3 Tips to Creating Your Soulful Leadership Destiny through Magnetic Communication

Nov 20, 2022

The new data is out. And unfortunately, when it comes to leadership attrition, the stats are not very optimistic. According to the Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index, 43% of employees are somewhat or highly likely to consider changing jobs in 2023. 

Organizations rebounding from the shock and crisis of the pandemic are not doing enough to… and I hate to say it…. pivot to meet the new evolved needs of their team members.  We, as leaders, are scrambling now to fulfill our existing shortfall, dealing with the multitude of crises like: labour shortages, supply chain shortages, and higher supply and shipping costs… gosh… the list is long. Yet the solution is simple…. Magnetic Communication.

I recently took time out to do an employee journey and empathy mapping exercise with a hotel leadership team. The owners and managers were exhausted from dealing with the turnstile that was their employee retention outcome.

They needed to understand where they were, what they wanted, and more importantly, what their team needed. Defining and picking three specific Avatars that represent some core personalities, we went to work.

According to International Executive Communication Coach Marjo Hellman, “one of the biggest changes (almost) post-pandemic, is not the digital transformations. It’s actually what’s happening within companies and leaders.” 

Our new reality necessitates a different approach if leaders don’t want to lose their good people. Hellman says, “Trust is not based on the things that you do anymore. Now, neutral trust is more distributed. You don’t buy trust by just ‘doing’ the ‘boss’ things. But it’s about who you are ‘being.’ Who you are matters more to people than what you do.” 

Hellman explains that being a next-generation leader has nothing to do with age but has everything to do with attitude, skills and how you look at the world. It goes down to the personal attributes of the leader. How is this person in tune with their internal voice? What is the internal side saying? Aside from competence, personal attributes, such as authenticity, humility, empathy, humour, honesty, and many others are what make people love and trust a leader.

Hellman gives us helpful tips that would help encourage the behaviours required to be this Next Generation leader.

Watch the full interview with Marjo Hellman.

1. Self-reflection

It starts with us! 

I joke that we have an invisible bubble surrounding each of us. This massive bubble is coloured by the virtues, values, beliefs and biases of our past and our experiences (mine is purple!). Sometimes when our bubbles intersect with others, they’ll meld nicely together and we get synergies, cooperation and a semblance of like-mindedness. Or, they might clash and crash causing conflict, misunderstandings and distrust.

Actually, trust is a great example.

Do we trust people or do we not trust them? According to Trust Expert Rachel Botsman, deception is the enemy of trust, and the only way to combat it is to return to intentions and motives. Some leaders, regrettably, begin with a stance of mistrust. They believe that strangers (new employees, new customers), at the core, will not do what’s right. They believe “trust must be earned.” People must constantly demonstrate that they can be trusted. Sometimes these leaders may implement and devise “tests” to see if the people they are dealing with are honest. 

Botsman defines trust as “a confident relationship with the unknown.” When viewed through this lens, trust begins to emerge amidst the uncertainty around us that enables us to have faith in strangers and keep moving forward.

Effective interaction (and communication) starts with us understanding ourselves and how we see the world first–then, and only then, can we adjust our bubble to meld nicely with those around us.

2. Active Listening

Active listening is one way in which we adjust our bubble. Are we actively listening to what people around us are saying? This is more than just nodding one’s head and uttering, “yes, I see!” To permeate our bubbles, active listening requires empathy. Do our employees believe we genuinely care about them and consider other people’s points of view, even if they differ from ours?

Active listening takes consistent intentionality. When done well, it creates higher levels of trust and builds bridges to understanding.

3. Driving Sustainability, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Emerging Technologies through Values

According to Hellman, Sustainability, diversity, equity, inclusion, and emerging technologies are all important considerations. If we want to run an intentionally conscious business, values should be central to our belief system and corporate culture.

As leaders, we have to define what kind of world we want to live in and leave behind. Conscious leadership is about being purposeful and intentional, leveraging our inherent magnetic communication.

Hellman offers this wise advice: if you have doubts about whether your employees are doing their jobs, avoid micromanaging. Instead, give them space to prove themselves, check in on them from time to time, and assure them that they only need to report to you on occasion. Encourage them, if they require assistance, to reach out and seek your support. This will kickstart your communication and produce desired results.

“Communication is not just some person’s work in the company. It is the glue that keeps everything together. Without it, you can’t do anything good in the world. You can’t lead your team, you can’t sell your products, and you can’t communicate all the good that you’re doing in the world and the progress you’re making. Communication is not an afterthought. It has to be right at the core of what you’re doing,” says Hellman.