The heart is the life force within each of us. It's the organ that keeps you alive with every contraction and pulse. Leaders are the life force of every team. Just as the heart pulses our nutrient-rich blood to each organ in the body, leaders push out encouragement, direction, correction, energy, growth, and influence to the team.

And just like the automatic beat of the heart, leaders can make these pulses of leadership second-nature if they learn to recognize and choose them.

Now more than ever, how leaders handle each pulse can empower or weaken leadership, engage or disengage teams, and positively or negatively impact an entire organization.

Dawn S. Kirk shares her proven six Pulses of Heartbeat Leadership to empower leaders:

• Priorities: The Purpose of Leadership. Your priorities give you the gift of clarity and position your team to win. If priorities aren't crystal clear, you may find your ladder leaning against the wrong building and all you do will be in vain.

• Preparation: The Energy of Leadership. Preparation is critical if you want to close the gap between where you are now and where you want or need to be. Only then can you start to move.

• People: The Power of Leadership. People are your competitive advantage. Ensure you have the right people in the right seats, and commit to investing in them to achieve shared results.

• Processes: The Drivers of Leadership. Processes are the drivers that simplify leadership. When put into place early, they enable you to measure success and mark consistent wins.

• Performance: The Metrics of Leadership. Without measurable targets, it's impossible to know if you are succeeding. Performance metrics give you a system to measure, adjust, and repeat with laser-like focus.

• Promotion: The Growth of Leadership. Promotion is the catalyst that helps your leadership grow. It is a delicate balance of humility and pride that shares your individual and your team's success with the organization.

When leaders embrace the Six Pulses and put them to work, the results are nothing short of amazing.