Empathetic leadership is the key to thriving in a post-COVID-19 world
By Brad Winsor
The COVID-19 pandemic marked a pivotal turning point in how we lead our teams. As we move forward, I feel that empathy has to come first and foremost—now more than ever. And the best course of action we can take as leaders and changemakers in this post-pandemic world is to incorporate empathy in our business model.
Empathetic leadership is the ability to lead while working to understand the contexts, experiences, and needs of others, as well as being aware and mindful of their thoughts and feelings. Empathy is the ability to live and experience the story of another as if it were your own, and so, effective empathetic leadership is, by nature, a process that fosters trust and teamwork from the outset.
Empathetic leadership consists of four main components that you as a leader must extend to your team:
understanding
purpose
opportunity
metrics
These are the building blocks that a leader can use to set the groundwork for a reliable and committed team. And when used in conjunction with creating a culture of trust, motivation, and improvement, a leader is able to strengthen the foundation of empathetic leadership among their team.
Understanding
In my opinion, understanding is the most important of the four components. A comprehensive understanding of another person’s perspective or point of view only comes with an open mind, a desire to listen, and a no-judgment mindset.
To understand your team, you must first listen to each individual with an open mind. A clear understanding of what is important to them and what their goals are is the first step in identifying a common purpose or goal. It is through this understanding that empathy is nurtured between a leader and the team. For example, when you show genuine care and interest in your team members’ life outside of work, as well as within, it opens the doors for mutual trust and understanding.
As an organization or team leader, it is important that you first understand someone else’s point of view before trying to make them understand your perspective. As you read this, you might find yourself thinking, “yes, yes, I do that already.” However, I urge you to rethink if you truly do this. Are you really listening? Or are you thinking of what your rebuttal will be while they are still talking to you?
It often takes a lot of time and effort to fully understand someone’s point of view. Carve out time to have several interactions and discussions with your team to get to know them better before you engage in an exchange of ideas.
Purpose
A great leader, especially in today’s world, must clearly identify the purpose or role of every individual on their team. Everyone has the ability to make a difference at work and in someone’s life. And it’s your job as a leader to help your team member identify what that difference is and how they can achieve it.
“Purpose” is subjective and can be interpreted in many ways by your team members. So, clearly defining each team member’s role and explaining its purpose from the beginning is vital. When hiring new staff, it is important to hire a candidate who shares the same purpose and belief. This can help in achieving the common goal of the organization in addition to improving the job satisfaction among the team.
While it is not possible for every team member to share the exact same purpose, if you can change their perspective and help them find something in their job that is important to them—something that provides them with a purpose to continue—then everyone wins.
In the next issue of CNHR, I will discuss the other two elements of empathetic leadership: opportunity and metrics.