A Heart Full Of Grace: MLK’s Enduring Lessons For Today’s Leaders
Everybody Can Be Great…Because Anybody Can Serve . . .
You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Some days it feels like hatred is on the rise, gathering in our communities at a startling rate. It used to lurk in the shadows and have some modicum of social shame attached to it. Now, hatred seems to have permission to be public. What is the anecdote for hatred? Martin Luther King, Jr., taught us: love, compassion, empathy. If you care about people and want to experience connection and belonging — even at work — consider becoming an open-hearted leader.
Why Open Minds Matter — And Open Hearts Even More
Most of us understand the benefits of an open mind: more curiosity, greater innovation, and less judgment. In an article for Harvard Business Review, Shane Snow writes about the importance of open-mindedness:
“Changing our methods and minds is hard, but it’s important in an era where threats of disruption are always on the horizon. In popular culture, we might call this kind of cognitive flexibility, ‘open-mindedness.’ And with growing divisions in society, the survival of our businesses and communities may very well depend on our leaders having that flexibility — from Congress to the C-Suite.”
But what about an open heart?”
The Power of Open-Hearted Leadership
Open-hearted leaders show vulnerability. They reveal their humanity — their struggles and unanswered questions — allowing their team members to feel safe to do the same. This mutual openness fosters a culture of collective caring.
When we know the stories of those around us, compassion and empathy naturally follow. As Brené Brown wisely said: “People are hard to hate close up. Move in.”
Open-hearted leaders are the ones that people want to work for.
Why People Want to Work for Open-Hearted Leaders
As an executive coach, I’ve seen firsthand that open-hearted leaders are the ones people want to work for. These leaders don’t care about their people just because HR tells them they should; they care because it’s who they are.
Open-hearted leaders:
• Offer appreciation and acknowledgment.
• Listen deeply and act on what they hear.
• Cultivate vibrant, healthy cultures that fuel innovation and results.
Being open-hearted isn’t easy — it requires courage. Showing your vulnerable self to your team feels risky. Yet, as Maya Angelou said:
“The price is high. The reward is great.”
Beware of the Enemy of Open-Hearted Leadership
The enemy of open-hearted leadership is cynicism, which is just another form of emotional distancing. If you catch yourself saying:
• “We’ve already tried that — it won’t work.”
• “Let’s be more realistic and lower our expectations (forget our dreams, aspirations) .”
…it’s likely you are hosting a closed heart as well as a closed mind.
If you find yourself in us vs. them, right and wrong, good and bad frames of thinking, know that these positions are judgments and will keep your heart closed.
Cynicism results in feelings of resignation, arrogance, bad behavior, and being calloused or hardened in your view of life. In short, being cut off from your own heart.
How to Open Your Heart
To counter cynicism and foster open-hearted leadership, focus on practices that nourish your emotional well-being, such as:
• Self-care and spaciousness.
• Feeling valued and valuable.
• Expressing appreciation and gratitude.
• Building a sense of belonging and connection to your values, vision and purpose.
Beneath the Surface: Leadership Through Humanity
Beneath your professional titles and roles, you’re a human navigating complexity. Open-hearted leadership doesn’t ask you to be flawless or a savior — just real, relatable, and emotionally available.
When you lead with an open heart, you create a culture of empathy, care, and collective strength that makes hatred irrelevant. As Dr. King envisioned, a “heart full of grace” can change the world — starting with your team.
