12 ways leaders can incorporate empathy into their business culture

Empathy is a hugely underrated trait for leaders and of great importance in the practice of servant leadership. How do you practice empathy in your business?

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/news/2021/11/05/12-ways-leaders-can-incorporate-empathy-into-their-business-culture.html

While the old school ways of managing a team avoided showing empathy at all costs, these days, empathizing with your employees is a positive management strategy. Showing empathy to your team makes for a more cohesive, supportive and happy culture.

As a leader, it may be difficult to understand where to draw the line between empathy and authority. Here. 12 members of Business Journals Leadership Trust discuss the most effective ways for leaders to develop the ability to empathize with their team members.

1. Share personal and professional highlights.

We operate on the Entrepreneurial Operating System that encourages team members to start meetings by sharing personal and professional highlights. This exercise sets a positive tone for meetings and gives leaders a brief look into the lives of their team members. Leaders can use these highlights as conversation starters to further get to know their team in other, less formal settings. – E. Tanner Milne, Menlo Group Commercial Real Estate

2. Show and share your vulnerabilities.

It’s a fine line for leaders to show vulnerability when they are also expected to have the answers, clarity, confidence and reassurance needed for their business. However, showing and sharing vulnerability helps leaders connect at a human level — and sets the tone that colleagues are safe to bring their whole selves to work. – Marty McDonald, Fahlgren Mortine

3. Know and own your struggles.

Know and own your own pain or struggle. We all have “stuff” — including you. Feel it and choose to not let that stuff define you but inform you. Now, the people who work with and for you have their stuff. And today’s pandemic environment is no exception as people are struggling, generally speaking. What can you do to listen to them, attend to them and affirm them? – Bill Dickinson, C3 Leadership, LLC

4. Allow time and space for honest feedback.

It’s important for leaders to understand the experiences of their team members from their viewpoint to know how to build a culture all desire. Meeting and getting to know each team member, allowing time and space for honest feedback and input, participating in their work to get hands-on experience and listening to understand are some ways to be able to empathize with team members. – Deanna Finch, United 4 Children

5. Set time aside for check-ins with each team member.

Grab a cup of coffee, sit down and check in with each staff member. I’m not saying do a full-scale review of your staff every month, but set time aside for a one-on-one meeting whether it is via Zoom or in person. Don’t center the conversation on work. Be honestly interested in an authentic way about their life, their struggles, their triumphs — and remember the details. – Christopher Tompkins, The Go! Agency

6. Care for your team beyond their titles and duties.

To be empathetic means caring for your team beyond their title, function and responsibilities. The benefit is that your people don’t just hear you care, they feel you care. Listening and putting yourself in another’s shoes creates an environment where the other party feels valued, heard and understood. Because so few people take this approach, you will forever be remembered as one of the great ones. – Mike Sipple, Centennial Talent Strategy and Executive Search

7. Develop deep listening skills to make others feel seen.

Deep listening is the most important thing you can do to both develop and display empathy. When we truly listen to others, people feel seen, heard and valued. This means listening to understand, not just to reply. It means also listening without interrupting and staying present with the other person. It’s about truly hearing what others are saying without judgment. – Mary Abbajay, Careerstone Group LLC

8. Learn about the life-shaping crucible of those you lead.

The people you lead are hard-wired to crave either acceptance or validation. Read True North by Bill George to understand that the craving is rooted in a life-shaping experience or event known as the crucible. Leaders that learn about the life-shaping crucible of those they lead are almost instantly empathetic with their team members. I promise you, learning these stories will change the way you lead. – Thomas Miller, Human

9. Take a walk in their shoes by doing their jobs with them.

The best way for a leader to be able to empathize with their team is to step in their shoes. Get out and do their job with them. Ask questions about where the challenges are. If it’s customers, work alongside them long enough to experience a challenging customer. If it is work conditions, get out there and experience what they are experiencing. Listening cannot replace seeing and feeling. – Amy McDougal, CLEAResources, LLC

10. Show interest in their lives and thoughts.

Roll up your sleeves and work alongside team members. Or if you have to step out to run an errand, grab someone to go with you. While together, ask them about themselves. If they don’t want to volunteer personal information, ask about their ideal career path or if they have any suggestions for their department or the company. Showing an interest in them and their thoughts will go a long way. – Jim Lane, Lane Technology Solutions

11. Practice servant leadership.

Servant leadership is key. Words can be powerful, but actions speak much louder. If you want to empathize with your team, put yourself in their position and hustle alongside them. It might even help you see opportunities for change within your organization. – Dorian Rader, OneTen° Capital

12. Leverage personality assessment tools.

Leaders must be able to read and interact with different personality types on a daily basis. My team uses personality tools like the Enneagram and the Predictive Index to understand each others’ preferences and behavioral patterns, ultimately allowing us to empathize when times are tough. – Lauren Reed, Reed Public Relations