I have recently been reflecting on the concept of Leading with Grace. It has struck me that in today’s fast paced world, where businesses and leaders are ever more under pressure to deliver, Grace speaks to a way of slowing things down, a calmness and consideration of others, acceptance and an awareness of the things that matter to others, almost old-fashioned courtesy.

A recent post by my colleague Gina Hayden – in which she spoke of her recent experience meeting with a conscious leader –  prompted me to recall two leaders who I had the privilege of working with a number of years ago. Both reflected the qualities of Grace in different ways.

The first was leader of a large PLC Development company. As the Chairman, he led the business with vision and inspiration and whilst he was clearly focused on the future of the business and the big picture, it was also his focus on the small things that i recall most. On each visit he took the time to ask how I was  – both in terms of my family (always asking after my young son) and how the business was doing. He cared both about the personal and the professional. He cared whether they, as a (large) business, were treating us (a small business) well and that there was mutual benefit in the relationship. He was a very commercial, ambitious business man always seeking excellence in all the company did and he was tough and fair when negotiating with his suppliers. The business through his guidance, believed in building long term relationships and was very loyal to those it partnered with. As a family firm first and foremost, these relationships were important to them and there was a real sense of humanity expressed not just in their dealings but in the energy of the firm overall through their people and the environment they created. The other aspect of this leader was his generosity of spirit – a strong voice in best practices in urban regeneration and sustainable communities –  he left a powerful legacy with a vision and set of beliefs that is carried on by the business today. For me, he was a leader that expressed the essence of Grace, from the big picture, to the small things that matter, and my strongest memory of this leader was his care, attention and humility. Every time I visited, at the end of our meeting without fail, he would walk me to the front door of the building, shake my hand and thank me for all the work we were doing for them.

The second leader who I witnessed expressing the quality of Grace in the every-day, was a CEO of a major financial services firm who led with clear purpose and consistently challenged the business to take the long-term view, as well as delivering the short-term performance investors sought. He listened more than he spoke and whilst he laid out a clear vision – he enabled others in the firm to shape it with their ideas, passion, experience and skills. There was always a sense of working in partnership with him – a partner, not a supplier.

And he ‘walked the floors’ – always interested in others and their own wellbeing, curious about how people were feeling about the business, their roles and the vision that he was building. And perhaps my most powerful memory of all, was that he brought humour and laughter into the experience of my time working with him.  He didn’t take life too seriously, saw the importance of people experiencing some fun in what they did and encouraged people to explore their growth edges and be prepared to fail.

When we speak about the qualities of a conscious leader, we often express these as; those that can serve at both the micro and macro, that have a sense of humanity and humility at their core, an awareness of self and relationship with others, that inspire through vision and sense of purpose and leave a legacy – these two leaders for me, expressed all of these qualities and more. And I am richer for the experience of working with them.