Do you have it in you to be an empathetic leader?
“True leadership lies in the willingness to place the needs of others above your own.”
What does leadership have to do with emotions? I’m sure this is question would have popped up in your mind after reading the title of this post.
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Let us understand how leadership and emotions are two interconnected terms -
Business and relationships
Businesses are built on relationships. Not just between the business and clients. But also the relationships that thrive within the organization. A smart leader is the one who pays heed to build these relationships.
The days when leadership was just about being in charge are long gone. You don’t have to be authoritative and or even have strict management acumen . Time has come when leaders have to focus more on prioritizing the well being of others. And, not just giving on orders.
It’s all about empathy now a days
In layman terms, empathy is all about being aware of other people’s feelings. Don’t confuse it with sympathy. Sympathy is generally associated with a negative emotion. Whereas empathy with both positive and negative emotions.
With leaders focusing more on building a sustainable work culture, empathy has emerged as the talk of the town.
What does it take to become an empathetic leader?
Everyone is talking about empathy and its impact on creating a team that sticks together. But, what does it take to become an empathetic leader? Does it need some sort of training? Or, does it come in a natural way?
We’ll get back to that in the latter part of this post. Let us first take a look at the three traits associated with being an empathetic leaders -
Emotional intelligence (EI)
Empathy comes along with emotional intelligence. EI states that it is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions. And, at the same time handle interpersonal relationships in a judicious and empathetic manner.
As a leader you need to be emotionally intelligent if you want to create a team that sticks together. You must have the attitude to not let emotions impact the outcome of a particular situation.
Non-judgmental attitude
A leader with a non-judgmental attitude is bound to win the heart of his team members. Being non-judgmental means those leaders don’t let their personal disagreements come in-between their work.
They take time to appreciate another person’s feelings and thought process. They don’t believe in passing their personal judgement of it being right or wrong.
Active listening skills
Empathetic leaders focus more on listening and less on talking when dealing with teams. This is the most important trait. Because if you are not paying attention to what other person is saying, you are bound to face difficulty in understand what he/she is going through.
Being a leader it becomes your responsibility to understand the feelings of your team. And you can achieve that only when you have the patience to listen to what they are saying before taking any decision about them.
Empathy lays the foundation of trust!
Have you ever had the opportunity to visit a military mess? If yes, then you would have seen that leaders are the last people in the line for taking food. Why? Because a leader knows he’s nothing without the team. And, that’s the reason they give medals to people who sacrifice so that others may gain.
Such small things lay the foundation of trust and respect for the leader within the team!
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Coming back to the question what does it take to become an empathetic leader? You will now have a clear picture that it is does not need any rocket science to become an empathetic leader. All you need to do is practice the habits mentioned above. And empathy will come on its own in your behavior.
So, what are you waiting for?
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