Most leaders today emphasise their competence, strength, and
credentials, but none of that matters if people don’t trust you. Win people
over with warmth. Here’s how:
Use the right tone. Speak with lower pitch and volume. Aim
for a tone that suggests that you’re levelling with people and being completely
honest.
Validate feelings. If you show your employees that you hold
roughly the same worldview they do, you demonstrate not only empathy but, in
their eyes, common sense. If you want colleagues to listen and agree with you,
first agree with them.
Smile—and mean it. Smiling is contagious. When people see
you beaming, they’ll likely smile too. But a polite grin fools no one. To
project warmth, you have to genuinely feel it.