People wonder how leaders can make hard decisions if they are ‘feeling’ for all the people who will be affected!?

Let’s break the myth: Empathy for a leader does not mean adopting other people’s emotions as one’s own and trying to please everybody. That would be a nightmare-it would make action impossible. Rather, empathy means thoughtfully considering employees’ feelings-along with other factors-in the process of making intelligent decisions!

Definition of Empathy: The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people; skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions

Hallmarks of Empathy at work:

- Expertise in building and retaining talent

- Cross-cultural sensitivity

- Service to clients and customers

Empathy is particularly important today as a component of leadership for at least three reasons: the increasing use of teams; the rapid pace of globalization; and the growing need to retain talent!

Empathy in Action:

Case i. A marketing manager at a large information technology company was appointed to lead a troubled team. The group was in turmoil, overloaded by work and missing deadlines. Tensions were high among the members. Tinkering with procedures was not enough to bring the group together and make it an effective part of the company.

So the manager took several steps. In a series of one-on-one sessions, she took the time to listen to everyone in the group-what was frustrating them, how they rated their colleagues, whether they felt they had been ignored. And then she directed the team in a way that brought it together: She encouraged people to speak more openly about their frustrations, and she helped people raise constructive complaints during meetings. In short, her empathy allowed her to understand her team’s emotional makeup. The result was not just heightened collaboration among members but also added business, as the team was called on for help by a wider range of internal clients.

Case ii. An American consultant firm’s team pitched a project to a potential Japanese client. In its dealings with Americans, the firm’s team was accustomed to being bombarded with questions after such a proposal, but this time it was greeted with a long silence. Other members of the team, taking the silence as disapproval, were ready to pack and leave. The lead consultant gestured them to stop. Although he was not particularly familiar with Japanese culture, he read the client’s face and posture and sensed not rejection but interest-even deep consideration. 

He was right: When the client finally spoke, it was to give the consulting firm the job.

Conclusion: Leaders with empathy do more than just sympathize with people around them. They use their knowledge to improve their companies in subtle but important ways!

Credits: Daniel Goleman, "What makes a leader?" HBR's Top 10 Reads on Leadership

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