How do you measure great leadership? In business, we often rely on return on investment (ROI) for success metrics. Employee performance is gauged by individual achievements, while divisions are evaluated on profitability. But what's the true ROI for a leader?
Related: 7 Personality Traits of a Great Leader
Since ROI boils down to results, it's logical to assess leadership by team outcomes: Did we hit our goals? Did the team seize the objective? Did the offense advance the ball? These are key indicators, and I fully agree that driving results is a core leadership objective. However, it shouldn't be the primary approach.
Here's why: Many leaders fixate so intensely on outcomes that they treat their teams like mere components in a productivity machine. This may yield short-term wins, but sustainable success demands enduring collaboration between leaders and their people.
“Leading an organization is as much about the soul as it is about systems. Effective leadership is rooted in understanding.”
Herb Kelleher, co-founder of Southwest Airlines, captured this perfectly: “Leading an organization is as much about the soul as it is about the systems. Effective leadership is rooted in understanding. Unless a leader has an awareness of humanity, a sensitivity to the hopes and aspirations of those he leads, and the ability to analyze the emotional forces that motivate leadership, he will be unable to produce and succeed, regardless of how often other incentives are given.”
Key words from Kelleher—understanding, awareness, sensitivity, soul—all point to one essential quality: compassion. In essence, compassion paves the path to results by sparking cooperation, which builds strong relationships. When team members feel deeply connected to their leader, they deliver their absolute best, naturally yielding superior outcomes.
Compassion > Cooperation > Relationship > Results
If compassion is step one, how do you cultivate it? For results-driven leaders, this may feel unfamiliar, but the long-term payoff is immense. Before teams fully commit, they ask three critical questions: Do you care about me? Can you help me? Can I trust you?
1. Do you care about me?
Ditch the 'cogs in a machine' mindset. Organizations thrive on unique individuals with personal needs, dreams, and motivations. Prioritize people over projects. Get to know your team: Learn their stories, understand their drivers, and show genuine interest. Express their value, ask about their families, and affirm your belief in them. When you truly value people for who they are, it shines through your actions.
2. Can you help me?
Counterintuitively, focus on serving them first. As motivation expert Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” One-sided relationships falter quickly. After assessing your team's needs, identify how you can add real value. Offer support generously, and earn their loyalty in return.
3. Can I trust you?
Compassion builds trust through consistent actions over time—keeping promises, aligning words with deeds, and steadily investing in your team. Trust requires deliberate effort; it's earned gradually but can shatter instantly. Consistency is your anchor.
Results matter, yet fixating solely on the endgame limits your ROI. The optimal route starts with compassion, fueling cooperation and robust relationships that propel exceptional, enduring success.
Answering yes to those three questions demands investment, but it ignites a results-driven journey with a cohesive, motivated team.
Related: Why the Empathetic Leader is the Best Leader
This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
