Leading With the Heart: Building successful teams with trust and compassion

By Robert Ackerman and J. Ibeh Agbanyim PHD

So, you want to be a great leader? The first lesson of any successful leader is that it’s not about you, it’s about them. Leaders look out for the team as they inspire, encourage, and empower others. You pick them up and dust them off when they fall. You give them radically candid, concise feedback with a compassionate heart so they can learn and grow.

You demonstrate integrity, respect, and trust. You are humble and self-aware. You become a great listener and encourage others to speak up and challenge the status quo. You make your team feel secure and trusting with one another.

I started my career over 50 years ago as a clerk. I worked for many people over those years but only a few of them were great leaders. I watched and listened and learned. In time I got to try my hand at leading. That’s when the true learning began!

I’m still learning, and at this point in my life I’ve decided to share what I’ve learned so far. Sharing is important to mewhether sharing knowledge, financial support, time with those who need it, laughter, or simply sharing stories with those who are interested.

I’m a story teller, and in this book I’ve tried to tell a few of those stories and share the impact it had on my thinking, my career and my life. I have also seen where a good storytelling moved people into action, whether with a business agent deciding to come to the negotiating table to reach a union bargaining agreement, a director encouraging his team to brush up their project reports to be fit for submission, or when responding to a call from a person referred to me by someone I know. This book encompasses both lived experience and research that support the importance of leading with heart.

As you read my story, I hope you can feel what I felt and can learn more easily some of the key lessons I had to learn the hard way.

As you pursue your career, be daring, be brave, be humble, be patient, be persistent, and most of all be passionate. Remember, there is no greater feeling than “empowering the dreams of others.”

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: May 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9781663260543

Robert Ackerman

Dr. Robert J. Ackerman is the author of Perfect Daughters. A professor of sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he lives in Indiana, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Kimberly, and their three children.

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Copyright © 2024 Robert Ackerman, J. Ibeh Agbanyim, PhD.

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ISBN: 978-1-6632-6053-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-6055-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6632-6054-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024907863

iUniverse rev. date: 04/27/2024

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

1 Why Write Now

2 Value the Words of Trusted Colleagues

3 Renegotiating Loyalties

4 Seeking Security and Stability as a Starting Point

5 Empowering Your Team

6 Knowing When to Ask for Help

7 Compassionate Leadership

8 Leaders are Both Singers and Songwriters

9 Trust as the Basis of Leadership

10 The Importance of Relationships

11 Finding Meaning in What We Do

12 Think Big and Think Long Term

13 Showing Appreciation in the Now

14 An Orderly Scramble during COVID-19 Pandemic

Afterword

References

About the Authors

Endorsements

Leading With Heart is a testament to Robert’s leadership. Working closely with him, I was fortunate to experience his profound blend of vulnerability, empathy, and courage. He shaped a healthy work environment and personally inspired me to lead with authenticity and trust. Robert’s insights on leadership are foundational to building high-performing teams and making a lasting impact as a leader.

—M. McCarthy, Vice President, Crown Castle

What would you do if it was your tower? That was the reply that changed my mindset. As I was venting my frustrations on what was stopping me from achieving my goals, Bob asked me that very simple question. And when I told him some of my thoughts, he said, Those are good ideas. That left me with a very simple choice: take ownership or be content with the status quo. Someone who was empowered handed me the reigns, which in turn empowered me. Probably not a one-size-fits-all solution, but for me, it made all the difference. That was the day I started to understand accountability, culture, and leadership.

— Antonio Stegagno, Vice President, Tower Development

I had the privilege of working alongside Bob, who truly put employees first. His commitment to building trust and creating a positive work environment was evident in every interaction. Bob not only listened to his team, but he also believed in their potential, fostering a culture where everyone felt valued. The infusion of fun into the workday made the environment vibrant, and his inclusive approach engaged employees across all levels. It was a pleasure to be part of a team led by someone who genuinely cared about the well-being and success of every employee.

—Mary Spiewak, Senior Executive Assistant

I worked under Robert Ackerman’s leadership for over twenty years. He has had a profound impact, not only on those he worked with, but has shaped my own thinking and actions as a leader. Robert’s leadership style starts with genuine respect and caring for people. Although you don’t always realize it, he is always mentoring and instilling business acumen with everyone at every level of the organization. These qualities and the empowerment of his teams has created what has been, in my experience, highly engaged teams and teams profoundly vested in achieving results.

—Felix Sanchez, Wireless Infrastructure

and Network Executive

When I heard that Bob (or Robert) Ackerman had finished a book about Compassionate Leadership, I thought he would be the perfect person to write on that subject. I worked for six years on a team in the West Area that Bob led; and his leadership was exactly that: compassionate. One of his primary beliefs, which was shared universally in his speaking engagements and team meetings, is that it is most important for people to strive for happiness in their lives; and work is only one component of a happy life. He was also a great speaker – infusing humor and moving personal stories as a part of his messaging. He would occasionally become very emotional about subjects – especially ones that were very personal to him - and that openness and expression of love made the people on his team(s) gravitate to him and believe in his authenticity. He is also an advocate for starting each day with some positive reinforcement (through reading or meditation), which is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. I am an advocate for Robert Ackerman as a spokesperson for Compassionate Leadership; in a world desperately in need of as much compassion as possible.

—Scott Hanson, Author of Infinite Meditations:

for Inspiration and Daily Practice

Bob’s leadership has created a legacy in our business of what it means to create culture in an organization. Taking care of people first is paramount to his style as a senior executive and he has an innate ability to make everyone in his charge feel special about what they each contribute. It’s been an honor to witness his leadership in action and I’m thrilled that he is continuing to share his lessons on leadership as an author and advisor to many more.

—MaryClaire Rasmussen, Vice President

in Wireless Telecommunications.

The Bob Effect: I was blessed to start my career at a company of leaders who built a culture around the teachings of Bob Ackerman. As a young woman looking to make my mark in the industry, I was shown compassion, grace, and empowered to become a strong leader. Early in my development, I was taken under Bob’s wing and learned to polish my approach to management in a way that was uniquely me, but very obviously had a strong touch of Bob. I’m proud to say that years later, I have become a manager, leader, mentor and friend to those around me as Bob has been for so many of us in the telecom industry.

—Mary Flores, Senior Manager- Real Estate Contingency

Solutions (RECS) - West Crown Castle Leasing Operations

Working under Robert Ackerman’s leadership at Crown Castle was an invaluable experience. Bob’s visionary approach empowered us to take calculated risks, fostering a culture of innovation and accountability. He seamlessly intertwined real-world anecdotes with business challenges, igniting our creativity and driving impactful solutions. Bob’s accessibility and genuine care for his team underscored his commitment to our growth and success. Under his guidance, I thrived on diverse projects, supported by his unwavering trust and belief in our capabilities. I wholeheartedly endorse Bob’s leadership style, a beacon of inspiration and empowerment in the corporate world.

—Fahd Sirohey, Vice President Towers Services - Crown Castle

Bob was my leader at a Fortune 500 company and his management style was instrumental in driving his team forward to consistently reach our operational and financial targets. Bob was so successful at this because he showed with every interaction that he believed in his team by giving employees at all levels opportunities to lead. Anyone could approach Bob to question our business practices, to ask for help, or to just say hello. Bob made every employee feel they were important and valued – and more importantly, that they belonged at the decision-making table. As a result, we all felt a great sense of ownership and accountability for the work we produced as individuals and as teams. Bob is an incredible motivator and you see that both in terms of his business results, but also in terms of the long-last relationships he maintains.

—Michelle Weiner, Director, Communications &

Culture Corporate Communications, Crown Castle

Preface

H aving worked in different industries in both government and private enterprise and listened to friends and family members tell me fun and not-so-fun stories about their work experiences, one thing is obvious. All these work environments are made up of individuals. People are everywhere trying to survive the hustle and bustle of life, whether they are management or employees, rich or poor, young or old,