An Essential Skill You Need to be a Successful Leader ... EMPATHY
Empathy Essential Skill Successful Leader LaRae Quy Author , Executive Coach , Leadership Consultant Jacksonville , Florida November 2019
I have always been intrigued by empathy because it helps people read the minds of others , something that came in handy as an FBI agent . When I listened to another person ’ s words and read their body language , I could piece together their thoughts and emotions .
Empathy is not sympathy , nor is it feeling sorry for others . Instead , it is understanding what others are feeling or thinking . It ’ s often described as the ability to put yourself in another person ’ s shoes . It ’ s important to remember you ’ re experiencing how they feel in their shoes , not how you would feel in them !
There ’ s a tendency to regard empathy as a soft skill that ’ s “ nice ” to have but not essential . Empathic people are often described as warm and fuzzy , bleeding hearts and compassionate . Nice characteristics , but not the tough skills needed for negotiations , board meetings and economic growth .
Think again . The US Army , in an excellent summary of leadership traits called the Army Field Manual on Leader Development , places these two topics at the top : 1 ) Getting to know and understand subordinates , and 2 ) Building rapport to enable supportive development .
Now that we ’ ve established that tough guys need to develop empathy to be successful leaders , it ’ s essential to you because it :
1 . Paves the way of the future As organizations become more global , transparent and connected , leaders will need to develop new skills to manage a more complex workforce . A recent report by Deloitte indicates that the trend for organizations of the future will be social enterprises . This is a shift because stakeholders in social enterprises expect leaders to deliver not only profits , but also a workplace that brings meaning to both employees and customers .
Social enterprises are organizations with a mission to combine revenue growth with the cultivation of relationships and collaboration at every level . In other words , even in the midst of automation and AI , the future of business will have a human focus .
Successful leaders will need to understand the human element in greater detail . They ’ ll need to develop old-fashioned empathy to satisfy their future stakeholders .
How to make it work for you : It ’ s important to examine your own attitude when dealing with others . Is your primary concern to win , get your own way or always be right ? Put aside your viewpoint , and try to see things from the other person ’ s point of view . Maybe you aren ’ t the center of the world after all .
2 . Provides feedback on your communication style Most of us can throw out loads of information to an audience , but a successful leader must understand how to get through to them . When we increase our communication skills , we learn how to reach employees and customers with a message that is both specific and intentional .
Empathy enables you to know if you ’ ve reached the people you meant to reach in your organization . Just as important , it lets you know if you conveyed the message you had hoped to convey .
Empathetic leaders can identify hidden talents of their employees when they use empathy to communicate with them . They can tap into these skills , help develop them , and match them to areas in the organization where they would be most beneficial .
“ The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place .” ~ George Bernard Shaw