Beyond Buzzwords: Why True Empathy in Leadership is Rare
Empathy is routinely regarded as an essential leadership quality, yet few really understand what it means to truly display it.
While many leaders boast of their ability to connect and understand, my experience is that few truly practise what they preach.
True empathy extends beyond mere sympathy or the basic understanding of others' feelings; it is an ability to step into someone else's shoes, to understand their feelings and perspectives, and to use that understanding to guide your actions.
It might seem like a simple concept, but in practice, it requires a profound shift: away from focusing on your individual preferences and agendas, towards an ability to share in the feelings others experience.
Why is it critical?
Trust - Empathetic leadership promotes trust. When employees feel understood and valued, they are more likely to trust their leaders and be open about challenges they face.
Diversity - Leaders who exhibit empathy are better equipped to manage the diverse needs of their teams. They can tailor their communication and leadership styles to resonate with various individuals, enhancing team cohesion and motivation.
Sense of worth - People feel more of a sense of belonging and sense of worth in a culture where leaders and peers take the time to listen and take different perspectives and experiences into consideration.
How to be more empathetic:
It’s time to confront an uncomfortable truth: Empathy is more than just a buzzword.
Without it, leaders undermine team morale and create a culture where people feel they need to bend to a ‘norm’ that cripples their individuality, innovation, and creative spirit.
Practising empathy as a leader can be challenging if (like me), you ‘grew up’ working in an age where this wasn’t valued. Maybe your experience is that it was historically seen as a sign of weakness.
However, it is possible to change, and more importantly, be the change-maker that leads the change.
Adopting even one of these traits can change the game for those working around you:
Active listening: truly listening to others, without any kind of agenda or response in mind. Being present, not adding your own agenda or opinion, just listening to the other person and processing what they are saying, and allowing yourself to be changed by what they are saying.
Emotional flexibility: managing your emotions in accordance to the situation in front of you, and allowing others to express themselves and their emotions, without reacting or being affected. Valuing your teams’ emotional needs and placing these before your own, or the organisation’s agenda.
Authenticity: being true to your word and actions, and honest about situations in front of you. Consistency of words, values and actions creates a healthy culture where people feel they can be their true selves and where their opinions will be listened to, no matter what they may be.
Multiple perspectives: look at situations from different perspectives or possibilities. We all have natural perspectives or reactions, but the challenge is to consider different perspectives that other people may experience, and to see how the situation / your reaction changes if you adopt these.
Showing more empathy is, for many, a work in progress. Small changes day-to-day create big changes long-term.
Just thinking about what empathy means to you can start the process.
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