Evolution of the Empathetic Leader
The Empathetic Leadership Skill
Hybrid work environments are necessary now and in the future, and different leadership skills are essential to organizational success. Leaders must establish goals, drive collaboration, monitor progress, balance behavioral conflicts, and manage information sharing in person and remotely.
Leaders can achieve organizational goals by catalyzing creative thinking, innovation, and cultural development. The hybrid environment will require leaders to coordinate, motivate, coach, and champion their teams in new ways. Coordinating the information flow will guide team members to meet goals. Most importantly, leaders must build connections and trust in the person, even remotely. The leadership skill required to do so, however, is not new. The need for empathy has long been recognized as a leadership skill and employee need. The present times will accentuate the need for empathetic leaders.
Power of an Empathetic Leader
Research indicates empathy improves innovation, retention, employee engagement, and performance. These are but a few of its benefits and the reason it is now a rising requirement for effective leadership. The effects of pandemic-enhanced work stress show an increasing impact on employees' mental health, personal lives, performance, turnover, and work experience. Still, empathy can be a powerful antidote to the effects of these additional sources of stress. Studies show an empathetic leader increases innovation among employees by 48%, and those employees are 44% more engaged than their counterparts who do not have empathetic leaders, thereby increasing employee retention and loyalty, feelings of inclusivity, and a more acceptable work-life balance.
The Evolving Empathetic Leader
An empathetic leader must strike a balance. Empathy requires one to be sensitive to the needs of others and themselves. Leading with empathy is essential leadership, but too much empathy can lead to burnout and poor decision-making. It is crucial to consider the possible care continuum when evaluating the need for and the degree to which leaders should be involved in engaging with an employee.
Consider the four levels of emotional connections used by leaders.
Pity-when the leader feels sorry but doesn’t identify or want to act on the issue to improve.
Sympathy- where there are slight increases in the ability to understand and willingness to act compared to pity.
Empathy- the leader has an intimate, visceral understanding of how the individual feels; in other words, they feel with the individual and make those feelings, in part, their own.
Compassion- a deep understanding of the emotions involved in the situation, along with a willingness to act in support of the individual.
Perspective is vital in balancing helping others and nurturing one’s well-being. By carefully evaluating the situational needs of employees, leaders can intervene and support them as needed. Still, they must also protect themselves from an over-investment in the employee that might result in self-harm for the leader.
While our current times, stresses, and ever-changing work environments force leaders to grow new skill sets, the need for empathy is universal and longstanding. Successful leaders understand the need for empathetic actions to connect with their employees and further the organization's goals while at the same time protecting themselves from overinvestment in their own emotions.
“It is helpful to consider the two distinct qualities of compassion: understanding what another is feeling, and the willingness to act to alleviate suffering for another.” - Rasmus Hougaard, Jacqueline Carter, and Marissa Afton