Kouzes and Posner laid out very practical and logical research on what are the five key practices for exemplary leadership. They say that everyone can be a leader, that people can be taught these skills and I agree with that. Some people may have some these qualities innately, but overall leadership comes with knowing yourself, standing up for what you believe in and taking the risks to get there. It is mainly about knowing yourself and building strong relationships with people around you as you cannot be an effective leader a community around you.

Ultimately the authors say that leadership is not just an affair of the head, but it really is an affair of the heart. It is really getting to find something that you love and going after it, pursuing it, finding opportunities all around you, and stretching to be the best possible leader that you can be.

So this holiday season are you opening your heart? Are you doing what you are most passionate about? Are you investing in your relationships and building community around you? The more you practice these skills the more you are investing in being the strongest leader that you can be.

Happy Holidays to the leader in all of you!

In “The Leadership Challenge” by Kouzes and Posner the fifth practice of exemplary leadership is to Encourage the Heart. Great leaders really bring people together, recognize contributions and celebrate community and relationship building.

Great leaders expect the best from their people and encourage them to step into their own. They also recognize people for their work and go out of their way to ensure that they provide reward and recognition that truly motivates that particular person. They tailor recognition to what that person would like because they take the time to get to know their people. They invest in building strong relationships with their teams and therefore can reward them with what that the employee will truly value.

Good leaders also invest in celebrations. They take the time to create rituals and events which honor progress and special events. They recognize that these are not frivolous events but truly create a spirit of community and demonstrate that they are personally involved.

The leaders recognize that they can work together, but if they can also have fun together then people will bond even more. The more the leader is involved in these celebrations the more that employees will feel engaged with the leader and truly feel connected to him/her. 

A great leader encourages the heart of the organization, of the people in the organization, of him/herself be involved in what is going on day to day. Often organizations or leaders don’t focus on the heart and therefore miss the connection. Kouzes and Posner, based upon their research, say otherwise. It is important to focus on the people, getting to know them, and building strong community as this will support a thriving work environment.

Do you invest in the heart of your organization and your people? If not, what can you do especially during this holiday season to change that?