Creating a Leadership Presence That Still Feels Human

Leadership really has changed a lot over the last few years. In the past, a leader was the boss, no questions asked, and titles were hugely important - plus, you were generally the person in the room who spoke the loudest, and getting feedback for your team… no thanks. Now, however, people expect something else, and they actually want leaders who are confident but who are also approachable, easy to work with, and, ultimately, human. They want someone they can trust and not be scared of, and basically they want someone who knows what the goals are and won’t pretend to know how to get there right away. 

Creating that kind of leadership presence might not be easy, but it’s worth it, and with that in mind, it’s a good idea to keep reading to learn more about creating a leadership presence that still feels human, no matter what else is happening around you. 

Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash    

People Follow Leaders They Can Understand 

If you really want a human type of leadership, you’re going to need to have plenty of clarity in every single thing you say and do. That means you’ve got to explain things properly and honestly, and not just assume that because you know what you’re talking about everyone else is automatically going to as well - the whole point is that you’ve got to make them understand, so that’s definitely something to take into consideration. You don’t have to make long speeches or write out reams of instructions either, so don’t worry about that - you’ve got to be clear and concise, and that’s what’s really going to help. 

And of course, when you’re clear about things, you’re also showing people that there’s no mystery about leadership - you’re not untouchable, and that should mean people can feel free to ask questions, raise concerns, or even suggest better ways of doing things without being scared they’re going to get on your bad side. 

Communicating With Warmth Is Important 

Something else that often seems to be the case when it comes to leadership communication is that people assume it’s got to be formal and professional, but warmth should always be included, because that’s what’s going to help your team - or anyone else - feel comfortable doing the work and interacting with you, and it could even make the difference between employees who do their work and employees who try harder and do more. 

Now you don’t have to share your life story or try to be everyone’s friend when you want to add some warmth to proceedings, but it isn’t a bad idea to speak like a real person rather than a robotic version of what you think you should be saying. That’s why it’s important to use natural language, show you care when you can, keep things understandable, and generally not get irritated or angry about silly little things. Even a simple detail like using a professional business card maker to give you a card that shows you’re human (perhaps adding a bit of humour, for example) can go a long way. 

Leaders Who Stay Human Make Better Decisions 

If you’re trying to be formal and professional and, as we said, more robotic than human, then you’re not being yourself, and that means you’re essentially putting on a performance. When that happens, you’re often so busy trying to keep that fake persona up that everything else just gets a bit rushed and overcomplicated. But when you’re honest and you’re more human and true to yourself, decisions are easier (you’re not trying to work out how to answer as the leader, you’re answering as yourself), and you can be a lot more focused on what genuinely makes sense for the team and the business. 

Plus, human leaders aren’t afraid to wait to get an answer and to find things out that they don’t know, as well as letting their teams know that they don’t know (that’s very human, and it’s sure to give you a lot of trust). If you’re more human, you’ll slow down more when it comes to working out what to do next, and that could save you a lot of mistakes, stress, money, and time, so it has to be the right thing to do. 

Your Values Need To Be Visible 

If you want to be a good - human - leader, your actions need to match your values, and you’ll need to make those values known to begin with. So if you say you care about the wellbeing of your team but then you send a load of messages out at midnight and expect them to reply, people are going to wonder what you really mean and which part of things is actually true. And the same goes for if you say you want feedback but you never respond to any of it, and so on. 

The best leaders are the ones who let people know what their values are, and then follow up on it by being respectful, acknowledging effort, giving credit, apologising for mistakes, and similar ideas. If you can do that, you’ll show you’re a real human being who does and feels the same things as your team, and they’ll love that and want to work harder for you as a result. 

Confidence Doesn’t Mean Pretending 

People can actually feel it when a leader is trying too hard to come across as something they’re not, and it’s always going to have the opposite effect to what’s intended because it’ll make people feel you’re not to be trusted, and there’ll be a lot of tension behind the scenes. 

If you want people to have real confidence in you, you’re going to need to admit when you don’t know things and when you’ve got limitations, and you’ll need to ask for input when necessary. Plus, staying calm in difficult situations always helps too. 

Final Thoughts 

Building a leadership presence that still feels human doesn’t mean you’ve got to come across as ‘soft’ or like you don’t know what you’re doing, it just means you’ve got to be yourself and be honest - that’s really all anyone’s asking of you.