The sign of a true leader

“Congratulations, that’s fantastic,” I said. “What did you do?”

A coaching client was recently telling me about a meeting with a co-worker at her new place of employment, in which she turned around this woman from suspicious and hesitant to comfortable and relaxed. 

At first, my client brushed off my question, giving herself no credit at all. She said, “Well, I guess I disarmed her,” and then she moved on to something else.

“Yes, but wait,” I said. “Let’s pause for a second. What exactly did you do? How, specifically, did you disarm her?”

She paused. She thought for a minute.

“I guess I made her feel valued and seen.”

“Whoa! You made her feel valued and seen, and her disposition changed? That’s so interesting! How might you take that wisdom with you into the future?”

This question was a huge “aha” moment for her. She recognized that she HAD done something important, and then realized she could be intentional about doing it again: making sure others feel valued and seen.

Why is this important? Because her overall coaching goal is to build solid relationships with her new co-workers, and to feel comfortable and secure with herself as she demonstrates being a strong leader.

This new insight was huge for her; it was her biggest takeaway of the session. In that moment, she set a new intention to help others feel valued and seen.

That’s the sign of a true leader.