For Warren Buffett’s authorized biography, The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, the billionaire investor gave writer Alice Schroeder unprecedented access to explore his opinions and philosophy of life.
That exploration resulted in a book filled with rare gems. On the topic of career advancement, consider what Buffett said:
“People ask me where they should go to work, and I always tell them to go to work for whom they admire the most. It’s crazy to take little in-between jobs just because they look good on your resume. That’s like saving sex for old age. Do what you love and work for whom you admire the most, and you’ve given yourself the best chance in life you can.”
So, whom do you admire the most as a potential future boss? Since we spend more awake time at work than with our own families, this is an important question.
To distinguish truly human-centered bosses from average ones, let’s examine some clear examples of what the best leaders do to be recognized as “human-centered.”
1. Human-centered leaders are relationship-focused
It’s not surprising that managers who earn their employees’ trust also build strong, healthy relationships with them. Gallup research confirms this as a key factor for success. It states that “the personal relationship [employees] have with their supervisor is the most meaningful relationship they have with their organization.”
On the flip side, the effects of having a poor relationship with your boss are so severe that they harm workers’ health. From a previous State of the American Manager report by Gallup:
“Having a bad manager is often a one-two punch: Employees feel miserable while at work, and that misery follows them home, compounding their stress and putting their well-being in peril.”
Now imagine that same employee coming to work the next day, feeling completely demoralized and demotivated. What will that do to their performance and team morale?
Remember, human-centered leaders are called that because they genuinely care about individual contributors on a personal level. They are truly interested in learning about them — their interests, concerns, dreams, strengths, gifts, and goals.
2. Human-centered leaders allow for risks to be taken
Years ago, Google’s own researchers set out to answer one overarching question: What makes a team effective at Google?
The notable study, called Project Aristotle, reached some interesting conclusions. Researchers found that what truly mattered was not the people on the team, but how team members collaborated.
The top priority was the need for teams to experience “psychological safety” — a shared belief among team members that the team is a safe place for interpersonal risk-taking, admitting a mistake, asking a question, or offering a new idea.
When managers build a foundation for teams to experience higher psychological safety, employees are less likely to leave Google and more likely to leverage the power of diverse ideas from their teammates. And if you’re wondering, this level of creative freedom and risk-taking, without fear or reprimand, resulted in more revenue for the company.
3. Human-centered leaders show uncommon humility
It’s been found that the most human-centered leaders, as documented in Jim Collins’s book Good to Great, demonstrate turning away from selfish interests. While not exactly a “power” word, I’ve cited plenty of research in my book, Humane Leadership, that continues to define and validate humility’s leadership effect on others.
In essence, humble leaders achieve greatness without arrogance. They shift from ego to humility, which can drastically alter outcomes to their advantage.
4. Human-centered leaders make the people they serve better
To enhance your influence as a leader, keep this in mind: Leadership is about serving others. To evaluate where you stand on the spectrum of a truly human-centered leader, there’s one very powerful question you should ask right now.
What am I doing every day to improve the life of an employee?
That’s what it ultimately comes down to. When you can demonstrate leadership qualities that foster trust, commitment, and loyalty among your employees, remove obstacles from their path and set them up for success, and give their work meaning and purpose, you will be seen as the most human-centered leader by others. That’s very good for business.
—Marcel Schwantes
This article originally appeared on Fast Company’s sister website, Inc.com.
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