The importance of empathetic leadership

Empathetic leadership is key in a successful organization’s life. But why is there a growing need for it and how can we apply it in our own workplaces?

Although empathy was not considered a value in society for a long time, today it is a sign of strength to show our vulnerability, share our feelings and display compassion for others. As an effect of the pandemic, there is a persistent insecurity in our lives, therefore it is more important now than ever to show tolerance towards our colleagues.

Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s position and try to see the world from their point of view, imagine how they feel and think. By doing this, we can understand each other’s feelings, needs and actions.

The empathetic leader:

• Considerateness – The empathetic leaders show sincere interest towards workers. By acknowledging others’ feelings, they avoid doing anything to hurt them. They lead with consideration of workers’ experience and thoughts. They recognise their colleagues’ needs and try to provide an opportunity to solve their problems. This could mean offering the needed recreation in the case of sickness, death of a family member, or emotional exhaustion.
• Quick and effective problem-solving – When faced with a conflict, the empathetic leader aims to resolve tension by looking for a solution that is acceptable to everyone.
• Good listener – They listen to their employee when there is a question, issue, idea or problem raised and take their feedback into consideration.
• Relationships based on trust – These connections are necessary for the leaders and employees equally.
• Motivation – Defining goals are essential for the company and the employee, too. Empathetic leaders do everything to make sure their workers’ abilities are valued.
• Safety – When interacting with employee’s, the empathetic leader is caring and attentive. They treat all workers equally and make them feel as involved as possible.
• People first, profit second – This doesn’t mean profit is not a priority. The point is to find the balance between workers’ wellbeing and profit.

Absence of empathetic leadership could cause problems in communication. Without his, employees don’t trust their leader enough, they won’t share their questions, ideas, and thoughts. If we lead with empathy, workers will feel safe, motivated, and balanced. They will feel heard and valued. This gives a sense of team spirit and optimism which enhances productivity.

There are naturally empathetic leaders. But empathy is also an ability that can be developed. A first step could be acknowledging that our employees are people who have individual feelings, thoughts, families, friends, and they want to enjoy their work and private life the same as we do. Sometimes we tend to focus on our tasks too much and forget to pay attention to the human aspect of our organisation. When someone’s late to a meeting or doesn’t complete the promised task – think about the human behind the problem. Maybe their laptop isn’t working before the meeting, or the task is late because their family member’s sickness. Empathy is key for prosperous organizations; therefore everyone should implement empathetic leadership into their own work.

 

The original blog post is available here.