Empathy: The Leadership Skill You Can’t Afford To Ignore
Empathy Myths: Ross clarifies common misconceptions about empathy:
- Empathy is not just being nice: Niceness is subjective and doesn't guarantee understanding another's perspective.
- Empathy is not caving into demands: Understanding a viewpoint doesn't require changing one's own stance.
- Empathy is not agreeing with someone: It's about understanding context and finding common ground, not necessarily agreeing.
Empathy in a Multigenerational Workplace: Leaders can foster empathy by:
- Acknowledging the validity of different generational perspectives.
- Encouraging intergenerational dialogue and mutual respect.
- Establishing cross-generational mentoring relationships (with reciprocal learning).
- Facilitating open discussions about generational conflicts and biases.
- Setting clear values, norms, and expectations with input from all generations, defining terms like "strong work ethic," "professionalism," "availability," and "good communication."
Improving Listening Skills: Leaders should:
- Practice active listening by minimizing distractions and making eye contact.
- Prioritize understanding over responding.
- Reflect back on what they hear to ensure comprehension.
- Allow others to fully express themselves before interrupting.
- Take notes to stay focused and present.
Empathy and Decisiveness: Leaders should balance open input with timely decisions. Ross suggests:
- Starting with small decisions (e.g., team events).
- Gathering feedback within a set timeframe.
- Making a decision and explaining the reasoning.
- Praising those who contribute ideas, even if their ideas aren't chosen. This encourages future participation.
The "ROI" of Empathy: Ross argues that focusing on the return on investment (ROI) of empathy is necessary because the moral imperative alone isn't always sufficient. She emphasizes that research demonstrates empathy's positive impact on:
- Engagement
- Performance
- Collaboration
- Loyalty
- Retention
- Customer satisfaction
She believes that once people begin practicing empathy, regardless of the initial motivation, they experience its transformative effects firsthand.