Author: Angie Cartwright
When I consider leaders, one element that is critical to success is empathy. It is also one of the main components of emotional intelligence (EI) aligned with social awareness.
There have been plenty of references and debates about which category it falls into, that of a “hard” or “soft” skill. While I am not going to debate this, I do believe if it were “easy” more would be regularly applying it. In my experience, one thing that influences trust, commitment and results for team members is empathic leadership.
Over the years, while supporting individuals, teams and organization in countless instances, I either hear comments similar to, “Evan is a great XYZ, but his “people” skills are holding him back. He needs to do something about it” or, “Evan is really tech savvy but lacking empathy and social skills”. I wonder, is empathy a part of curriculum with universities and aligned to various MBA leadership programs?
Being an empathetic leader is offering a listening ear, offering to help, and a leader is seeking to understand a team member’s needs, his/her desires and point of view. In addition, the leader expresses genuine concern for the team members and is mindful about thanking them for sharing. As Adam Grant noted, “Along with intellectual curiosity, we need interpersonal curiosity. Taking an interest in other people is the beginning of empathy.” This also means doing less talking and more listening. It is not any different than one would do for customers, listening and understanding concerns, pain points and obstacles. It is important this mindset is applied to all team members. Underpinning this is a deliberate intention of getting to know the individuals on your team, their strengths, weaknesses, aspirations and motivations, etc. As a friend shared, “This is where the magic happens.”
Coaching and utilizing psychometrics, such as MBTI, to support talent in exercising both their “thinking” and “feeling” muscles is valuable and complimentary in the development of empathy. It is important for one to have individual self-awareness of thinking and feeling preferences, and to be cognizant of differing styles in order to be able to sense and be aware of others’ preferences and perspectives.
There was a phrase recently shared with me by a wise friend, “People don’t care until they know you are about them” and this really resonated with me, and it is a great phrase for leaders to keep in their leadership mind toolkits.
I recently had the privilege to hear Simon Sinek share his views in Austin, Texas, and you will find he shares in his various blogs, books and TED talks about how “The leader eats last” and why the empathetic leader is the best leader. He shares, “Exceptional organizations “Prioritize the well being of their people and, in return, their people give everything they’ve got to protect and advance the wellbeing of one another and the organization” and I agree.
I have a few favorite inspirational gurus on this topic, which support me in continuous learning: Adam Grant, Brené Brown, Simon Sinek and Ethan Burris.
Feel free to share, who are your favorite empathetic inspirational leaders? Is there an empathetic leadership quote you are inspired by, or aim to model your leadership style after?
Angie Cartwright is an accomplished Human Resources professional with complement of talents including: talent management, organizational development, learning and development, performance management, succession planning, leadership development, capability and competency management, talent acquisition and coaching.
Throughout the years, she has built a reputation for rolling up her sleeves and bridging the gap between strategy and implementation. Currently serving as Sr. Director of People & Culture at Acxiom, her industry experience includes start ups to large multi-national organizations in data analytics, multimedia, software, telecommunications, real-estate, healthcare, retail, and non-profit with global exposure in both privately owned and publicly traded companies.
Angie earned a Masters in Human Relations Management and Bachelor’s in Marketing and Business Administration. She holds multiple certifications including SHRM-CP and PHR, and is deeply involved in numerous industry associations and professional groups. She currently leads the ATX HR Meetup in Austin, Texas.
To learn more about Angie and connect with her, please visit:
http://www.potentialitycoaching.com
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