How Leadership Lost Its Heart and How We Bring it Back

How Leadership Lost Its Heart and How We Bring It Back

Since when did becoming a leader mean we had to leave our humanity at the door?

Somewhere along the way, it seems the world has convinced us that leadership and compassion cannot coexist. Almost as if being responsible means being cold or being decisive means having no feelings. When we look closely at the moments that actually transformed or strengthened us, they are almost always the moments where leadership made room for humanity, not pushed it away.

I recently read several stories that reminded me of how absent hearted we can be in both, our personal or professional lives.  One was about a police officer who is nineteen years into his service, six months from retirement, on dialysis due to kidney failure and was terminated in lieu of being offered light duty to be able to keep his health insurance and the other was about a 22 year old who lost both parents in a tragic accident and was terminated before being able to get his footing again. 

None of us know all of the details for either story, but the questions we should ask ourselves are:  What would you do? What should be considered?  How much grace should we offer? When and how do we comply with company protocol and compassion?

I think about times when I’ve seen this up close. A coworker who wasn’t valued until he was hospitalized and suddenly everyone realized how much of the load he carried. People walking into his hospital room with notebooks while he lay in a bed trying to heal. It’s heartbreaking how invisible someone’s impact can become until their absence reveals it.

When we talk about leadership beyond the workplace walls, this is what we mean. Leadership doesn’t turn off when we walk out the door. Leadership shows up in parenting, in community, in classrooms, in the way we speak, the way we listen, the way we consider the weight someone else is carrying. Leadership is not a title, it’s a responsibility.

When humanity is missing, we all feel it. Not just the person being let go, but the coworkers who witnessed it. Teams lose trust, families discuss it over dinner, and the silent disengagement begins all through the hallways.  This, too, is leadership. 

So the question becomes: What do we want to be known for? What do we want our decisions to reflect? How do we want people to feel after they encounter us?

Are we leading with strategy but forgetting compassion? Are we following policy but abandoning wisdom?

Leadership and humanity can coexist. They are meant to. And the world is aching for more leaders willing to prove that.

What has been your experience?  Can you relate? If this stirred something in you, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Leave a comment. Join the conversation. We’re building this kind of leadership together.