Humanistic leadership is the central axis around which the leadership model I have developed revolves, developed  through hundreds of training interventions with thousands of professionals since I began in 1998 in the field of corporate training.  ( “Being an Example: Small Great Leaders”, 3rd Edition, EUNSA Editorial, University of Navarra. )

I start from the premise that the primary way to lead is by example . To confirm this, there’s a phrase that clearly summarizes it: ” Words convince, example compels .” In this sense, it’s worth opening the door to ongoing reflection for all of us.  What makes humanistic leadership gain so much relevance?

To answer this question, we must set aside our professional titles and responsibilities to  make room for the human dimension that is common to us all. Humanistic leadership fulfills the intangible and profound needs of today’s professional—  those who arrive home tired and frustrated, as well as those who open their doors to share their successes and satisfactions.

The premise we start from is that every person,  in order to bring to the surface the best of themselves in terms of the potential that they still have latent within them, both for their professional and private life,  needs to satisfy three great needs: affection, recognition and a positive attitude.

• Affection   understood as respectful, close, warm, sincere treatment with purity of intention that makes us understand that we are welcomed .
• Re  -cognition , as the ability to know and re-know our interlocutors each time we interact with them, shedding the blindness caused by harmful labels and unconsciously acquired prejudices. It’s about getting to know people and discovering their talent by seeing them with fresh eyes. At the same time, it’s about  knowing ourselves so we can offer the best we have and cultivate those interactions.
• A  positive attitude  allows us to view the circumstances we face with optimism and to utilize our best abilities, skills, experience, and willingness to act.  This positive attitude will shape our performance.

However, we must be very aware that we operate in a social and professional context that has distorted a fundamental premise of human beings, one that is imprinted in the natural law of man:  human beings were created to love and be loved, and things are created to be used . And we are finding that, unfortunately, we are loving things and using people, which is causing tremendous emotional wounds that affect the performance of professionals.

Thus, given the harsh reality of today’s professional contexts,  there is a solution that involves deploying four essential meta-competencies in a continuous and constant manner.

Positive mindset

It consists of looking at the reality we are immersed in with the best possible perspective , just as a SAMUR (Madrid Emergency Medical Service) officer looks at the emergency they have to respond to, putting all their abilities, personal and professional resources, and experience to the fullest to carry out their work as successfully as possible.  We often complain that reality prevents us from being as positive as we would like,  and therefore we end up hostage to a dominant negativity that we all foster.  We can and have the responsibility to move away from mental models that lead us to cultivate mental garbage  —low-utility thoughts that generate discomfort—and develop constructive and motivating thoughts— high-utility thoughts that generate well-being —and thus introduce ourselves to a positive mental model.

It is about looking more closely at the circumstances, events, and people around us  in order to relate to them from a fundamental attitude that responds to this statement:  “nothing that comes from outside can contaminate me, only what comes from within me does.”

Courage in the face of adversity

The word courage has the root cor-, which refers to heart. Here, it’s worth reflecting on  how we do things when we put our heart into them versus when we avoid doing so.  We truly do things with complete dedication, using our abilities, attitude, and experience, when we combine intelligence and willpower.  Courage is built on three elements : the conviction that there is a high probability and possibility that the task will be successful, considering the people, projects, and circumstances; the hope and understanding that it will require a certain amount of time to materialize; and  continued action with perseverance to contribute to and facilitate its realization.

Therefore, every self-respecting professional,  whether or not they hold positions of responsibility, must guide the people they work with, inspiring them to overcome complaining and victimhood, or apathy and indifference.  They must also prevent themselves or their team from falling into stress and anxiety, fostering courage—  the driving force for overcoming challenges that arises when we maintain the best attitude for as long as possible.

Live the human virtues

It is the most intimate sphere of human existence.  No one knows the true cost of universal human values, but  we all know the price we are paying for neglecting them and refusing to put them into practice in our daily lives . We must bear in mind that solid human values ​​never go out of style; they are timeless because they are passed down from generation to generation, they correspond to the natural law of humankind, they are transcultural, and we develop them as we put them into practice.

Values ​​such as honesty, integrity, consistency, patience, loyalty, commitment, acceptance, generosity, trust, courage, humility, justice, responsibility, and freedom are essential to shine without needing to be a star.

That is why it is important to “know where we are going and where those who work with us want to go; and to combine the commitment to grow, helping  others to grow, without fear of being overshadowed.”

Humility vs Ego

We start from the premise that the ego is a fictitious construct we choose to maintain in order to appear as something we are not.  It is something that leads to pride, bitterness, and resentment. However, all of this can be remedied with true humility, which involves  discovering, accepting, and sharing one’s truth,  with the capacity for forgiveness among professionals, and with the ability to let go of attack/defense behaviors, which generate vital tension.

In the vicissitudes of life, the ego introduces us into an aggressive dynamic that distances us from people  , and when we manage to take the reins of our behaviors, we see that the true transformation of the professional is possible through the courageous transformation of the person.

These three pillars and the four meta-competencies form the backbone of a humanistic leadership model  that I have developed and that is being very well received in the professional field and that I have captured in the book ” Being an Example. Small great leaders”, published by EUNSA Editorial Universidad de Navarra  and  which is already in its third edition.

It is suggested to consult the  book’s website,  where you can download the table of contents, the prologue, and several reviews of the book.

Borja Milans from Bosch and Oliva