Reinventing Your Empathetic Leadership (Part 2)

CEO of Dell Technologies, Michael Dell, said that there was a silver lining to the next normal we are in, during Dell’s latest webinar about navigating the new reality of work. This could essentially “lead to a human transformation, where we have more empathy, more generosity, more gratefulness, more kindness, more selflessness, and maybe some more humility.”

More than ever, why are empathetic leaderships so needed?

Empathy is the most underestimated ability in a leader, a forming trait most strong leaders must possess to understand and resolve people conflicts at work, to enable effective communication which extends simply beyond words and gestures and that which, bolsters high morale and happiness in a company. Yet, not forgetting, we are all imperfect humans at work where the concept of work has got to be humanized to accommodate fluid emotions and common errors. Overwhelmingly, since 80% of CEOs still believe that empathy is the main driver to success which cannot be left out in the cold, how can we begin to reinvent empathetic leaderships properly this time?

We have to reinvent empathy in leaders by recognizing and boosting these 5 areas:

Recognizing and boosting the approachable self in empathetic leaders

As leaders, it is important to acknowledge that fellow members in the organization are like-minded human beings who encounter daily work and life stresses, and require quality and timely interaction. Whether it be a kind reminder on fulfilling day-to-day tasks or a friendly assistance in problem solving, leadership does not have to represent an intimidating hierarchy that withdraws an incoming approach from a subordinate fixated on a high-level point of view and an occupied busy schedule. Rather, it is about becoming relational to equal individuals in the same organization as part of a unified team with common objectives in achieving the best goals and credible means to succeed. Being there for each other, quite similar to being present when helping a friend in need is the attitude of approachability that leaders should rethink and adopt in their current work routines.

Recognizing and boosting empathy by taking care of yourself as leader and others

As leaders experience copious amounts of burnout under high pressure circumstances, it is important that they take care of their physical and mental states well before attempting to care for others.  Leaders experiencing persistent burnouts are reported to be slow and indecisive when facing critical decisions, frequently becoming less confident in their choices at work. This can lead to reckless decisions, lucking out on timed opportunities, and even passively depleting employee engagement. Caring by empathizing the leader in you should come first. The necessary scheduled restful breaks for self-care is the determining factor for the care you will distribute to others. Exercising, spending valuable time with family and friends, getting a good night’s sleep, and sticking to a proper healthy diet are good ways to manage your leadership wellbeing. When leaders feel good about themselves, they would be able to feel and create a source of empathy for others. An empathetic remedy to a leader’s team begins with remedying the leader from within.

Recognizing and boosting listening in empathetic leaders

Empathetic leaders listen to others, while being engaged and adapt to diverse propositions, a proactive retainer to reinventing empathy for success. When leaders listen to people deeply, they not only look beyond the surface by obtaining the plurality of opinions, – reasons why certain actions were even thought about, done or accepted while conscientiously being intuitive and alert. Thoughtfully, they are careful to watch out and involve others in active conversations in any form of review or evaluation, which can include a team’s performance, task agenda and encourage others to share opinions while giving ready feedback. They also put others readily forward to brainstorm ideas and manage expectations. In addition, they listen to be flexible and adaptable to differing perspectives while validating, recommending and at times research on a proposition. If a team member brings up new innovative ideas which prove to be beneficial, the empathizing leader should listen and transform these into doable actions, accepting them as useful contributions.

Recognizing and boosting empathetic team motivation and empowerment for rainy day situations

Empathizing also means building motivation in the team and empowering it to tackle unpredictable, ad-hoc situations. Employees can speak up, be highly creative, participate responsively to various opportunities, and tackle business challenges themselves. Focus groups are still common avenues to garner employees’ constructive feedback and brainstorm innovative ideas, empowering employees for future work achievements. An empowered and motivated team is highly effective, communicative and reflexive – always thinking about the next step ahead before their leaders have the chance to engage them.

Recognizing and boosting empathy through practice, humility and determination

The very first step in embarking on any form of leadership with empathy is that leaders have got to recognize that empathy is not a birthright trait which naturally one is endowed with. It is a nurtured skill, exercised like a muscle and can get stronger if consistently reviewed and improved. Like all skills where even failures have occurred at times, it has the potential to grow and thrive with guidance and conviction. Leaders will have to position themselves as humble students instead of masters of the trade, still eagerly having much to learn and attentively listening with an open heart and mind. Leaders can only start assessing their employees’ mindsets and move towards empathetic ideals when they start to acknowledge that it all takes practice, humility and just that extra grit of not giving up at all. Practice makes perfect!

We hope you enjoyed this article post. Stay tuned for more!

Article written by: Vania Wong