A Leader should be Someone who Lowers your Heart Rate (by our Happiness Ambassador, Amy)

A Leader should be Someone who Lowers your Heart Rate (by our Happiness Ambassador, Amy)

A leader should be someone who lowers your heart rate, and makes you feel safe.

There’s a person I work alongside in another role who is very well regarded in the circles we move in. She is gentle, kind and empathetic. Quick to smile.

She’s a listener, but she’s also listened to because she knows what she’s talking about. She’s well connected, well liked, well respected. She has authority.

We’ve never met in person but when I see her in a virtual meeting I get an immediate sense that here is a friendly face, an ally and a safe pair of hands. When she’s there I feel like everything will be ok.

I described her this way to a mutual contact recently and that contact said “yes! That’s just how I feel about her too.” Her approval means something to me, I value her opinion and I’d be keen to help with anything she asked of me.

I contrast her brand of benign power with the type of powerful woman portrayed by Meryl Streep in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’. When Meryl’s character sweeps into the office, a cascade of panicked activity clears her path. Her team scurries about, tidying and concealing the evidence of anything that might elicit disapproval, then scrambles to appear hardworking and servile as she passes.

It’s a caricature, but it’s believable as an exaggeration of the characteristics we expect of a big boss. I made this comparison in conversation with Becci, as part of my ongoing re-examination of what good leadership means to me.

“A leader is someone who should lower your heart rate, and make you feel safe.” She said.

The single biggest factor that contributes to workplace wellbeing is how we are supported and how that makes us feel. When people are happy and healthy at work they are more productive and less absent. Outcomes for customers improve, and ultimately, so does your bottom line.

Which type of leader would you rather be?