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John Burt | Intelligent Leadership Executive Certified Master Coach
How to be a more empathetic and effective leader “It’s not personal, it’s just business.” We’ve all heard this phrase as justification when being dealt some unwelcome news. What people tend to miss is that business is and should be personal.
stabilizing, the future is still uncertain for many. Employees want to be seen, and they need to see their boss demonstrate vulnerability, showing them that they’re human and that they care. Theodore Roosevelt once said: “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Empathic leaders are not some unfeeling, data-processing, deal-making robot — they’re experiencing many of the same things as their employees, and they need the courage to be vulnerable.
As an executive coach at Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching (ILEC), I try to instill this idea in the business leaders whom I guide. Leaders who are all about the numbers and performance, are missing something critical in their approach to leadership. They’re failing to make a connection with their employees as human beings.
In the results-driven business climate of today, it’s easy to lose sight of those personal connections, but it’s important for employees to feel connected to the business they work for.
In other words, they’re not approaching their relationships with empathy. As an ILEC coach, I define empathy as the “ability to sense the developmental needs of others while being aware of their perspectives, feelings and concerns.” Especially now, with people working from home, employees need to feel that personal, human connection with their leaders. Amid the pandemic, people are stressed out — and while the business climate is
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Demonstrating empathy empowers employees to take more risks, come up with new ideas and explore new and innovative solutions. When you feel like your boss really cares about you and your professional development, you’re more willing to take a leap of faith for that person. Additionally, empathetic leadership helps a business retain talented and hardworking employees. Many businesses suffer from poor retention rates. So how do you retain key employees? You make sure they feel appreciated. How do you make sure they feel appreciated? Sure, you could give them more time off and throw them some
John Burt
bonuses — but that only goes so far. When you develop an empathetic connection with those in your charge, you’re sending an even more powerful message: that your organization values them. When someone feels valued, they’re less likely to go out searching for other opportunities. When you take that extra time to connect on a personal level, you’re letting your employees know that you’re eager to hear their contributions. In turn, your employees will feel more committed to the organization. Acknowledging the benefits of leading with empathy is easy. Enacting it into everyday workplace culture will take some time and effort.
