Expressions Classes

Empathy builds relationships, creates new opportunities to collaborate and helps you lead with greater passion, purpose and love.

When you genuinely care for others, they know it. This is why empathy is a vital leadership skill.

Few leaders understood and I exemplify it as, “The business of business is people.”

When you begin each day, think about one way you can help someone. Be willing to listen.

Think about how you feel when someone applauds or congratulates you after you complete a deliverable, win a new deal or finish a project. Deep down, we yearn for validation. It feels good!

To form deep connections, show you care about your people — beyond a shared objective.

The fearless leader leads from the heart—with a warrior spirit, love and empathy. He built relationships that is endured.

How will you use empathy today?

The concept of Flow introduced by renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi shows us the incredible importance of self-awareness and how we can use this to set goals to create highly productive, efficient organizations.

Self-aware and hardworking leaders know what will help lead them to achieving their goals: it's about living in the moment with maximum presence and focus.

We slow down and stagnate when we're doing things that feel wrong-- things we know are unhelpful. Those things bog us down, serving as the “turnovers” or mistakes that wipe out the positive advancements we make.

When we dwell on the past and focus on what’s in the rearview mirror, we stop living in the present and we use less of our creative imagination on designing future plans.

Intense focus and absorption in the moment leads us to bolder thinking around future planning. In fact, the more we plan for deep-thinking moment-by-moment, the more we pave the path for our future of continuous progression toward our goals.

Take these powerful words from Flow that illuminate the need for building for our next step:

“To set the stage for flow, goals need to be clearly defined so that you always know your next step. ‘It could be playing the next bar in a scroll of music, or finding the next foothold if you’re a rock climber, or turning the page if you’re reading a good novel. At the same time, you’re kind of anticipating.’”

When we take this concept and apply it in our own lives as leaders, we think about the importance of goal-planning, anticipation and looking in front of us with enthusiasm and devoted attention.

Whatever we’re trying to complete — it’s best if we have a plan for the end, and how we begin what’s next. This keeps us in motion and provides continuity so there’s no lapse or wasted time.

Goals can be for practical things like achieving a milestone such as writing a book, or simply completing a project. The point is, we’re better immersed in the deep work of what we’re doing and more likely to find flow if we feed ourselves mental and practical goals.

Flow leads to productivity and sustains our momentum for doing those things we love to do, so much so, it seems as if time has stopped.

Set goals. Focus on what you love to do and give your 100% attention to living your everyday life with maximum joy, purpose and energy.

The most powerful attributes of modern leadership are a matter of heart... and head. They're truly about emotional intelligence and how we as leaders champion ourselves and others to accomplish extraordinary results together.

Dr Kirstin Ferguson introduces valuable attributes of leadership in her book, Head & Heart. I find three in particular are what separate good leaders from champion leaders. Focus on boosting your skills in these three:

⭐ Empathy: Lead with care, concern, kindness and a genuine desire to listen and help others. You will earn the respect of all. You will lead from the head and the heart by going "all-in" to meet people where they're at

⭐ Self-Awareness: To give people the very best version of yourself, you need to know yourself on an intimate level. Understand your strengths, limitations, emotions and purpose. Recognize your values and beliefs. And get feedback on what you're doing well and how you can stay the course to keep improving

⭐ Humility: Always have the humility to:

- Learn something new and admit when you don't know it all
- Be grateful for God's grace, a helping hand from a colleague and for all of the opportunities that come your way
- Help someone else and give without expecting anything in return

Lead from the heart. Lead with your head. Champion yourself and champion the people around you. That's what championship leadership is all about.

Who is the person that first comes to mind when you think of a servant leader?

You may have someone specifically who comes to mind, or you may think of the ideal of who this could be.

I'll tell you on the personal side, I think of my parents. My Mom and Dad have always put me and my sister first. They have loved us unconditionally and they lived with courage and by their values.

On the professional side, I've been fortunate to know managers and executives I worked for, and now have the privilege to coach CEO's and senior executives who are true servant leaders.

You always begin with SERVING first, which is about helping, supporting and determining how to provide someone with what they need and want. Do it for them. Not with ego.

We build trust through getting to know someone on a personal and professional level. We listen, care and are conscientious about helping people in the best way we can.

Servant leadership also means that we're always thinking strategically about who we are, the legacy we want to leave and how we want to leave a powerful impact on others.

Start today by doing something kind for someone else and truly taking the time to get to know them. And share an example of a servant leader in your life that you want to recognize!

What does it feel like to work for a transactional leader? In short, tiring and controlling. Transformational leaders values their employees and prioritize developing their people and putting them first.

Thing is, when the pace gets fast and when deadlines are tight, some people throw all of the wonderful virtues of transformational leadership right out the window.

In adversity and challenging times- when transformational leadership is needed most- we see what defines really great leaders:

- Character
- Commitment
- A long-term dedication to supporting their people
- A focus on lifting others up and investing in their career development
- Empathy
- A willingness to put others needs before your own wants

Let's face it- the pace of work and the speed of business isn't slowing down. Research shows technology is only increasing the pace of expectations from each employee.

If you're going to ask a lot from your people, you must begin first with letting them know you care about them and that you're going to support them all throughout their career.

This begins with an emotionally intelligent approach to leadership that's spearheaded by empathy and a willingness to go "all in" for a transformational relationship that will yield benefits for all.

What do you see as the traits of a transformational leader?

My definition of perseverance is the ability to move forward with optimism, hope and belief in the face of adversity. Success is defined by our desire and ability to continue to press forward without yet seeing our desired results.

Perseverance and persistence are building blocks that lead to a happy, fulfilling and rewarding life. We see this in business, education, medicine, technology, sports, the arts and all areas of life.

It's hard to teach. It's hard to even really "sell" someone on this. You have to live it. You have to understand and know for yourself just how critical it is to dedicate your focus to something that makes you keep coming back for more.

The truth is, you may not always know in the moment. But what will sustain this perseverance is passion and purpose. An underlying competitive desire to succeed and seek contentment and excellence in what you do.

If you give up on something you believe in, you'll never get to see the results.

If you don't enjoy what you're doing, ultimately, you'll probably give up. Or you won't really reach your potential over a long, sustained period of time.

For some, the allure of the transactional nature of seeing an immediate result will prevent them from truly living. They'll stop short of the magic that's experienced when you press on toward a goal or desire to solve a problem.

I've had the honor of speaking to, working with, observing and researching the lives of some of the world's most successful people. Their common thread?

Loving the thrill of the chase. And pursuing that chase.

Passion. Purpose. Perseverance. Build the foundation of your life's success on these three P's and you will never be denied.

20+ years of professional experience & research have shown me how to champion and build a high-performing team. So, how do you do it? Start here:

🏆 Personalize each relationship and make a devoted effort to get to know your employees as PEOPLE first! Lead with emotional intelligence!

🏆 Lead and manage with autonomy-- meaning, give people the space to solve problems, develop ideas and work without being micromanaged

🏆 You can have both planned and organic social interactions. But, organic social interactions aren't a fluke. Be mindful of these social moments and always think opportunistically of how to cultivate them

🏆 Lead with empathy. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Lead from the heart with compassion and seek to help when you know you're in a position to help, and when you've been asked.

🏆 Be adaptable and be strategic!! Times change, plans change and people change. Be willing to discover new ways of doing things and help your people to see the vision and big picture strategy

What is compassion and how do you use it as a leader? Like empathy, compassion is a vital part of modern leadership. This builds connection and creates psychological safety on teams and in your organization.

The PedalMind Project shows us in this beautiful pinwheel graphic that compassion is empathy with the motivation and desire to truly help someone.

I have a few additions that I feel turn compassion into powerful, impactful action that helps leaders connect with their employees:

✅ Send a team member a text on a weekday afternoon letting them know you're thinking of them and offer a specific idea or suggestion that will help them

✅ Create a few extra minutes of time in a 1:1 to really listen to someone in an effort to genuinely help and support a team member going through a challenging time

✅ Use that time in the office for checking in and having problem-solving sessions and ideating together as a group

The fact is, compassion can some in many shapes and forms. So much of compassion for me is leadership with a heart- genuine, altruistic connection that seeks to help, not harm.

What's one step you can take this week to become more compassionate as a leader?

What are you saying to your team in an effort to champion their growth and lift them up? Actions matter most- leadership by example is essential. But words absolutely matter. They influence vision, purpose and building a high-performing team.

When I look at this powerful graphic from Justin Wright, three in particular stand out to me as hallmarks of champion leaders who lead with emotional intelligence to elevate the people around them:

✅ "I believe in you"

In my upcoming book, The Champion Leader, I write about the incredible power of belief and how believing in the people that you lead has an enormous ripple effect on building an emotionally intelligent culture.

Belief is one of the most powerful emotions in the world. Showing the people you lead that you believe in them and support their growth will absolutely help you to build a high-performing team.

✅ What do you need to be successful?

Simply put- an open-ended question asking someone how you can help them to achieve game-changing results. Be a servant leader, be humble, always invest in your people and find out how you can help them

✅ Thank you

What every organization needs more of right now is gratitude, engagement, encouragement and recognition. Let your people know that you sincerely appreciate them and want to help them.

Interested in learning more about The Champion Leader Movement? Check out my newsletter and new book in the comments below and join hundreds of thousands of leaders who have committed to leading like a champion.

Social skill is a highly important part of emotionally intelligent leadership. So, how can you master the art/nuance of communication?

Start here with these 10 essential social skills. These ones in particular work with leaders and organizations I've worked with:

- Remember to be human- to be yourself and be open and receptive to connecting with people in the way they want and that works for you

This means building consensus, keeping an open mind and knowing that your leadership style matters. This leads to self-awareness and a willingness to adapt to each person you meet with

-Be willing to accept criticism with positivity and a growth mindset and to not see it as a personal attack. This isn't always easy. It takes humility and a willingness to learn, grow and figure out what to take with you going forward

- Flexibility is really about adaptability which requires an openness and opportunistic way of thinking toward change. If how I'm...

+ relating to this person
+ communicating with this person
+Making decisions
+ understanding a situation...

isn't working today, then what can you do to change things up strategically and tactically to get better results?

Social skill is a skill set to be mastered and all of us can improve it.

What social skill strengths have you observed in your time as leader?

High emotional intelligence drives performance in the workplace, impacts long-term success and improves mental and emotional health. So, how do we improve our EQ?

Let's first explore the most desired qualities:

⭐️ The ability to learn and admit from mistakes means taking ownership and acting with integrity. It means living by a code of honesty which leads to humility-- which in turn builds trust.

If you've made a mistake as a leader or as part of a team-- own up to it and move forward. Learn from it and get better as a result of it.

⭐️ Keeping our emotions in check as leaders means finding time for reflection and an ability to see the big picture. When we get bogged down in the micro-details for too long, it gets hard to see the forest for the trees.

Have habits like journaling, getting outside for a walk, or simply taking two minutes to unplug and calm yourself down with positive words of encouragement

⭐️ Modern communication and leadership begins with listening. Listen first. People will often tell you how they need your help. As a leader, be opportunistic and ready to provide that help

⭐️Be willing to take feedback well and operate with optimism and belief in the process and end goals. When you take "ego" out of the equation, you start to focus more on the task at hand and the ultimate achievements you desire

Emotional intelligence helps to center us, it influences our self-worth, as well as the way we influence the way others see themselves. Start here and you will grow into becoming an emotionally intelligent leader.