April 22, 2024
Leadership today, and especially tomorrow, demands a genuine integration of mind and heart. Thinkers50 invited participants to reflect on the type of leaders the next decade will require and how to prepare them for their purpose.
In this conversation, held during its recent Awards Gala and moderated by Sanyin Siang , executive director of the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University, two leading figures in leadership research and practice, Kirstin Ferguson , author of Head & Heart and adjunct professor at Queensland University of Technology, and Alyson Meister , professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD, rethought what it really means to lead in these times and how to do it in a more balanced way.
Together, they explored the keys to practicing humane, inclusive, and conscious leadership, focused on the impact it generates on people and organizational cultures beyond financial results. Throughout the discussion, they delved into timely topics such as mental well-being, empathy in high-pressure environments, the importance of self-awareness, and the value of building a legacy that shapes new generations of leaders.
SANYIN SIANG: Traditional management taught us to separate mind and heart, but competency and mental brilliance in management have proven insufficient for today’s leaders. Why should they also integrate the heart, Kirstin?
KIRSTIN FERGUSON: It’s obvious that leaders—and this is what my research focuses on—can’t just rip their hearts out when they get to work. The concept of modern leadership is broader than just thinking about our formal authority or position of power; modern leaders can lead with their heads and their hearts, and integrate the leader they are at home and in their communities with their leadership at work, because all the qualities they display in those settings, which have historically been excluded from the workplace, are exactly what’s needed at work; and empathy is a great example.
I’ve worked in many organizations where the stereotypical manager, with decades of experience and only interested in KPIs, felt empathy had no place in their leadership role. However, outside of work, they displayed incredible empathy toward their family, grandchildren, and so on.
My research at Head & Heart has identified the eight key attributes of a leader with both head and heart, because the key lies in finding balance. The art of modern leadership lies in knowing what is needed and when.
SS: So, we don’t talk about work and life, but just about life and bringing our whole selves to the table. Alyson, when we as leaders ask our people to do something, how important it is to go first. Could you tell us a little more about how we see ourselves and how we lead ourselves?
ALYSON MEISTER: It’s critical to start with the context in which we lead. The world is increasingly divided and polarized, and leaders are increasingly stressed. In fact, 50% of young people experience stress daily. We’re seeing rising levels of depression, anxiety, and burnout around the world.
So, I would recommend starting by understanding what’s happening and then asking yourself what that means for you as a leader; asking yourself:
None of this is easy, and even less so when we’re overwhelmed, but we need to pause and become more aware of who we are and the impact we want to have. This leads us to new ways of thinking about leadership and new ways of exercising it.
KF: Half of my job, besides trying to create a framework for what it means to be a modern leader, is communicating that we are all leaders. Many people may not supervise anyone, but they are leaders in their different roles, in their families, and in all aspects of their lives, even if they don’t see themselves as such, as we only use that term to refer to people with power and authority.
SS: This reinforces the idea that leadership isn’t about positions or titles, but rather about influence and persuasion. Trying to connect the concepts of context and leader identity, the concept of responsibility emerges. I think that, as leaders, we acquire a deeper sense of responsibility and we can see that if you’re not well, it’s difficult to be of help to anyone. Leading in an era of uncertainty and innovation like the current one also generates a lot of fear. The question is, how do we support our people to overcome that fear and achieve their goal?
“Leadership is not about positions or titles, but about influence and persuasion.” Sanyin Siang
AM: When we face these kinds of fearful, uncertain, and overwhelming situations, it’s increasingly important to connect on a human level. We must understand that the people we lead have lives, identities, and families. A simple “How are you?” can connect and help employees thrive at work, which helps the organization, collectively, build a thriving culture. But this always starts at the individual level.
I’m not saying leaders should become psychotherapists or immerse themselves in employees’ personal lives. They should simply connect on that human level, with the intention of supporting them through moments of change, uncertainty, risk, and failure—those moments that generate the most fear and where the leader must be present.“A simple ‘how are you?’ can connect and help employees thrive at work.” Alyson Meister
KF: I firmly believe that leadership is a series of moments, and each moment is an opportunity to make an impact and leave a positive legacy for those we lead. As leaders, we influence through the words we use, the decisions we make, and the behaviors we model. Whether you consider yourself a leader or not, you are one; and each moment will have an impact (positive or negative).
As Alyson mentioned , it’s first about looking in the mirror and thinking, “How am I doing?” Because if I’m stressed and my family is in turmoil, there’s no way I can be an effective leader in helping others through their difficult times. I’m very interested in the question of our own responsibility that you mention.“As leaders, we influence through the words we use, the decisions we make, and the behaviors we model.” Kirstin Ferguson
I also like the idea of the “third eye” Sheena Iyengar talks about —it basically refers to confirming how aligned others are with a proposal and whether they see it the same way you do, before entering the prototyping phase or testing whether something might work or not with clients. I understand it as seeking feedback, because we’re terrible at self-assessing the impact we have on others. Studies show that 92% of us believe we have self-awareness, but only 10% to 15% of those we lead agree. This is terrifying for a leader. That’s why the “third eye” is needed in all kinds of contexts.
AM: As you know, I have the honor of working with many leaders at IMD each year, and I feel there’s a lot of pressure on them. When I ask them to describe all the qualities of a good leader today, they typically respond that they’re adaptable, agile, empathetic, inclusive, purposeful, and able to demonstrate and live their purpose. I write all of this on the board and then ask, “Class, who would want to apply for this position?” “The idea that leaders who leave a legacy have to be perfect prevails, but it’s necessary to have a little compassion for yourself.” Alyson MeisterThere’s a lot of pressure to be perfect, to know the answer, to help others. You need to have a little compassion for yourself as a leader, and compassion for others. Simply say to yourself, “I’m doing the best I can.” I think this isn’t talked about enough, and the prevailing idea is that leaders who leave a legacy have to be perfect.
SS: I understand that seeing all those words on the board can be overwhelming, but ultimately, we’re talking about the scope of your control, in a world where so much is out of your control. I think we need to move away from this concept of a big legacy and how we have to change the future and make a big impact, and connect it to what’s actually within our reach.
KF: We really only have one job: to create a family tree of leaders. That’s how I see it. It’s not about money or recognition. Taking leadership seriously means always thinking about what the next family tree or branch of leaders we’re creating will be. To do this, it’s inevitable to find a balance between the head and the heart, because, obviously, technical competence is fundamental, as is curiosity, the wisdom to make good decisions, and the ability to read the situation, which is, in fact, the most important attribute my research revealed.“Taking leadership seriously means always thinking about what the next family tree or branch of leaders we’re creating will be.” Kirstin Ferguson
But leading with heart is about intellectual humility, courage, self-awareness, and empathy. The challenge is integrating all of this into your work, focusing on creating a family of leaders.
AM: I like that idea. In fact, science shows that a leader’s behavior is contagious. Mindset and energy spread through human networks like a virus—it’s like a good pandemic. When I work with leaders, the idea of legacy often seems overwhelming, so I suggest they consider something smaller: “What is my microlegacy?” or simply “What impact do I want to leave after this meeting?”
QUESTION: Depending on the region of the world, the way we understand and exercise leadership varies greatly. Do you have any research on the multicultural perspective on this issue?
KF: In the research I’ve conducted, which is available at headheartleader.com , I’ve had, so far, nearly 20,000 people from more than 110 countries.
From a gender perspective, there’s no substantial difference between how men and women self-evaluate, whether as leaders who rely more on the heart or the head. I must admit I had a stereotype about this and expected women to identify more as leaders of the heart. Nor is there a difference in the cultural realm. The experience of being a leader in one culture or another is very different, but the challenge is rather how we perceive ourselves as leaders, regardless of the culture.
AM: I’ve surveyed more than 3,000 leaders from different continents in workshops on mental health, stress, well-being, and thriving cultures, and after conducting a survey at a bank in Singapore, I can say that the key isn’t whether people are struggling, but how they express it. That’s where cultural perspective comes into play.
For example, if I ask a group of Danes, Germans, or Canadians how they feel, I’ll probably get a straightforward answer that I wouldn’t get if I asked the same question in Asia, where they might not express themselves so directly. But there are more ways to access that answer. If I ask how you feel right now on a scale of 0 to 10, I can get exactly the same answers I would get in other parts of the world through other means.
According to the McKinsey Health Institute, 50% of leaders and employees across all continents felt on the verge of burnout last year . They conducted their research in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. So the question isn’t whether people experience things differently, but rather how they express them and how context shapes them differently. “The question isn’t whether people experience things differently depending on their culture, but how they express them and how context shapes them differently.” Alyson Meister
KF: And that fits perfectly with my work, which has revealed that of the eight attributes, the most important is what I call “perspective,” which in simple terms is “reading the room,” reading the environment. If you’re leading in a different culture, team, or industry, you may have erred by coming in with your own biases and without asking for feedback . We’ve all been there. That’s why picking up on cues is so incredibly important. That ability to “read the room” (an attribute of the head) correlates with empathy (of the heart) because it allows you to sense who’s missing from the room—critical for those of us who lead around diversity and inclusion. And again, we come back to the cultural question.
Q: Is the ability to be perceptive and develop self-awareness something we can teach and cultivate in leaders?
AM: I wouldn’t be in my job if I didn’t believe this deeply. Sometimes people just need space to ask themselves difficult questions and reflect.
KF: Yes, but now that I’m writing a book about our biases and blind spots , and thanks to the call to attention of some neurodiverse people , I’ve realized that not all of us have the same ease at interpreting the environment. In fact, it’s more difficult for them to read the context. At first, I thought anyone, with some training and help, could do it, but now I’m not sure that’s the case. However, I think recognizing that need and seeking feedback already puts you on the right path.
