Encouraging the heart

Because leaders influence others, a leader's sincerity is essential to his ability to influence. Leaders can augment their influence through five leadership practices, including modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, enabling others to act, challenging the process, and encouraging the heart. Leaders have a tremendous opportunity to expand dignity, respect, and value and legitimately make the world a better place.Encouraging the heart challenges leaders to care about their people while focusing on the team's final goal: results. Truly caring about your people means setting lucid values and anticipating the best. Encouraging the heart challenges leaders to pay attention, personalize recognition, relate stories about success and values, celebrate together, and be an example for others to follow.We need to feel linked to others and, in turn, they to us because greatness is never obtained completely by ourselves, all alone. Encouraging the heart is the leadership practice that connects us with one another. It documents that we are in “this” together-whatever the project, course, congregation, division, and so on, may be. When leaders praise their followers for achieving the values or goals of the group, the leaders are giving them courage and inspiring them to practice their own skills to deliver-even when under stress. When we recognize people for their participation, we increase their awareness of their value to the organization and to their co-workers, and thereby impart a sense of connectedness that, being social animals, all humans seek. While we may all be linked, leaders have the responsibility to ensure that we are in touch.We strongly suggest encouraging the heart for leaders who want to enhance their care of people and for those who know that supporting others is not their strongest skill. Some people are born encouragers – if you are not one of them, this article is for you!