Why Empathy Matters in Leadership
Many who hear the term leadership may think of an individual who is confident, has great communication, and is charismatic, just to name a few attributes. However, leadership can be more complex than that, and distinguishing qualities within a great leader can be even more complicated.
One topic in my training workshops is the importance of leading with empathy. When empathy is part of the core foundation of your leadership style, it creates an environment that promotes understanding and openness, which can have a positive impact on the relationships developed in and outside of the workplace.
In the Forbes magazine article titled, Want To Avoid A Catastrophe When Hiring A New CEO? Try Using This Simple Checklist, writer Prudy Gourguechon describes empathy as one of the five core essential cognitive capacities and personality traits a leader must have. Gourguechon mentions in this article that “effective communication depends on empathy.” Empathy helps you understand an individual’s perspective, feelings, and emotions and helps you look beyond the surface to foster a deeper understanding of their needs and strengths.
How do you know if you’re using empathy within your communication and actions? One indicator I practice is always reminding myself to meet individuals where they are. Otherwise, it’s easy to make assumptions without context or knowledge about a person’s circumstances, abilities and skills. I made this mistake early on in my professional career.
A colleague of mine struggled with learning a new online platform and, instead of asking her learning style to provide training that could enhance her skills, I was impatient and unempathetic. As you can imagine, the result was not positive, and unfortunately, our interaction ended with some tension.
After some self-reflection, I realized I could have been more compassionate by asking questions for understanding in order to identify the professional development plan that would ensure success. These questions might include:
How would you like to receive communication? Do do prefer written or verbal instructions?
What are the areas you would like to improve and how can I support you in these areas?
Do you have adequate resources and information to accomplish your task or project?
Are there any barriers that may be impacting your work or job performance?
What training would you like to receive to enhance your professional skills?
Utilizing and developing questions like these can increase trust and respect among your colleagues and impact job performance.
How do you show empathetic leadership at work? Let’s chat about how you can transform your career by becoming more confident, inspired and joyful about your work.
