The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event marked by uncertainty, disruption and change, with lasting impacts on our personal and professional lives. In response, our supervisors were called upon to be more understanding, empathetic and flexible with their direct reports. Organizations ultimately learned that a “human-centered” approach to leadership was effective for optimizing individual and organizational performance, while also supporting employee engagement, well-being, retention — and the overall employee experience.
Why Is This Important?
Putting people first can have positive impacts on employees and the overall employee experience, which in turn produces better outputs and better overall organizational performance. Human-centered leadership is considered the new leadership paradigm that contributes to higher performance, sustainable results, and provides a competitive advantage for recruitment and retention.
- Human-centered leadership is one aspect of a healthy organizational culture, which supports innovation, growth, higher productivity, employee engagement, and retention.
- According to Gartner’s research, a human-centered approach can improve both employee performance and retention, with a 3.8 times greater likelihood of high performance and 3.2 times greater likelihood of intent to stay.
- Leaders who use a “people first” approach can achieve lasting success that is more sustainable than a “business first” approach.
What Is Human-Centered Leadership?
The term “human-centered leadership” was popularized during the pandemic and is attributed to a “people first” or “whole person” approach to leadership. While human-centered leadership is a robust practice with numerous elements, it can be distilled into three main components:
Authenticity — being genuine, as well as that in your employees
Empathy — demonstrating genuine care, concern, and respect for employee well-being
Flexibility — enabling work flexibilities, autonomy, and support that fits employee needs
Getting Started
Featured below are a handful of practical, easy-to-implement tips for putting into practice the three components of human-centered leadership.
Authenticity:
- Invite, consider, and value all ideas and opinions — even if they are different than yours!
- Seek to understand first, by using active listening techniques, such as asking clarifying questions.
- Treat opinions different from yours with interest and respect — be curious!
- Try using a shared document to give each team member an opportunity to share input at their own pace.
Empathy:
- Recognize your employees as human beings with needs (e.g., autonomy, belonging, and mastery).
- Demonstrate genuine respect, care, and concern for the well-being of your employees.
- If your direct reports are stressed, find out what is causing it and how you can be part of the solution.
- Provide regular appreciation and recognition, both formally and informally.
Flexibility:
- Consider and plan for how you can support your employees’ needs, especially if you have a hybrid team (i.e., some employees work on site and others work remotely).
- Involve your direct reports in decisions that impact their work.
- Help employees feel autonomous by providing flexibility on all aspects of work — not just when and where they work.
- Seek opportunities to create efficiencies for your team by streamlining communications, processes, and procedures.
Interested in Learning More?
The following resources provide more information on human-centered leadership and its components:
- 4 Methods to Redefine Workplace Flexibility
- 7 Qualities of the Human-Centric Workplace for Innovative Leaders
- Authentic Leadership: What It Is & Why It’s Important
- Empathy in the Workplace and Why It’s Important
- Human-Centered Leadership: Transforming Workplaces Through Empathy and Empowerment
- The Rise of Human-Centered Leadership—Where Everyone Is All In
Dr. Lauren Forgacs is an organizational development psychologist and applied positive psychologist, with more than six years of service in the federal government and 20 years of private-sector experience, including award-winning accomplishments with a top five management consulting firm. She provides expert guidance and customized solutions to federal leaders on organizational development and culture, change management, leadership, teambuilding, employee engagement, and psychological safety. She is an expert on human-centered leadership and recently developed a year-long, cohort-based training program to enhance enterprise-wide leadership skills, organizational effectiveness, and the employee experience. Dr. Forgacs has held several leadership positions, effectively leading and motivating remote, hybrid, and on-site teams. She is also a certified federal leadership coach and a Gallup-certified strengths coach.
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