The 1 Rare Sign Youre Supposed to be a Leader

The 1 Rare Sign Youre Supposed to be a Leader Leaders are often depicted as cold-hearted, no-nonsense figures without a trace of a soul (think Miranda Priestly). But recent research shows that successful leaders have a completely different attribute thats contradictory to the previously taught leadership qualities true kindness.According to research, employees enjoy working for a leader who takes dienstgrad and creates her own rules in a nice way. A leader who seems to actually care about them, their livelihoods, their families, their work-life balance in a genuine way.It can be difficult for most leaders to exude under the stresses of management, but kindness in a leader has been found to create not only a happier work environment, but mora loyal and committed employees who work harder and produce better work. If youre someone who is able to keep your cool and care even when your team is driving you nuts, you were born to be a leader. Heres why.1. Kindness improves employee well-b eing and productivity.When employees are friendly and help one another with tasks, they develop better relationships with coworkers (seems obvious, right?) These relationships create a healthier work environment, one that is not based on fear of repercussions, which, in turn, improves employee productivity. Workers are also mora likely to perform better and be more efficient with their time without being watched and told to hurry up by a mean boss. Seems like kindness really can pay off.2. Peoples brains respond to kindness in a way that improves teamwork.According to Judith Glaser, CEO of Benchmark Communications and author of Creating WE, the human brain is wired to respond well to kindness and respect.When someone is kind and respectful to us, our brains produce more oxytocin and dopamine, which helps us relax, feel open to others, and be more sharing and cooperative, Glaser said. Being open and allowing collaboration is beneficial to the teamwork necessary in most professions. 3 . Kindness in the workplace leads to trust in the workplace.In a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, 1,409 CEOs in 83 different countries were interviewed on improving employee performance. The survey discovered that kindness leads to greater employee dedication and commitment to their company. Kindness also breaks down communication barriers that may exist, reduces dangerous competition among employees, and improves relationships with company shareholders.4. Kindness creates learning and innovation.Kindness, along with the qualities of empathy and understanding, are important to innovation. These qualities lead to personal psychological safety, according to research from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and the University of Michigan. This psychological safety makes employees more likely to learn from their failures, rather than be discouraged. Those who are psychologically safe are more likely to share personal information, as well as work together to come up with creative so lutions to problems in the workplace.More on leadership11 Leadership Books to Help You Rise Above Middle Management3 Leadership Goals to Set for Each Stage of Your CareerWhat Is Your Leadership Style? Here Are 7 Common Kinds