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Many people today go about their lives facing struggles and challenges that they can’t seem to know how to handle or how to identify where that frustration comes from.
Many of them are probably unaware, but they might be highly sensitive people, which places them in a position where regular or common situations have a different impact on them.
In this article, I will let you know how this trait makes sensitive leadership an opportunity for success rather than a personal feature to struggle with. This is especially frequent among business leaders or team managers, who experience hard times in their workplaces.
Sensitive leadership, the new key to being a great leader
The number one trait of highly sensitive people is that they see and feel things around them differently and more deeply. Contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t have to be a negative personal trait. Quite the opposite.
This genetic ability to see and feel deeply has proven to be a strength instead of a weakness when it comes to managing a team, leading a group of people, or simply running a business. Some studies show that HSPs have a more active mental circuitry and neurochemicals in the brain areas of attention, decision-making, or action-planning.
So you can imagine how these traits alone constitute great features any leader would want to have. This high sensitivity provides the ability to make smarter and more thoughtful decisions, bring ideas to the table, and build deeper connections.
Another important trait sensitive people have is intuition which, simply put, would be the ability to know something without actually knowing how you know it.
It may sound tricky but it is a very powerful thing when it comes to managing a group of people, sitting down in a meeting, or trying to make a business-oriented decision. Having this ability to sense what’s best in every situation makes the sensitive leader a great fit for the position.
The truth is that there is much more to being sensitive than emotional sensitivity. Remember that this sensitivity gives people the ability to connect deeply with people and events happening around them, providing a deeper understanding and experience of relationships and details a non-highly sensitive person might simply miss.
What makes a sensitive leader better at the job
In this article, John Hughes speaks about three main reasons why sensitive individuals can become better suited to carry out leadership roles. The ability to build deeper connections have a higher emotional sensitivity and experience situations and people differently is what makes HSPs lead teams in a way others might not be able to.
One of the traits that makes sensitivity an interesting trait to be a better leader is the ability to read subtleties in a way others can’t. A sensitive leader is involuntarily taking in everything going on around them, the obvious and the subtle details. Think about words, comments, conversations, gestures, postures, non-verbal communication, everything falls under the HSP’s radar. This might look a little overwhelming at times, but once all of this action is processed, these subtleties are the perfect tool to become a gold star leader.
Another significant difference a sensitive leader has over someone else is that they tend to process first before taking any action. They tend to listen more and act later, once they have processed and taken in all the information around them. It might be a meeting with other people where a lot is being presented, pitched or said. Sensitive individuals will process first instead of jumping into action or trying to take control of the situation just because they have to “be” the leaders.
This natural trait makes others feel more comfortable knowing that in situations like that, they are free to speak and present ideas without the fear of being interrupted by someone who feels the need to speak their mind or throw whatever comments they might have into the mix.
This provides the team members with a sense of recognition and being listened to as opposed to other overpowering leaders who will have no problem shutting others down so they can stand out.
Sensitive leadership is also built in the ability to resonate with what people around are saying. Soaking in all the information your teams communicate about their work, their challenges, their struggles, or their accomplishments makes that person lead from a position of understanding, empathy and compassion.
And this is what ultimately gives them the knowledge to say or do the right thing at the right time.
Are you a sensitive person? Use it to your advance
So now you know that your high sensitivity can become an opportunity to channel all these natural-born traits that can help you become a better leader. Forget about being considered too emotional or a person that takes things personally because you might be that, but you are also so much more and so much better.
Do you want to become a better leader?
Let’s connect and I will help reach your full potential and guide you to becoming a better leader.
