Alain Hunkins is a best-selling author and the CEO of Hunkins Leadership Group. He is also a Senior Facilitator for Eagle’s Flight, The Energy Project, and futurethink, as well as a Senior Consultant for JMReid Group. He is a professional with over two decades of experience in leadership training, facilitation, and organizational development. He joins Marcel Schwantes to discuss the three foundational competencies of good leadership. According to research, only 23% of people think that their leaders are leading well. When the wrong people are put into positions of leadership, it results in disengagement, turnover, poor performance, anxiety and stress, Marcel cites. [00:43]Because of the power differential, most people don’t feel comfortable speaking up and telling their leaders the truth about their leadership. Alain claims that this allows bad leadership to perpetuate itself. [6:33]Charisma and confidence are good, but they don't make leaders. Ultimately, leadership is a skill that can be cultivated and improved when you practice the three competencies of a good leader, which are: connection, communication, and collaboration. [11:46]At its core, leadership is a relationship between a leader and a follower, and what creates that strong relationship is connection. Empathy forms the basis of connection. Alain defines empathy as showing people you understand them. [16:49]Communication is a means to an end. The goal of communication is to create a shared, accurate understanding. Understanding is seeing reality the way someone else sees it, Alain explains. The reason shared understanding is so critical is because it is the platform on which we stand to take all future action, he adds. [21:24]We have to fulfill four fundamental needs in order to achieve optimal performance, Alain shares. These are physical and psychological safety, energy, ownership, and purpose. [28:16]Marcel asks Alain why he thinks some people still lead through fear. “It’s less work,” Alain replies. It takes a certain level of maturity to move beyond fear. When we have been raised on fear, it is an easy go-to strategy of leadership because humans copy the behaviors of those before and around them. [32:52]Join the 30 Day Challenge! Alain is offering two complimentary sports to listeners of Love in Action! Email Alain@alainhunkins.com, and let him know you heard about the challenge on the show.ResourcesAlain Hunkins on LinkedIn AlainHunkins.comCracking the Leadership Code: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders
