch of our city is a "careless sensation" that overwhelms those in most profound need. We want our government to care more, our workplaces to care more, and our partners to care more; however, the reality is, "How much I am caring for myself and others?" Maybe the honest answer to a Careless world is caring for one person at a time.
Your Workplace is a Perfect Place to Care for many families at once… Let’s build a #CultureOfCare
As a leader, we have one big goal, to improve our team's performance and assure the organizational goa (whatever that means to you), but to get there, it will be imperative to use your resources. Don't overestimate the power of your employees; make sure they know how much their Workplace cares for them, and make that a two ways commitment.
What should you do when people on your team are quitting, not performing, or seeming disengaged? Instead of sitting them down, reviewing their goal progress, and telling them to work harder, channel your inner gardener. That means taking ownership of meeting your team's physical, emotional, and environmental needs and getting to the root cause of the underlying issues.
Take the lead
Probe and explore
Take action
Building a team that cares for their organization means the world for the vision and mission of that organization. You are getting the full potential of the most significant force in the universe to your benefit! You are getting the power of the Human Will to your advantage.
