My mother suffered from clinical depression, meaning much of my childhood was spent visiting her in a psychiatric facility. As you might imagine or might have experienced, watching someone you love struggling with the hardships of mental health issues is a terribly difficult and frightening situation. For me, it evoked such a sense of helplessness and isolation, feelings I vividly remember to this day.
I’m thankful, however, that something good came from this incredibly challenging period of my life. And it came from an unexpected source.
One day – I would’ve been about 13 years old – I was at Mum’s bedside, waiting for her to wake-up. Various doctors and nurses came and went, checking on her condition without so much as a word uttered to me. Eventually, the cleaner arrived in the room and, shortly thereafter, he engaged me in
a conversation. He spoke about my mother, how she’d spoken affectionately about me and my brother and sisters. That he knew how much she loved us.
It may sound like such a simple thing, but his words meant the world to me, not only then, but to this day. Today, I look back on that moment through the lens of a parent, former teacher and leader.
That generous man recognised the pain I was feeling and didn’t hesitate in trying to lift my spirits. He
unwittingly made a valuable contribution to my framework for leadership, which I encourage leaders of all ages to embrace.
Alex’s three-pronged approach to leadership:
EMPATHY
You have nothing as a leader without genuine empathy. It is your responsibility to observe those around you and pick up on signals indicating that someone may have an issue that they might be internalising. Disregarding or overlooking these signals can be detrimental at a range of levels and perspectives.
OPEN-MINDEDNESS
Never presume that the most senior colleagues in your life will always provide the greatest insights. I speak with people at all levels in our business whenever I can, waiting for those possible pearls of insight. It’s also a great way to get to the unfiltered truth that we all need to hear as leaders.
BORDERLESS LEADERSHIP
A lot of us are paid to fulfil a duty, but it’s that little bit extra we do outside of our day-to-day responsibilities that distinguishes the quality leader. Building authentic relationships with people in all facets of your life is essential in building a reputation as a trusted and selfless leader.
This article is sponsored by CPA. For more of Alex Malley’s expert insights on business, management and career, visit The Naked CEO or follow his Influencer posts on LinkedIn and Twitter
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