Why Empathy Matters in Leadership
Do you ever wonder what the secret is to genuine competence and warmth in leadership? Explore empathy. Empathy has been shown to promote inclusion, reduce team burnout, decrease staff turnover and more, all while increasing productivity. In fact, new studies show that empathy is a key ingredient to effective leadership. Now more than ever, leaders need to be able to display empathy, and we’re going to dig a little deeper into why empathy matters in leadership.
What is Empathy?
Many people confuse empathy with sympathy. Empathy is defined by Merriam-Webster as the following:
“Empathy (noun): The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner.”
In short, empathy is what allows us to experience the idea of walking in someone else’s shoes. It’s important to remember that sympathy, which is rooted in a perspective of pity, is much different from empathy. You know that we’re big fans of Dr. Brené Brown. She stresses that “Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection.” in this iconic video.
How to Lead with Empathy
In order to lead with empathy, we must first make the time to listen deeply. Listening is a much more sophisticated skill than most people realize. It requires the one doing the listening to put aside all personal thoughts, distractions and assumptions and simply take in what the other person is saying.
A great leader demonstrates excellent listening, and asks sincere questions. A great leader looks for opportunities to serve his or her team members. A great leader will also do the following:
Be willing to show vulnerability when having a difficult discussion with another team member
Ask team members how they are really doing and make time to really listen to the answer
Intentionally look for unique strengths in their team members, and celebrate those qualities in 1:1 and group encounters
Ask team members what they hope to accomplish and brainstorm ways that he / she can add value and provide traction towards those goals
Know team members well enough to be able to help them find personalized ways to be proactive about avoiding burnout
Those who lead with empathy will also have a high EQ (Emotional Intelligence or Emotional Quotient). We spend a lot of time talking about EQ not only because it’s a critical skill, but because it’s one that can be continually refined. We know that EQ is highlighted as the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace, and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence. Data tells us that 90% of high performers are also shown to be high in EQ. On top of that, on average, people who demonstrate high EQ in the workplace make more money than their lower EQ counterparts.
To learn more about how EQ and how it impacts leadership, tune in to next month’s newsletter.
Strengthening Your Empathy Muscles
Empathy is a key component of EQ. But what if empathy feels unnatural? Or if you’re not one of those with a very strong sense of empathy? Does that mean our capacity for leadership is limited? Absolutely not! In fact, we believe that being honest about your own gaps means your leadership potential is tremendous. Those who are willing to be vulnerable and honest about their own blindspots and growth areas are likely to exceed even their own expectations.
Empathy is like a muscle – it can be strengthened with practice, effort and time. You don’t have to take on this challenge alone. Empathy is one of the skills we focus on in our leadership group coaching Masterminds. In these sessions, we work with women facing complex challenges and leaders in transition, making space to grow in empathy, insight, creativity, and purpose.
In the small group setting of our Mastermind, we encourage creativity, candor and innovation. We challenge leaders to think beyond boundaries, and to be compassionate with themselves and one another. In the Nova Leadership way, we do this exploration with an orientation towards action and results. Progress, not perfection is the goal: we’re all on a journey.
Nova Leadership Coaching
Nova provides opportunities to challenge your thinking to create change for yourself and for your organization. We do this through three core growth opportunities: Destination Retreat Immersions, our six-week Mastermind Series and 1:1 Executive Coaching. Contact us today to learn more about each of these opportunities to identify which one is the best fit for you.