Sensitive Leaders: What are they like?

Sensitive leaders detect injustices within their team and address them. They know that emotional well-being is the key to overcoming challenges and achieving goals.

Leaders with high sensitivity are increasingly finding deeper approaches to today’s work environments. Indeed, the era of demanding and strict leadership has disappeared. Times have changed, our needs are different, and it is now recognized that leadership styles can make a difference in whether a business succeeds or fails.

However, many people question sensitive leadership. In reality, high sensitivity often comes with vulnerabilities and susceptibility to being hurt, with traits like doubt, mood swings, and even indecisiveness prevailing.

A sensitive leader has the skill to manage not only their own emotions but also those of their team. Thus, they inspire and guide the team towards higher goals.

Characteristics of sensitive leaders

High sensitivity is a great asset that these leaders know how to use. However, as a rule, highly sensitive people spend much of their lives assuming that there is something wrong with the way they live. In fact, they find it difficult to integrate, they perceive everything more intensely, and overall, the world seems too loud and harsh to them.

For this reason, highly sensitive individuals often see the business and corporate world as overly stimulating, stressful, fast-paced, and overly competitive. However, when they understand themselves a bit better, they often discover that they possess qualities that make them natural leaders.

Dr. Elaine N. Aron and colleagues conducted research that showed that the sensitivity of processing emotions in some individuals is a way to promote the survival of our human species.

In fact, by accepting their surroundings more, these individuals have a clearer awareness of opportunities. This helps them in finding food, detecting threats, and connecting with others to overcome difficulties.

“Sensitivity is a social and psychological advantage. These people rely on their own abilities. Moreover, not a weakness, they are tools for adaptation and survival.”

Identifying characteristics of highly sensitive individuals.

• They are deeply committed to strong ethical beliefs.

Sensitive leaders are identified by their clear ideals In fact, they are defined by their knowledge of how to harmonize the goals of the organization with the spiritual well-being of their team. This involves everything from protecting their rights to promoting psychological well-being.

Moreover, they have strong moral beliefs, perceive fairness well, and promote a morally respectful and motivational work style.

• They are good communicators.

All good leaders demonstrate excellent communication skills. They know how to converse, achieve agreements, practice active listening, and express their desires and expectations decisively and respectfully. Thus, the undeniable value of highly sensitive leaders is their great social impact on the company’s work environment and their excellent communication skills.

• They understand the needs of others.

Highly sensitive leaders have a definite advantage. They are highly conscious of the needs and emotional states of those around them. In fact, they can read the thoughts of others. They notice small changes, tensions, changes in attitudes, helping to predict certain problems and disharmony within the team.

• They have a natural ability to read verbal and non-verbal communication.

Sensitive leaders delve deeper into the emotional aspects of their employees. This allows them to prevent difficulties in the workplace. Additionally, they are willing to provide improvement strategies and build a more harmonious work environment.

Sensitive leaders have deep insights guided by their ideals and beliefs. They know how to protect their views and identify difficulties within the team before they arise. They also have skills in understanding customer needs.

• They create a respectful, motivational, and happier work environment.

To boost confidence in teams so they can fully unleash their potential, emotional intelligence is necessary. Indeed, highly sensitive leaders have the ability to create a nurturing emotional environment.

They are always open to their team asking questions, challenging, and disagreeing with them to achieve more creative solutions to problems. In fact, talent only germinates when there is a favorable, dignified, respectful and motivating social foundation.

• They are proactive, creative, and passionate.

Daniel Goleman described in his book, “Emotional Intelligence,” (2009) a character type with the ability to convey knowledge, enthusiasm, creative motivation, and strong empathy in a powerful and inspiring way. This type of leadership is also present in highly sensitive bosses, in intimate managers, who bring many benefits to the company.

A highly sensitive leader is someone who adapts to the emotional reality of their organization and guides their team positively emotionally for the common good. Additionally, they have a far-sighted vision with high creative and innovative skills. They know how to spread their passion, and they renew it through their actions. In other words, they do not limit themselves by only giving motivational speeches. They lead by example.

Finally, in an era of change and with significant social challenges ahead, we need different types of leaders. Those with higher vision and deeper emotions Indeed, the qualities of high sensitivity are more important than ever.