Tweet

Leading With a Light and Gentle Touch

Written by: Eric Garner

Article Overview: Some of the most powerful leaders in history have been gentle leaders. Think of Mother Teresa. Think of Nelson Mandela. If you lead others in teams or in groupwork, you can be as powerful as these great leaders. By having class and being gentle.

Leading With a Light and Gentle Touch

There is a paradox at the heart of facilitation as there is at the heart of all people management; and that is, that to get people to do great things, we, the group leaders, need to allow things to happen, not by doing a lot but by doing as little as possible.
When we get out of people's way, they have the space to grow. When we stop thinking for them, they start to think for themselves. And when we stop telling them what our solutions are, they come up with the best solutions of all.

1, Gentle Leadership. Like it or not, the group will turn to the group leader at critical moments in the life of a group...
• to exert authority (especially if someone challenges the agreed rules)
• to be a model of legitimate and compassionate authority
• to be the expert
• to inform
• to adjudicate
• to empower
• to reward
• to provide feedback.

The group leader does not respond to the need for leadership by wresting control back from the group, but rather uses the skills of gentle leadership to help them lead themselves.

"The true leader is always led." (Carl Jung)

2. Gentle Interventions. Gentle leadership comes from gentle interventions: a gentle frown; a gentle look; a gentle smile; a gentle touch; a gentle nudge; a gentle few words; gentle persuasion.

Other techniques of gentle persuasion are:
• suggesting options but without forcing the group to choose
• posing questions to make people think
• pointing out possible consequences
• making a point indirectly through stories, anecdotes, myth and legends, the way gentle leaders throughout history have always conveyed their message.

"Gentle interventions, if they are clear, overcome rigid resistance. If gentleness fails, try yielding or stepping back altogether. When the leader yields, resistance fails." (John Heider)

3. 3D Leaders. The 3-D leader is the leader who can lead a group from any of the following three positions:
• out in front of the group
• in amongst the group
• at the back of the group.

The 3-D leader is like the mountain guide who knows when to tell the group to "Follow me!", when to mix in amongst them to gain their confidence; and when to let everyone climb a cliff first so that he can check their progress and safety from below.

The distinctive mark of the 3-D leader is care; and from caring comes the courage to try bold things.

4. Charisma. Charisma is a quality that belongs to the art of gentle leadership. It enables you to influence others simply by your presence and attentiveness.

One of the most charismatic people ever to have lived was President John F. Kennedy. It was said that when you spoke to Kennedy, you were made to feel that nothing else in the world mattered to him at that moment than you, your thoughts and feelings. That's the effect of charisma.

The word "charisma" comes from the "Charities" or Graces of Greek mythology. These were three goddesses, Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia, who were reputed to have given humour, graciousness and good manners to mankind.

5. Class. The gentle leader has no need to prove himself or herself to the group. When interventions are made, they are as a last resort; when skills are used, they are always understated.

"One thing that all of us must understand, whether it is in selling, business or in our relationships with others, is not to come on too strong. Many of us tend to do this. We get so excited that our enthusiasm outruns the content of our message. That is, the harder you try, the more doubt you imply to the listener.
There is a phrase that covers this. The object is to be so strong, so powerful, that you can afford to be gentle. As change occurs, as your growth happens from inside, you will become more powerful, more confident. So you can become gentle, at ease and real. Which is another way of saying you will have class." (Louis Tice)

6. The Leader as Catalyst. A catalyst is a substance that merely by its presence, causes change in other substances.

The group facilitator acts as catalyst when he or she shows the group genuine understanding, offers them recognition, helps them to make sense of their problems and encourages them to be all they can be.

• at the feeling level, she is wooer, charmer, and empathizer
• at the thinking level, he is interpreter, questioner and stimulator
• at the valuing level, she is champion, enabler and nurturer.

None of these roles are played up front as if to say: "Look at me". They are always applied with a light and gentle touch.

Related Articles
  12 Steps to Implementing Anything in Your Business: Step Eight: Follow Up...Follow Up...Follow Up!
  2 Great work-life balance tips to 'Pick you UP' & 'Perk you UP'
  Creating Bullets and Using Bullets Efficiently
  The Need for Touch
  The Exhilaration of Intention

Article Tags: anecdotes, best solutions, carl jung, consequences, critical moments, facilitation, few words, gentle leaders, gentle persuasion, gentle smile, gentle touch, gentleness, group leader, group leaders, interventions, john heider, myth and legends, paradox, resistance, true leader



Related Forum Posts
Re: How to Promote a MLM Business? - I have to agree with several of the previous posts here. Having your own site so that you can get it ranked is a big one. Also, as stated above, using a "passive" recruiting style works really well. Leading by example, people will naturally want to follow you over time if you prove yourself a leader. Bottom line, if you are promoting your opportunity or products, you are losing sales. About 85% of the population hates to be sold. Promote YOU, build relationships and let the business fall in place after that. Bill
Re: What are your January Goals? - Here's a quick update on mine: Goal #1: Hire New Writer = done - Post job description on oDesk - Set up trial job - Pick top candidate Goal #2: Follow up with Clients = done - Create and send quarterly report - Touch base with last year's clients - Follow up with 4 connectors Goal #3: PERSONAL = about 70% done on the month - Do something nice for my wife each week - Exercise 4 times per week - Daily stretch - want to touch my toes
5 Entrepreneur's success stories - My local paper's business section profiled 5 successful entrepreneurs in the Jan 6, 2008 issue of the paper. Thought I'd share just a bit of it here. Bill and Heidi Dittmar: Executive Lifestyle Jeff Wassmer: Spectrum Deloise Hawkins, Star Whitaker and Lenzy Hill: Touch of Elegance Stephen Brosius: Advanced Door Systems Pam Watson: Goodrich and Watson Insurers Bill and Heidi Dittmar: Executive Lifestyle founders of a magazine called Executive Lifestyle. Started in 1991. Revenue has grown more than 200% since 2004. 4 full time, 3 part time employees "We started off with $1,000 and a stupid idea." It began as This Month, a guide for tourists, and morphed into Executive Lifestyle. Jeff Wassmer: Spectrum Company specializes in computer network security and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance. Wassmer was an 11-year Air Force guy, so he had "ins" in order to form this business. Deloise Hawkins, Star Whitaker and Lenzy Hill: Touch of Elegance Founded business in 1994. 12 employees. Their company designs and plans an average of 25 events each month in Hampton Roads and other parts of Virginia. Stephen Brosius: Advanced Door Systems Started company in 1995. 5 full-time employees, plus subcontractors. After having worked as a subcontractor for others in the construction business for 20 years, he decided to start his own business. Pam Watson: Goodrich and Watson Insurers At age 49, she was approached by an insurance colleague to buy out their employer's insurance division. They did so, and became employers themselves., witj 4 full-time people.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

3 Key Factors For Raising Capital

Four Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Should Blog

Avoid Burnout: Do the Limbo Regularly

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.