Every day, we are bombarded with millions of words both spoken and written. The challenge of leaders today is to cut through the noise and connect with employees. In the past leadership was usually perceived as very authoritative. However, management studies over the years have demonstrated very clearly that people are much more productive when they are treated with respect. However, the spate of seminars and workshops on the subject of empowering the people and new paradigms of leadership don't seem to have had the desired effect. The sad fact remains that our workplace is plagued with three serious problems namely high stress, low morale and lack of job satisfaction. Such situations are clearly a result of autocratic styles of leadership, which all of us are reluctant to let go of.

The encouraging thing is that while its painful and slow, things are beginning to change. As leaders, we must have the desire and the commitment to facilitate this process of change. Have a vision and understanding of what it means to be an enlightened leader. And then strive to achieve to become an embodiment of that vision.

As an enlightened leader, you must live these qualities in your everyday interactions with the people in your group or organization:

?Believe that people are your most valuable resource

?Listen to what people are saying attentively

?Affirm what people say with generosity

?Seek out advice and act on it!

?Value the opinions and ideas of your people

?Realize that your opinion is not the only one

?Don't feel threatened if people disagree with you

?Trust the collective wisdom of your team

?Trust the decisions that others make

?Give credit wherever possible rather than taking all the credit!

?If you have to criticize, do it in private in a very gentle manner

?Don't wait to catch people doing something wrong; rather wait for opportunities to catch them doing things right!

?Keep people informed and abreast of what's happening

?Care about your people ? their development, their morale and their well-being!

?Always encourage people to tap into their highest potential

?Involve your team members in all decisions that affect their lives

?Don't take yourself too seriously. Have a sense of humor!

If you can learn and imbibe these qualities and bring these to the workplace, you are well on your way to being an enlightened leader. As a result, the morale of your organization will be high and greater productivity can be achieved.

Remember, if you care about the well being of your employees, you will reap the benefits.