The best leaders are spacious leaders. Here’s what that means

It can be tough out there for leaders. It’s challenging to drive results, ensure you’re supporting employees’ well-being, and maintain your own motivation as well.  

So how can you be a good leader, and what are the strategies that really work? A helpful concept is spacious leadership—a management approach in which you create space for others to participate, make choices, and be their best. With spacious leadership, you also ensure space for yourself to enhance your own effectiveness and satisfaction on the job. 

THE NEED FOR IMPROVED LEADERSHIP

In spite of leaders who work hard to do their best, a new survey by consulting firm DDI finds that only about 40% of workers believe that leaders are high quality. In comparison, leaders tend to rate themselves better than others rate them. There’s a perception gap—along with an opportunity for leaders to get better. 

There’s also evidence that leaders are feeling the pressure. In fact, 71% of leaders say their stress levels have increased, 54% report they are worried about burnout, and 40% have given thought to leaving a leadership role because they struggle with their own well-being, according to the DDI data. 

A spacious leadership approach addresses how leaders support others, and also how they manage their own workplace experience.

CREATE SPACE FOR INVOLVEMENT 

One of the first ways to demonstrate spacious leadership is to invite people to participate, get involved, and have a voice. At the root of this kind of leadership is humility. 

It doesn’t mean giving up your voice. Spacious leaders have a strong point of view, and they’re secure with their own expertise, but they don’t assume they have all the answers or the best answers.

Comfort with admitting mistakes is also related to spacious leadership. Leaders don’t have to know it all—and people appreciate it when their managers ask for ideas and value input in finding solutions.

Spacious leaders empower people to be part of the process by communicating effectively. When leaders offer clear direction, goals, or challenges, people are able to be proactive and suggest ways to get things done. And when people have the opportunity to get involved, they are also more likely to feel a sense of ownership and dedication to their work. Demonstrate spacious leadership by inviting people in and sharing context so they can be effective participants in the process.

CREATE SPACE FOR LEARNING AND GROWTH 

People of all generations crave development. In spacious leadership, you create space for people to expand their skills and competencies. 

Investing in employees’ growth sends a message that you value them and their contributions. You can support people by creating succession plans or recommending formal learning sessions, offering regular coaching and feedback, or introducing them to mentors outside your department.

The outcomes of these approaches are striking. According to the DDI study, when leaders provided coaching and feedback to employees, those employees were nine times more likely to trust their leader. And when leaders actively supported development, employees were 11 times more likely to trust their leader. Demonstrate spacious leadership by coaching and developing people.

CREATE SPACE FOR PERFORMANCE 

We all have an instinct to matter, and people will be happier and provide more discretionary effort when they are supported in performing at their best. When you’re creating space for performance, you’re giving people plenty of choice, control, and autonomy. 

Control and decision-making have been proven to matter for health and longevity. According to two Indiana University studies (one conducted in 2016 and the other in 2020), people who experienced high job stress and had limited control over their work process were less healthy and had higher mortality rates. On the other hand, when they were in high-stress jobs but had greater choice and more decision-making power, they were healthier and lived longer. 

People also perform best when they have enough time to get things done. Sometimes things are hectic, urgent, or last minute, but spacious leaders do their best to give people adequate time to deliver results. This allows people the space to reflect, plan, and invest in the quality of their outcomes. Demonstrate spacious leadership by giving people the necessary support to perform their best. 

CREATE SPACE FOR WELL-BEING

Another way to create space for people is by attending to their well-being. Give people the opportunity to set and maintain appropriate boundaries in their work and life. In addition, tune into how people are doing and ask questions. You don’t need to be a professional social worker, but when you can demonstrate empathy and point people to resources, it sends a strong message about how much you care. Create space for them to share, and then listen and offer support. 

Paying attention to well-being is good for people—and it pays off for organizations. In a global study by the Workforce Institute at UKG, a workplace software provider, 80% of people said they were energized at work when they had better mental health, and 63% said they were committed to their work.

Some 69% of workers reported that their leader has a bigger impact on their mental health than their therapist or their doctor—and about the same impact as their partner. When organizations prioritize well-being, the DDI data finds, people are 12 times more likely to rate leadership quality as high. Demonstrate spacious leadership by ensuring people have the space to nurture their wellbeing.

CREATE SPACE FOR SELF-CARE

As a leader, your own strength is critical to how you can support others. Just as you create space for your team’s excellence, do the same for yourself. Be consistent, present, and accessible, but also ensure you have time to get away and turn off.

Also consider the self-care that works best for you. The popular narrative about self-care suggests that you should spend time alone, but you may choose to spend time with others who energize you. Many people think self-care must always involve saying no, but it can also include saying yes to activities that you feel passionate about. Most important is to make choices that are nourishing for you.

Another way to ensure self-care is to create a small group of trusted colleagues. Leadership requires a balance of authenticity and transparency with appropriate professionalism. You’ll want to establish trusting relationships with other leaders (or people outside your organization) with whom you can relax, share worries and concerns, or get advice. Demonstrate spacious leadership by giving yourself space to regroup, rejuvenate, and bring your best.

THE LANGUAGE WE USE

The way we think about things and how we talk to ourselves have a significant impact on the choices we make and how we behave. With spacious leadership, you’ll focus on all the ways you can create space for others and for yourself, resulting in terrific success.