Human-Centered Leadership: The Path to Performance

The most utilized activity in the history of leadership training has to be the one where the facilitator asks those in attendance to: “Think about the best boss you have ever had!”

If you have ever been the one in the front of the room making that request, you can attest to the fact that you can literally see people going to their “happy place” as they conjure up those memories. It’s akin to asking them to reflect upon everything they learned about life from their favorite relative. You can usually both feel and sense the reflective gratitude.

To transition to the content of whatever program is being taught after those emotions have been brought to the forefront, most facilitators invite learners to consider how (in particular) the boss they are thinking about distinguished themselves: “What did that memorable leader ‘say or do’ that made them stand out?”

Questions To Ask Yourself About Your Best Boss

For the purposes of this blog, I’d ask you to consider two, closely related, ”best boss” questions:

1. When did the relationship with your “best boss” first initiate?
   1. In other words, what were the circumstances that brought you together in the first place?
2. Why did that relationship become memorable?
   1. You have probably worked for a number of people throughout your career, but this boss stands out … because …?

The Situational Leadership^® Model

At the same time, I would also ask you to think about the Situational Leadership^® approach. The Situational Leadership^® Model has been helping people effectively influence others within organizations for over 55 years. At a minimum, it helps leaders frame their attempts to influence by getting answers to three practical but critical questions:

1. What is the task?
   1. In specific terms, and at the atomic level, what needs to be accomplished?
2. What is the Performance Readiness^® of the person performing the task?
   1. Are they currently performing at a sustained and acceptable level?
   2. Do they exhibit confidence and commitment when they engage?
3. Given the answers to the first two questions: What style of leadership has the highest probability of success?
   1. Direction?
   2. Empowerment?
   3. Collaboration?

What Makes Your Best Boss The Best?

In that regard, it stands to reason that your relationship with your “best boss” started out with something to do. There was a task that needed to be accomplished, and you and your boss were responsible for accomplishing it. In that context, consider that “best bosses” are frequently Situational Leaders! Somehow and someway they consistently provide what is needed regardless of the circumstances:

• When you lack confidence and don’t know what to do, they give you the benefit of their experience
• When you know exactly what to do and love doing it, they get out of your way and trust you to get it done
• When you have demonstrated you know what to do but still feel a little unsure about doing it (for whatever reason), they talk with you and help you work through your apprehension

But, a “best boss” doesn’t become a “best boss” because they helped you work your way through a learning curve on a task! They become a “best boss” because they pushed you when you needed pushing (even if you didn’t particularly enjoy it at the time!). They helped you work your way through a difficult problem and make a decision that you owned (instead of “grasping the reins” and telling you what they thought you should do). They listened to, and took action upon, suggestions you offered up that were grounded in your performance track record and expertise (without trying to take credit for something that was clearly your idea).

In essence, “best bosses” employ Situational Leadership^® practices as the human-centric approach it has always been. They distinguish themselves in our memories as leaders who formed meaningful relationships with us over time around the work that needed to be done. Eventually, it became apparent. They didn’t just care about performing tasks and delivering results. They also truly cared about us, our development and our well-being.