Why Leading With Heart is So Important

Whether you work in corporate or not, I believe most of us have encountered leaders who lacked empathy, compassion and other heartfelt qualities. It doesn’t feel good to be on the receiving end of that type of leadership, nor does it boost our engagement to the company or organization.

What if you could have leaders that consider things like employee well-being and development as well as practical business areas like data, metrics, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?

It’s possible to have both in one leader, however, at the corporate level, it may require two or more. This is exactly what Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia, did. He knew the importance of heart-centered leadership and handpicked a Chief Heart Officer, Claude Silver, for his company (also known as a Chief Inspiration Officer).

Her job, the second-most important position at VaynerMedia, is to be in touch with the heartbeat of every single person; over 750 people across five offices as of 2017. This might seem cliché, however, apparently, she does connect with every single employee, regardless of rank, and provides mentorship. This could be about well-being, job satisfaction or career development.

VaynerMedia’s people first approach creates meaningful, human-centric work environments that produces success and growth in all areas of the company. Other companies and organizations are following suit, like Port X Logistics, because of its overall benefits.

Before I get into some of the benefits of leading with heart, you’re probably wondering the difference between Human Resource (HR) and a Chief Heart Officer within corporations. From my understanding, the latter proactively builds and sustains a positive and healthy work culture by improving the lives of its employees through mentorship.

This said, leading with heart can:

• Boost team morale and engagement.

• Strengthen productivity and reduce job turnover (which affects a company or organization’s bottom line).

• Support mental health and well-being in the workplace by fostering open communication and psychological safety.

• Lead to greater creativity and innovation by supporting an environment of trust and safety. It can encourage collaboration, risk-taking and out-of-the-box thinking.

• Build resilience for the leaders and the team in times of crisis or uncertainty.

• Lead to positively contributing to society and the environment.

• Encourages a loyal customer base that values impactful products and services.

• Support long-term company or organizational growth.

Leading with heart is not reserved for business owners or executives. Any leader or person can benefit from leading with their heart. It fosters better communication, connection and action. Empathy, compassion and other heartfelt qualities makes us feel better and in turn we do better. It’s as simple as that.

If you’d like to learn more about heart-centered leadership, whether you’re an executive, a manager, a parent or a politician, please schedule a Get Acquainted & Strategy Session.

Best,