5 tips to Lead with a Smart Heart

Introduction

Leadership is not about having all the answers. It’s about showing up with presence, intention, and the courage to face complexity. After three decades supporting leaders, I’ve learned that true transformation begins when we are intentional and bring our smarts and come from our heart. Particularly if you are navigating:

• Burnout or high-stakes changes

• Cultural or organisational tensions

• Team overwhelm or disconnection

• A desire to lead with more integrity and heart

Tips to help lead with a Smart Heart:

1. Reconnect with your purpose

Ask yourself:

• Why am I here?

• What do I stand for?

• What’s the legacy I want to leave in this moment?

When your purpose is clear, decisions and actions flow. If you need to, dive into clarifying your why, it will help with how you communicate and approach things as a leader.

2. The power of Pause

Helpful focus and calm practice: The 4-4-6 Breath

• Inhale for 4 seconds

• Hold for 4 seconds

• Exhale slowly for 6 seconds

Do this for 2 minutes before your next meeting or hard conversation. Honestly, do this in the loo. Gather yourself. This two-minute window will get you in the best frame to regulate your nervous system and give you space to respond, not react.

3. Play the game not the people

When something feels personal, zoom out. Most tensions live in the system, not the individual.

Try this: Draw a quick system map. Put the issue in the centre. Around it, note:

• The people

• The pressures

• The power dynamics

• The unspoken expectations

Patterns will emerge. Patterns are what we can shift. Think about what role you can play or what behaviours you can change that will shift the pattern and change the map.

4. Choose Courage

What’s the conversation you’ve been avoiding? You know it gets worse the longer you leave it, and it hangs with you, compromising your current moment as well as the feared future one.

Approach to a Courageous Conversation:

• Intent: What do I hope this conversation will achieve? What is my intention? What might their intention be?

• Impact: How might this land? How can i make sure this is safe for us both? What outcome do I want to achieve from this - for us both, how does that look and feel?

• Invitation: How can I open space, and ensure balance and respect?

Remember: Clarity is kind. Silence is not.

5. Reset the Narrative

The stories we tell ourself shapes the leaders we become. We are what we think. If you catch yourself bagging yourself out, catch it and reframe it asap!

What stories are you telling yourself?

• "I’m failing."

• "No one supports me."

• "This is all on me."

Try this reframe:

• “I’m learning in real time.”

• “Support exists. I will ask for it.”

• “I can choose where to focus my energy.”

Bonus Smart Heart leader day setting questions

1. What am I feeling today?

2. Today is going to be...?

3. What’s the one thing I’m avoiding?

4. Where am I trying to control something I need to release?

5. What’s one courageous step I can take this week?

6. What am I grateful for?

7. Who am I thankful for and have I told them?

About Maria

Maria McDonald is a strategic facilitator, leadership coach and public sector change expert with 30+ years' experience in government, justice, and community systems. Based in Wairarapa, she brings a culturally grounded, trauma-informed and deeply human approach to leadership.

Ready for more support? Contact Maria for a Discovery Call

mariamcdonald111@gmail.com or 006421448813