Lead With Your Heart

By Barbara Wentroble Sep 18, 2009

To lead yourself, use your head. To lead others, use your heart. This quote highlights the importance of heart connections. Some leaders try to lead by revealing statistics, arguing over why they need help or insisting that everyone jump on board with their ideas. Although these elements are important, they aren’t going to garner the cooperation needed to successfully implement your vision. There must first be a connection to your heart before people extend their helping hands to you.

Mother Teresa is revered for her lifelong dedication to the poor, especially the destitute masses of India. After studying nursing, she moved to the slums of Calcutta to work with the poor. Mother Teresa was summoned to Rome in 1968 to establish a home for the needy, and three years later she was awarded the first Pope John XXIII Peace Prize. By the late 1970’s the group she founded, the Missionaries of Charity, numbered more than 1,000 nuns who operated 60 centers in Calcutta and hundreds of centers worldwide. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Her heart of compassion and devotion to the destitute caused leaders to trumpet Mother Teresa’s cause. She was able to amass a large amount of finances needed to fulfill her dream.

What is your vision? Who needs to connect with you for you to be able to see the fulfillment of your dream? There will be a time to use the information found in your head. You will be able to speak about your plans. Until then, allow others to connect with your heart. Lead with your heart and let your heart do the talking!