How to Scale Heart-Centered Leadership, and Transform Good Companies into Great Ones

The lights dimmed as the first performer of the open mic event in East Dallas nervously stepped onto the stage. "I've been wanting to sing on stage all my life. Tonight, I finally am. It's terrifying and exciting," she declared. Dawn, the event organizer and first performer, thus set the tone for a night of vulnerability, courage, risk-taking, and above all, heart.

Having been invited by a friend who straddled the corporate world by day and the local music scene by night, I immersed myself in an experience that seemed to be an allegory for a leadership approach I advocate - heart-centered leadership.

Heart-centered leadership can be transformative in any environment - particularly within the business world.

The evening's potent blend of first-time performers and experienced amateurs, a generous offering of talents, and the palpable collaboration between the audience and performers captured the heart-centered approach.

Dawn created a space where people felt safe to express themselves authentically and wholeheartedly.

As leaders, creating such a culture in our organizations can grow a good company into a great one.

Scaling a heart-centered leadership approach requires us to create workplaces that feel safe and empowering, encouraging individuals to become not just contributors, but creators.

Here are three crucial elements to consider:

1. Leaders show up authentically as role models.

Leaders themselves need to embody heart-centered leadership.

Just as Dawn took the first step to organize the open mic night, be vulnerable and share her talent, leaders in organizations need to set the climate, be authentic and show a willingness to take risks.

Doing so inspires their teams to step out of their comfort zones and boldly contribute their gifts and talents to the organization's success.

2. Leaders set the rules of engagement.

Leaders create a collaborative culture by encouraging the sharing of diverse ideas and unique perspectives, sparking innovation and creativity.

Without safety and clarity on the rules of engagement, people continue to hide the best of what they can bring to their work. This is where culture falls short - failing to understand the criticality of psychological safety. (This is what I teach leadership teams to do - to operationalize this culture change and experience outstanding results.)

An empowering culture allows employees to feel safe to experiment, make mistakes, and learn - promoting a dynamic, creative environment:

Leaders prioritize encouragement over criticism and embrace risk-taking.

They encourage a growth mindset. Much like the open mic audience that applauded every performance, leaders celebrate the growth demonstrated regardless of its quality. They know performance will improve with each learning cycle.

Individuals are invited to express their ideas freely. They know they are supported, as did the performers, who stepped on stage,

Heart-centered leaders foster a culture of collaboration and encouragement. They invite people to grow into their highest potential, just as the audience at the open mic event supported the performers as they offered a higher expression of themselves.

3. Innovation expands as people believe they are safe to create

In essence, scaling heart-centered leadership enables an environment where everyone can be their authentic selves and feel safe to take risks. This magical open mic night was a perfect example. People who feel supported and valued can create and perform in amazing ways.

As leaders, we have the opportunity to translate this heart-centered ethos into our organizations. By enabling all individuals to fully share their talents and ideas without fear, we can elevate our good companies into truly great ones.

A young performer sang on despite his music and technology not being audible. His act was raw and imperfect but imbued with determination and courage.

In response, the audience showered him with applause and encouragement, a testament to the power of collective support and acceptance.

Fostering such environments in our organizations can lead to transformative results.

By celebrating courage and growth over perfection, we create a culture that encourages creativity and risk-taking, leading to breakthrough ideas and solutions. As each individual pushes through their resistance, fear, or insecurity to growth and greater capability, it empowers others on the same journey. This is the crux of heart-centered leadership, and it's how good companies evolve into great ones.

You can achieve outstanding sustainable results as you elevate your people, company, and the world.

The young performer's act is a powerful reminder that leadership is less about perfect performances and more about empowering the courage to experiment, grow, and perform, strengthened by collective support. Embracing these principles can unleash the potential within our teams and organizations and catalyze innovation and collaboration that can genuinely transform our companies. We create something magical in our organizations.

I have grown my consultancy because of the outcomes my clients experience when they put heart-centered leadership into action.

Those companies lead their field.

They don't have toxic leadership running rampant.

They don't experience massive turnover or quiet quitting.

They do have fulfilled, committed, purpose-driven team members who stay and thrive.

They exceed their customers' expectations.

And their people and stakeholders say, "That was a wonderful experience. Let's do it again."