(Originally published by
www.hospitalimpact.org)
I've worked in hierarchical organizations for most of my career, where decisions are top-down and based on what's already known; where individuals provide input based solely on their role and responsibility (no stepping outside); where process and outcomes are based on historical expectations and where patterns are the strict definers of success.
Then I joined an organization in 2005 where the collaborative leadership "Circle Process" was the heart and soul of its culture. The prevailing culture emphasized heart-centeredness, authenticity, trust, honesty, shared leadership, and speaking and listening from the heart. It was quite an adjustment for someone coming from the typical corporate structure.
A few years later, I had the opportunity to join an amazing healthcare leadership development program, where the facilitators share the Prosci PCT (Project Change Triangle) Model.
As the discussion continued, we began to imagine a large heart at the center of the Prosci PCT Model. The facilitators went on to share that as the study of leadership advances, there has been more emphasis on leading with an "open heart."
Ronald A. Heifetz and Marty Linsky, co-authors of Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading, share the following in an article in Leader to Leader journal:
"After years of raising questions and accumulating scars, most of us develop a set of defenses to protect ourselves. We buy into the common myth that you cannot survive a demanding leadership role without developing a thick skin. But that diminishes us, because it squeezes the juice out of our soul. We lose our capacity for innocence, curiosity, and compassion. In a sense, our hearts close--our innocence turns into cynicism, our curiosity turns into arrogance, and our compassion turns into callousness. We dress these up, of course, because we don't want to see ourselves--and certainly don't want others to see us--as cynical, arrogant and callous. We dress cynicism up as realism. So now we are not cynical; we're realistic. We are not arrogant, but we do have authoritative knowledge. And we dress up and cloak our callousness by calling it the thick skin of wisdom. But to stay alive in our spirit, in our heart, requires the courage to keep our heart open..."
Are we all leading with an Open Heart? Ask yourself:
* Am I a cynic?
* Am I still curious, or am I arrogant?
* Have I closed my mind to new ideas and concepts?
* Am I compassionate, or am I callous?
* Am I hiding my fear(s) behind a mask?
Leading with an Open Heart is not a sign a weakness--just the opposite. It requires courage. On the other hand, cynicism, arrogance and callousness may look courageous at first glance, but in reality, it's just the opposite.
I read recently a wonderful online article about the origin of the word 'courage.' Apparently, the word has its root in 'heart.' 'Cour' = 'coeur' ('heart' in French). Courage is the core of Open Heart Leadership. Courage is living from the heart.
If we are truly to improve health care in America and position individuals and communities for true healing and improved health, we must all be courageous and lead with an Open Heart.