How do you thrive at work so you can inspire and mobilize others, even in demanding circumstances? Centered Leadership is what equips leaders for leading change. As the name implies, “It’s about having a well of physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual strength that drives personal achievement, and in turn, inspires others to follow.”
Research updated this month by the McKinsey Leadership Project indicates that of the leaders who have the skill to lead through challenging circumstances, 92% are skilled in centered leadership. The global research distills 5 capabilities that, in combination, generate high levels of professional performance and life satisfaction.
Five capabilities are at the heart of centered leadership:
- finding meaning in work
- converting emotions such as fear or stress into opportunity
- leveraging connections and community
- acting in the face of risk
- sustaining the energy that is the life force of change
While the research began to understand how women leaders become more confident and effective business leaders, the results confirm that centered leadership is equally useful to men. For both men and women, the capacity to find meaning in our work has the strongest impact on general life satisfaction. The more dimensions mastered, the more likely respondents were to rate themselves as highly satisfied with their performance as leaders and their lives in general.
How Do I Connect with Meaning?
Meaning is our ability to find our strengths and put them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose. You can recognize leaders who infuse their life and work with a sense of meaning because they convey energy and enthusiasm for a goal that is important to them.
How to start?
1) Be very honest with yourself as you begin to notice what you are good at and also enjoy doing.
2) Notice the response to these questions:
- What am I doing when I feel energized?
- What really brings out the protective bear in me when I see this happen?