It was a beautiful day on the beaches of Costa Rica with a growing swell as the tide rolled in. As an amateur surfer I was catching waves after they broke while my eleven-year-old daughter cheered for me. Suddenly my daughter was no longer in my sight, and terror set in as I realized that she had been pulled out by a rip tide and I didn't have the ability to rescue her with the size of the waves and how far she had been taken. What happened next, was truly a miracle. After crying out to God for help, a man came right up to my side with his surfboard and brought her back to safety, then disappeared shortly afterward.

After that experience, I knew life would never be the same. It was an awakening of the fragility of life and what matters most. I was filled with courage to boldly live a life with clarity and let go of seeking certainty.

It's impossible to have certainty, but you can always have clarity when you know what matters and the leader you want to be.

When pushed into discomfort, I realized the culmination of life experiences, both personal and professional, was the preparation needed to lead with greater purpose. This is true for you too. All of your experiences up to this point have equipped you to lead in this moment in time.

That's right, I believe you have been placed into your leadership position at this exact time for a specific purpose - to lead in a way that only you can through the waves of change and uncertainty with digital, AI and new ways of working.

If you are in a leadership position, which I would argue everyone is in some capacity, then you are at the helm to create workplaces and a world where:

• Humans aren't lost, instead, they are found at the center of it all

• True gifts and talent are brought into the light, no longer hiding behind mundane tasks

• People can contribute and be seen in the fullness of their born potential

This moment in time is screaming out for intentional leadership with more heart and humanity.

Your time is now to elevate into a new realm of strategic leadership, with more heart and humanity in a digital world.

Here are three ways you can lead with more heart and humanity today.

1. Strategy #1: Create Meaningful Connections

Every exchange and interaction is an experience. Creating meaningful connections builds trust and brings out the best in one another. Three simple ways to do this are:

• Ask powerful coaching questions like, what do you truly want, what's getting in the way, or how would you like to move forward.

• Provide authentic encouragement that names the unique talents of others and their impact. The more specific the encouragement, the better. Generalized recognition almost always falls flat.

• Set predictable agendas for 1:1's that includes time to connect, celebrate successes, understand challenges, and anticipate what's coming up.

2. Strategy #2: Reframe Conflict Positively

Everyone responds to conflict differently and your natural response to conflict may be different than others around you. That's part of the unique advantage each person brings. The best way I have found to break down conflict barriers is to vulnerably share what you don't know and what you are afraid of. Then open the door for others to do the same. This diffuses tension and puts you on the same team, fighting for each other and against the problem - not against each other.

As a team gets more practiced at this, you'll see the value in contrarian points of view and might invite healthy conflict for better results.

3. Strategy #3: Show Your Humanness

Being genuine and real, says, "The humanity in me sees the humanity in you." Practical ways to do this in the workplace are:

• Share stories, both personal and professional, connecting them to key learning moments and moments of influence to inspire others.

• Humbly share your missteps and setbacks for others to grow from without having to experience the same difficulties you had to overcome.

• Ask for the support you need to lead at your best. It's one of the greatest compliments when a leader trusts you enough to ask for your support in areas of lesser strength.

These common-sense, practical strategies aren't new or novel, they are grounded in simplicity. Leading with heart and humanity should be simple. The world is complicated enough. Let's not add to that.

It took nearly losing my daughter to wake me up to lead the life that has been prepared for me. You too have been prepared to lead in this time. You are placed in your position of leadership for this very moment. What's one action you will do to start leading with more heart and humanity today? Take one small action every day to lead with more heart and humanity and watch your waves of positive impact build.

“And who knows whether you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).