A Leader’s Guide to Using the Human-Centric Leadership Model

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Leaders often struggle when leading organizations in the hybrid-virtual working environment. Team members get less engaged because leaders unknowingly fall into the trap of micromanaging in virtual situations. With that being said, leaders should take into consideration the underlying emotions and psychology of team members and not treat them like a replaceable cog in the machine.

In today’s podcast episode, we interview Eleni Pallas, Executive coach and Champion of Human-Centric Leading of Leaders For Good. Today’s topics are locked-in on the 5 lenses of the Human-Centric Leadership Model which are: mindset, context, emotions, needs, and wisdom which will greatly help manage team members as they Team Anywhere.

What Eleni Learned Over the Last 2 Years

Eleni said that she learned to be more careful of the way she spends her energy and time. Over the COVID pandemic, she also learned how to create more value and impact–not only for herself but for others and her clients as well. She removed tasks that drained most of her energy and enabled her to cus on the things that really matter to her.

The 5 Lenses of the Human-Centric Leadership Model

According to Eleni there are five (5) important things that leaders should reflect on and apply to their organizations.

Mindset – Eleni emphasized that leaders should develop the habit of responding rather than reacting to the things that happen around them. Taking the time to respond to a team member’s concern creates mindfulness and positively affects performance.
Context – Leaders must be able to create context wherein team members are aligned towards a common goal. Demonstrating discernment in making sound decisions creates problem solving approaches towards results .
Emotions – Humans as we are, leaders cannot disregard or invalidate emotions. For Eleni emotions are a way for leaders to gather data points that offer insights into the thoughts of team members.
Needs – Leaders must be able to see their team’s overall psychology, needs and motivators. This informs leadership actions towards the creation of psychological safety, inclusion, variety and contribution. Leaders highlighting the value and worth of each team member improves overall employee engagement and talent retention.
Wisdom – Tapping into wisdom allows a leader to see situations from an elevated point of view without bias or judgment.

Using the Human-Centric Leadership Model in the Hybrid-Virtual Environment

Using the Human-Centric Leadership model takes organizations into new heights. And this actually comes in handy during team conflict. Instead of the leader complaining and blaming others for the mistakes committed, he or she can use the model to actually respond with curiosity and the ability to align the varying needs and emotions of each team member.

Obstacles in the Implementation of the Human-Centric Leadership in Organizations

Eleni discussed that there are (2) obstacles in the implementation of the Human-Centric Leadership Model.

Lack of Self-Awareness – Most leaders are not self-aware of how they are doing as leaders. Most are blinded with their authority and power. These leaders need more time to get to know themselves.
Seeking Perfection – Some leaders are perfectionists. They need to set aside the time to practice the 5 lenses. Human-Centric Leading is a process and leaders improve through constant execution of the 5 lenses.

Who is Eleni Pallas?

Eleni Pallas is knee-deep into her second career after spending 20 years leading global strategy teams in organizations such as Deloitte, Booz Allen, the World Bank and Orange. A life-altering car accident in Siberia caught her by surprise, when she realized that life can change from one day to the next and that doing what she loved is better than doing what seems safe.

For the last 15 years, Eleni has been coaching and educating leaders and team players with Human-Centric Leading, a way to transform industrialized workplaces that drive burnout – to humanized workplaces where people come first and do great work from their resilient best selves. Eleni has an MBA and coaching certification from the International Coaching Federation (PCC).