Recognizing Your Inner Leader
We all have intuition, feelings and perceptions. Successful people often engage this gift without realizing it exists.
Leadership requires a total activation of our hearts. As I said before, leadership is frosting on the cake of competence. Leadership from the heart makes life easier and more enjoyable. Your team will support you, walk on hot coals for you and cover your back. If you are a dynamic leader, you will find immense pleasure in your work, higher value in people and less stress in your life.
Heart-centered leadership involves tuning into feelings that may be buried, especially for men (sorry, guys). Men are taught to be tough; women, gentle. Although the Baby Boomer generation is a more sensitive lot, there is still a lot of machismo in the male corporate world.
Leadership, like managerial competence, demands fairness in all things. To achieve fairness, a leader must have an open mind and be a good listener. A leader is able to care and routinely practices the Golden Rule. A leader gives credit to the team and reciprocates with communication, recognition and advancement.
Make it a point to read up on emotional intelligence. Dig deep within yourself and objectively study who you are. List your strengths and weaknesses. Ask friends and colleagues to describe them also. Do their assessments of you resemble your self-assessments?
Remember to trust your intuition; it is the greatest gift, and it is there to guide you.
A Word on Navigating Human Resources
It is interesting how many “human” resource departments deal with the duties of their world as though there weren’t a human being in sight. HR can become a labyrinth of rules and regulations, interpretations of the law and administration of the company policies and procedures. Along the way, the people for whom the policies were created are forgotten.
Human resource departments are usually involved in every aspect of your day-to-day activities as a manager—from hiring practices to the company picnic, from the first advertisement for an employee to the termination of a top performer who has been the subject of praise for the past several years.
Yes, you need to be certain that you follow personnel policies in place and comply with all state and federal regulations. You also need to make sure that your managers and direct reports have the knowledge and the skills needed to act on your behalf and in the best interests of the employees and of the firm, thereby avoiding awkward and litigious situations.
Bear in mind that your human resource department is concerned with the following:
· Are employment contracts and agreements thorough and consistent?
· Is there an employee manual, and is it required reading for all new employees?
· Is your compensation plan profitable for you and for the retention of quality help?
· Are job descriptions clear and specific?
· Are consequences for not meeting those requirements spelled out and enforced fairly and professionally, in writing?
· Are performance reviews done regularly and uniformly?
· Are retirement plans and benefits available?
· Is there a written vacation policy?
One might wonder: With all of this detail regarding administration, how can leadership be engaged? By aligning yourself with your firm’s HR department and educating your people as to why it is important, you gain legitimacy and credibility. Both are essential for strong leadership.
Author's note: An 20-year veteran of the securities industry, advisor coach Patti Branco is a securities industry consultant, and founder of Patti Branco Management Solutions. And can be reached at 903-451-9800. 
