Leadership is Empathetic
Great leaders must consider others’ feelings and emotions with each decision and communication. Every single follower is extremely unique. There are many factors to consider when leaders attempt to provide empathy, as no one way will cover every follower. For instance, each follower will have a unique set of characteristics that every leader might consider first, such as:
· Nationality;
· Gender;
· Religious beliefs;
· Values; and
· Personality.
A strong leader will identify as many characteristics as possible of each follower to better understand how to communicate in a non-judgmental manner during empathetic situations, and trust me, there are many situations that will present. Some may include:
· Death of a loved one;
· Divorce or separation;
· Demotion;
· Failure; and
· Looked over for promotion.
These are but a few situations in which followers may need an active empathetic leader. I will also mention that leadership is built on respect and trust. Guess how empathy fits into the equation? You guessed it! Strong leaders who show empathy during times of followers’ needs will have an opportunity to increase respect and trust. Followership is continuously growing, and strong leaders must continue to gain respect and trust in each situation, or they may find they will quickly lose it. Once lost, respect and trust will be much harder to gain back.
The 7 Steps to Building Leadership Empathy
1. Practice Active Listening
Give team members your full, undivided attention. Put away devices, avoid formulating your rebuttal, and focus entirely on decoding both their words and their non-verbal cues.
2. Stay Curious
Instead of immediately jumping into problem-solving mode, ask probing, open-ended questions to uncover the root cause of an employee’s feelings. Say things like, “How did this situation make you feel?” and stay curious about their perspective.
3. Validate and Reflect
Demonstrate that you hear them by reflecting their emotions back to the individual without judgment. You can say, “I sense that you’re feeling overwhelmed,” and ask for their confirmation with a follow-up like, “Did I get that right?”
4. Cultivate Self-Awareness
You cannot effectively understand the emotions of others if you are out of touch with your own. Recognize your own communication style, blind spots, and triggers so your biases do not cloud your judgment.
5. Model Strategic Vulnerability
Show your human side by admitting when you make mistakes, expressing when you feel challenged, or sharing your own learning moments. This creates a safe space for your team to be honest about their own struggles.
6. Recognize the Human Side of Work
Acknowledge that your employees are complex individuals with personal lives, rather than just cogs in a machine. Take time in meetings to ask about their lives outside the office, celebrate personal milestones, and check in on their general well-being without always tying it to a work agenda.
7. Provide Empathetic Support
Act on your empathetic understanding by taking actionable steps to support your team. If someone appears burned out, encourage them to log off, take comp time, or delegate tasks to rebalance their workload.
Thanks.
Mike
mike@bleadersedge.com
bleadersedge.com
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