Within leadership seminars, conferences, and workshops there’s a lot of talk about “staying human” as a leader. When someone says to ‘stay human’, what exactly does that mean?
In a nutshell, to ‘stay human’ is to stay true to ourselves. We are not mindless robots. Before taking action, think about what others ask us to do. Should we follow directions and commands without considering our own personal ethics or morals?
What would happen if we did take action without thought? Without questioning if what we are asked to do was right or wrong?
Related: Do You Need A Personal Value Statement?
A favorite book of mine is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The reason I enjoyed this book is the main character stands up for what he believes is right. Though family, friends, and authority are pressuring him to go against what be believes is right, he explores his own values, feelings, and thoughts before taking action. If you have not read Fahrenheit 451, take the time and see what happens to a society that wants to avoid conflicting opinions at all costs.
Keep your personal values in mind and in the forefront of your every day decisions. Staying human is staying honest about who you are.
As a leader, it’s important to portray trust in what we say and through our actions. Be consistent with decisions and actions we take. Changing a decision based on new information is one thing, but arbitrarily changing our mind or actions, without cause or explanation, is not. Acting irrationally will not only confuse our team, they will never trust what we say.
Trust is not a given, trust is earned. Be honest to yourself and to the people you interact with. These points below not only give you authenticity, they allow others to know you and feel comfortable with your decision-making processes.
- Admit you make mistakes and have faults.
- Adapt to new and unique ways of thinking.
- Take criticism and feedback as a gift to improve yourself.
- Use body language to portray confidence.
- Practice your value, ethic, and mission statement every day.
- Authentically compliment those around you.
- Have a heart of humility and genuine belief in the value of people.
- Connect to employees and their work.
- Understand other’s weakness, realness, and their authentic desire to grow.
- Don’t fake interest in other’s stories, show real interest.
- Don’t invest in things that are not true to who you are.
- Listen to people when they speak. Really Listen.
Related: Career Success and Your Personal Mission Statement
Stay authentic to who you are and don’t be swayed by groups or individuals who pressure you to dishonor your values.
Make choices based on your ethics and priorities.
Standing up for something you know is ethically right takes strong moral character; Especially if you are standing up against someone you look up to or is a superior.
Do you find it easy each day to live based on your values and priorities? If not, what do you find the most difficult to stay true to? Why?
Hi, I’m Karen. Welcome to my website! I will show you how to establish the framework for an organized and successful leadership and office management system.
