”Your life is not about you. It’s about everyone else who’s life you touch and the ways in which you touch it.” — Neale Donald Walsch

One of the most interesting things about the changes that are taking place in business and the world at large at the moment is the re-prioritisation of the value of being a caring human being.

In short, you need to be genuine. As someone who initially entered the workforce at a time when greed, selfishness and a lust for power were the most common traits among managers, I am immensely encouraged by this realignment of leadership principles.

Now, more than ever, instead of developing their rigid, plastic persona, leaders everywhere are being called upon to be “exceedingly human”.

But what exactly is that and how do you ensure that “being genuine” is the intention that you lead with in all of your interactions with others?

In a recent conversation that Bill Storie and I recorded with Anthony Gruppo, the chief executive of Marsh Commercial UK, Anthony makes the point that there is no place for disingenuous behaviour in the new world ecosystem and leaders who will struggle most are those who did not care about their team in the past, because now their efforts will just seem contrived, making their colleagues even more reluctant to trust them.

That being the case, how then do you build engagement with your team in an authentic way?

The answer lies in simply shifting your perspective from focusing on your own goals and objectives to a mindset whereby you consider the impact of your actions and decisions on others.

Consistently applying this one simple principle will trickle down through all of your actions and positively impact every interaction that you have, every decision that you make, and everything that you do.

As we transition together through a very fluid phase of business development it is important to recognise that no one knows for certain what customer demand or business practices will look like a year from now or beyond.

The key to continually moving forward is to have the self-confidence to admit that while no one has all the answers, we can all get through this by remaining open to supporting each other and embracing change.

You may ultimately still have to make some tough decisions, but before doing so you will ask better questions, demonstrate more empathy, see the path ahead more clearly and even be more at peace with everything that you do.

Better yet, by considering the needs of others in even the small things that you do, you will come to know your team members better and build a lasting rapport, which will encourage them to bring their best ideas to the table and a willingness to help each time that you meet, regardless of whether this is in a virtual setting or face-to-face.

• To view the full Anthony Gruppo video, visit bit.ly/olderhoodleaders1