Most people will balk at the idea of leading with your heart in the workplace. This is always perceived as being “nice” or “weak” approach to getting things done. The traditional practice used by most managers and leaders is to stay in the brain, isolating all emotions from decisions.

Millions of people will be celebrating Valentines this weekend. They will be leading with their hearts in order to express their love to another. In return, the expressions received will leave a lasting impression on the other and there will be weeks of “love banks” that are repaid for the individuals who were willing to express their true feelings to the other this holiday season.

Don’t you think this same approach attracts the right candidates when talent acquisition leads with their hearts? There have been several organizations that have studied the traditional practices and the ones that reject these cold attitudes and lead with the heart. The ones that are rejecting and leading with the heart are deriving significant bank points (“can you say cha-ching!”) in driving their human capital.

Lead With Your Heart – Leader

Several moons ago, I worked for a large healthcare company with an office next to the CEO. It was a wonderful experience that taught me the power of leading with your heart. Our office wall did not come to a complete joining of the window, which afforded both of us the ability to listen in on all of our daily conversations. Our desks were on the same wall so it was as if we were sitting side-by-side.

When you oversee a company, there are very difficult decisions that take place occasionally. The key to leading well, I think has everything to do with how you handle yourself during those difficult conversations.

There was one particular conversation that stands out amongst all the others. He had to handle a particular situation with extreme precision in order for the end result to be beneficial for all involved. Guess how he handled it? He lead every conversation with his heart in order to find out the motives, reasons, outcomes, and decisions from each person involved in order to come to a conclusion on how to proceed forward with the right business decision.

This company has become highly successful over the last decade because of his style of leadership, “Leading with your Heart.”

3 Ways to Ensure a Positive Candidate Experience with the “Lead With Your Heart” Methodology

I am beginning year number five recruiting human capital for organizations and have maintained a 98% new hire retention rate to date. Do I strongly believe in the method of leading with your heart in order to retain new talent? Yes, I do! These are the 3 methods that I continue to use in order to maintain solid new hire retention rates.

#1 Love the One You’re With

Don’t be thinking about the job requisition that needs submitted into the ATS system or the hiring manager that is demanding more candidates or the business dinner you are going to attend that evening while conducting a phone screen or interview. Be fully in the moment with the candidate by loving the one you’re with! You find out so much more from the candidate when you lead from the heart and walk their journey with them during the 30 to 45 minute conversation. Lead with your heart.

#2 I Wanna Dance With Somebody

The success rates of receiving a returned message from a passive candidate will increase significantly if your email or voicemail includes subliminal messages and tones that invite them to dance. This requires significant research on the candidate prior to sending out the first message. In order to engage a dance, you must understand who you are asking to dance first. Then, make it a beautiful dance that makes them want to continue and complete to the hiring stage. Lead with your heart.

#3 The Power of Love

All of my conversations with hiring managers are always leaning in to find out the motivators of the next hire. In order to add a new team member, it is so important to know what is needed and wanted in that particular open seat. The intake meeting allows the dialogue to take place and by leading with the heart opens up conversations that explore deeper needs based conversations that solidify retentions. Then, questionnaires are built to assess the candidates and heart conversations take place to determine who fits the puzzle pieces the best. Lead with your heart.