Elon Musk and Steve Jobs got this wrong, but you don’t have to. Learn this valuable leadership skill to stand out in uncertain times.
Some of the most successful and innovative leaders are analytical in nature, inspiring them to pioneer household names like Tesla, the iPhone, and more. These once-in-a-lifetime leaders like Elon Musk and Steve Jobs have also been notorious for something else: not working well with people!
You can’t have it all, they say. Or can you?
Ineffective managers are costly to organizations, yet they make up half of the organizational pool, according to a White Paper conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership. Poor management results in poor business performance, low morale, culture issues, high employee turnover, and more. As companies tighten up ahead of continued economic uncertainty, the stakes are high for leaders today and gaining a competitive edge has never been more important.
If you struggle to connect emotionally with your team, put yourself in others’ shoes, or get the impression that your employees just don’t feel comfortable opening up or being themselves around you, you may lack one of the most important leadership skills–and not possessing this can cost you your job, your company, and ultimately, your career.
That critical leadership skill is empathy.
The good news is empathy can be learned. Having an appreciation for empathy and the role it plays in leadership, particularly around understanding the needs of others, is crucial.
What is empathy?
Empathetic leadership is having the ability to recognize the needs of others as well as being mindful of their thoughts, opinions, and feelings. Not only is empathy linked to stronger job performance, but managers who practiced empathetic leadership toward direct reports were viewed as better performers by their bosses. Being people-focused and meeting people where they are has never been more important than in today’s workforce where high employee turnover and peak employee burnout have plagued just about every industry. Being truly engaged with your team requires empathy.
What makes someone empathetic?
Leading with empathy is linked to a higher level of emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness. Here are some examples of how an empathetic leader has a competitive edge in the workplace today:
Empathetic leaders generally work well with all personality types and don’t have to resort to conflict management as often as their peers.
Empathetic leaders listen attentively and put their whole focus on the person speaking, making an effort to sincerely connect with and relate to them.
Empathetic leaders have a tendency to accept people for who they are, creating a culture of inclusivity and transparency that improves morale and camaraderie.
Empathetic leaders leverage encouragement over criticism to drive results—creating more collaborative, cohesive teams.
Empathetic leaders demonstrate self-awareness, which gives them power to influence outcomes.
Empathetic leaders are intuitive and resourceful, especially in the face of business challenges.
Can empathy be learned?
Because empathy is, by and large, a selfless personality trait that focuses on the feelings and needs of others, many believe that empathy cannot be learned. You either have it or you don’t. On the contrary, though, humans are hardwired for social connection and attachment to others. Just look at how cities and even nations respond to natural disasters or how the country came together following 9/11. More recently, people from all over the country dropped everything to help Hurricane Ian victims who were trapped or displaced from their homes. That said, it shouldn’t require tragedy to bring out empathy, but the bottom line is, empathy is part of the human condition—some people just need more fine-tuning than others.
How can leaders be more empathetic?
Here are a few ways leaders can adopt empathy to widen their influence and build trust on their teams:
Be more perceptive. Try to notice signs that your employees might be struggling or experiencing burnout in their role and have open, honest conversations with them. If this doesn’t come naturally to you, you’ll have to really go out of your way to take inventory of the nonverbal cues of your team.
Take an interest in your employees’ lives. Understanding your employees’ goals and interests can create a stronger connection, build trust, but ultimately help you, leader, best match work assignments to their unique skills and abilities, boosting performance and employee satisfaction. Win-win!
Be willing to roll your sleeves up and help team members if they need it. A big part of empathy is intuitively recognizing the needs of those around you. Your team is only as strong as its leader. It goes a long way with your team to show them you are not above getting “down and dirty” to help them resolve challenges or complete daunting tasks. Leading by example in this manner is as empathetic as it gets.
Learn to Lead with Empathy
If you want to enhance your communication skills as a leader in the post-pandemic workforce or want to reach peak performance as a forward-thinking innovator in Corporate America today, ExecTrek™ can help. Contrary to popular belief, feelings do have a place at the conference room table—and empathy is leading the meeting.
Give yourself the gift of your very own empathy toolkit that will help you become the reputable, respected leader that gains the trust and confidence of others and improves morale by making sure employees feel seen, heard, and valued.
From communication and time management to decision-making and image optics, RC3 Partners provides transformational Executive Coaching and Leadership Development to leaders seeking their competitive edge. Contact us today to learn more.
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