In an ever-changing world of leadership, some attributes like decisiveness, vision, and the ability to think strategically have always jumped into the limelight.
While such characteristics have usually been praiseworthy and almost unmatched in any leader’s resume, there is another highly underrated quality that can make a tremendous impact on the advancement of a leader up the corporate ladder: empathy.
Empathy with your team members is not a soft skill. It is a critical attribute that marks the difference between exceptional leaders and others.
In this article, we discuss why empathizing with your team is a powerful tool for leaders and how you could learn to practice empathy in your own journey as a leader.
Table of Contents
What Is Empathetic Leadership?
Empathetic leadership may indeed be the new meaning in a world post the COVID-19 pandemic.
The world has gradually edged its way into increased unpredictability and uncertainty, bringing along with it enormous stress, anxiety, and depression.
This is found to lead people to look for employers who can be able to understand and empathize with what they have been experiencing.
Currently, leaders are expected to reach a certain extent of emotional intelligence in order to understand, care for, and appreciate their team members so that they don’t give up easily when faced with adversity in their work life.
5 Ways to Lead with Empathy
A study by Catalyst conducted in 2021 estimated that 61% of the employees report innovation at work often or always when they are led by highly empathic senior leaders, but only 13% report so when they are led by less empathic senior leaders.
The research further showed that empathy increases work engagement as 76% of professionals report being often or always engaged at work when they are led by highly empathic leadership, while only 32% report that in the same way when they are led by those with no empathy.
So how do you really show this most important leadership quality of empathy?
Active Listening
Leading with empathy is about knowing the unique circumstances of each member of your team. Ask them questions and listen.
Learn more about them as people and take time to understand their life circumstances so you can tailor their work arrangements and priorities accordingly.
When employees feel their leader truly cares about their feelings and personal situations, they will most likely be more engaged within the workplace and happy to be working for that leader.
Not only will they improve their performance, but they’ll also willingly go beyond duty if they know their leader will do the same for them.
Put Yourself In Their Shoes
The best is to put oneself in the shoes of one’s team members for a minute. At times, the pressure of being a leader can distance one so far from daily operations that they forget they are managing humans and not robots.
Before plunging head-on into a decision that will negatively impact or at least appear to impact your team, consider their perspective and ask yourself.
Consider questions like, “How might I help my team better absorb this change? How can I sufficiently prepare them so they know what to expect and do not have to grope in the dark for answers? Does this really have to change? What else might I consider doing?”
Look Out For Their Wellbeing
Continuous burnout and pressure can be extremely devastating to the well-being and morale of staff if not addressed and dealt with on time.
Disengagement, work-related injuries, and employee turnover would be some of the unfavorable effects.
If you suspect that an employee is struggling with his workload, reach out to the person and see how he is doing. The simple “How are you?” or “How is your workload feeling to you?” makes all the difference.
Empathetic leaders can catch burnout early, reducing problems before they create a full-blown issue.
Such empathetic leaders help create a space where employees feel comfortable opening their minds and expressing their needs and initiate appreciation for those who open up when faced with the risk of burnout.
Communicate Clearly and Kindly
Clear and transparent communication is the way to a good rapport with employees, making them feel that they are heard and understood.
Bring out information from the top about how the organization is progressing, any opportunities and challenges, and other relevant information that could influence them.
That breeds trust and will keep them from being blind-sided or misinformed.
Acting as a kind leader will create an example for your subordinates to behave in the same manner, making them feel comfortable to open up to you and other team members, thus facilitating effective collaboration, teamwork, and honest feedback.
Promote Life/Work Balance
The incoming generation of workers—Gen Z, who are on track to make up the largest share of the workforce by 2030—will prioritize well-being and a balanced lifestyle over work.
That means your approach to leadership needs to change. And if you want to implement policies that cause work to spill over into personal time or health, or otherwise limit flexibility too much, it’ll send this amazing generation packing to the competition.
Convey that message to your subordinates that you care about their total wellness and lead by example from other leaders.
Periodically check up on how your subordinates are doing, mainly if they will be working under new internal changes.
Finally, arm your members with the wherewithal for success by using AI to augment and help the work of your team members.
Final Thoughts
Empathy is an ability that means reaching down inside to be vulnerable and to create relatability, so you make a safe space for other people to be vulnerable too.
It involves giving attention to other people’s opinions and getting them to change their perspective before you have to make an important business decision.
Developing empathy means increased team productivity and a spike upward in employee engagement.
Also Read : The Role of Gamification in Building an Engaging Company Culture
