A Human Aware way of leading
In a data-driven economy, many performance indicators help us navigate the business landscape. However, the numbers only tell one story, and leading with humanity can help you build a more robust path forward.
Leading with people vs leading with data
As a leader, it can be easy to fall into the habit of focusing on the numbers—productivity, efficiency, and the bottom line. After all, data is a black-and-white indicator of what’s working for your business and what isn’t—especially when times are hard.
The numbers are readily available, too—everything from revenue to lifetime value to employee sentiment is available at the click of a button. The problem is that while these numbers help leaders make decisions about their business, they miss one crucial element—the human factor and how a clear insight into what is important to people can help you make your company stand out.
Yes, great leadership is about solid business acumen and making the right decisions for your company. However, leaders should also actively try to understand the people involved, customers, employees, and communities, to add dimension to the numbers and impact of their data-driven decisions.
Human-aware leaders make more robust decisions
By understanding the people involved, leaders can better understand how their company fits into their lives. For example, sales data may show you that wardrobe sales are up; however, understanding people´s motivations shows that buying good quality furniture from sustainable wood is at the top of your customers’ minds. One indicator may lead you to ramp up production from cheaper, less sustainable sources and then leave you wondering why your sales have suddenly dropped off, whereas the other could open up a market that you hadn’t previously considered.
Dominique Jaurola shares three tips for making better, human-centered decisions in our personal and professional lives.
Human-aware leaders harness multidimensional understanding
Leading with humanity also requires a degree of empathy. Understanding the problems of the people you impact can help you find meaningful solutions.
One story that hits the nail on the head is that of Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments, who made headlines by giving everyone in his company a minimum wage of $70,000. After hearing firsthand from employees who were struggling financially (and were somewhat disgruntled) and crunching the numbers, he realized that he could make a difference in their lives.
The really amazing thing here is that this increased employee satisfaction amongst more junior employees who got a pay increase, and more senior people were happy to take pay cuts to work for Gravity because it was putting its people first.
Human-aware leaders motivate employees and customers
Here’s the thing: leading with humanity leads to better motivation. We can see this in the case of Gravity Payments and its customers. Communities are motivated to engage more with brands that show their humanity, and customers are motivated to do business with companies that show their human side, and in some cases, they will be happy to pay a premium to do so.
Humanness is a powerful motivator for those your company touches, but as a leader, how can you foster understanding? My advice is this: fuel your curiosity.
Go out of your way to understand different perspectives on every aspect of your business.
Consider every perspective, no matter how insignificant it may seem – some of the brightest gems come from the most unexpected places.
Don’t rely on the numbers alone – find ways to discover that much-needed depth.
Good leaders can steer their ship in the right direction. Great leaders take the time to learn from everyone who comes along for the journey.
For more information on how Hunome can help you lead with humanity, get in touch; otherwise, sign up for Hunome to see how human-aware principles can steer your business forward.