Reflection Point – Leading with connection

At the end of 2025, I received an email from the Leadership Circle promoting a webinar on AI and Human Connections they are running later this month (if you are interested, here is the link to more information!)

The following text from the email really stood out for me:-

In a world increasingly shaped by algorithms and AI-driven decisions, something quietly powerful still sets leaders apart: how they connect as humans. Presence, curiosity, empathy, and trust aren’t “soft” skills. They are the capacities that help people feel seen, steady, and willing to engage, especially amid complexity and uncertainty. When leaders slow down enough to truly connect, stress eases, creativity opens, and collaboration becomes possible again.

If ultimately life is truly about connection – an insight one of my clients shared with me recently, the “quietly powerful” ability in how we as leaders connect with others highlights the potential impact we can have on those we lead.

Those of you familiar with the Leadership Circle profile (a 360° assessment integrating well‑researched leadership competencies with underlying beliefs to reveal leaders’ patterns of thought and behaviours)  the Relating dimension in the top half of the circle and part of the Creative Competencies, includes the Caring Connection competence.  It is no surprise that Caring Connection is strongly correlated with high leadership effectiveness and improved business outcomes — and is measured by a leader’s interest in others and the ability to form warm, caring, trust‑building relationships. 

The research behind the LCP demonstrates that high scores in Caring Connection enhances relationships, psychological safety, and interpersonal trust, and that leaders who score higher here are typically rated as more effective, and, – their teams perform better.

If your intention in 2026 is to support deeper connections at work, improving your effectiveness and business outcomes,

I invite you to take a few minutes to consider your reflections

on the questions below.

Question 1

What are the soft skills and capacities you need to focus and build on in your leadership this year to truly connect more deeply with those you lead?

Question 2

What support do you need to build these skills and capacities?

Question 3

As you reflected at the end of 2025 and over the break, what emerged as the primary intention you wanted to carry into 2026 to support your leadership and life?  What framework or actions have you put in place to support you to bring this intention to life?