Empathetic Leadership Today

In the past month I have recorded a number of podcasts and invariably the topic of empathetic leadership has come up in each discussion. It is a subject I am extremely passionate about and am continually seeking to deepen my own understanding of how I can further develop my skills here.

I truly believe that this style of leadership has the potential to drive performance; be effective; hit targets successfully and create happy and thriving teams where a greater degree of both wellness and motivation to grow co-exist.

So I thought I would give us all a little respite from the ChatGPT discussions today and its world take-over, or not as the case may be, and thought I'd share my take on what empathetic leadership means to me as an Insights Leader, with extensive experience of leading cross-cultural teams across geographies.

Firstly efficacy in Insights and especially strategic marketing work necessitates understanding of audiences. Empathy is fundamental in understanding customers, shoppers, retailers, marketing stakeholders, as well as team members and co-workers around us. The ability to immerse ourselves in each other's perspectives; needs, wants, paradigms, value and belief systems, cultures and challenges is extremely important and impacts the commercial agenda significantly. Not only does this help us identify strategic commercial opportunities, but it enables us to connect more deeply and derive a greater understanding of one another. Not only does this connection enhance collaboration, it ultimately enhances our own life experience and view of the world we live in and the people around us, as well as the audiences engaging with our marketing mix, ultimately buying into our propositions.

This skill often termed as 'soft' is something I call a 'superpower' as it enhances every single aspect of our work and business touchpoints. This curiosity, leads to understanding, intuition, creativity and ultimately fantastic results.

I often think of empathetic leadership as being underpinned by four key pillars:

1.CARING - Caring about the work we do, our business vision, fiscal goals but also deeply caring about each individual in the team and understanding both their team commitment and individual goals. Caring for me means taking an interest in the individual, their lives, their needs and showing genuine respect for them and their contribution - ALWAYS.

2.IDENTIFY - Identifying with the perspective of each individual, their points of view; their cultural differences; their life experiences. This entails being curious and seeking to understand those differences. Asking questions, delving deeper into their experience. This is enriching and can lead to incredible discoveries in global strategy.

3.AUTHENTICITY - Welcoming each individual as themselves, not paying lip service to DI&E but really living and breathing it. When we welcome each person as they are in their unique splendour and totality, they all bring individual strengths to the table and this is an extremely powerful commercial lever.

4. SAFETY - By doing all of the above we create a safe space for individuals to express their thoughts, challenges and builds respectfully and without fear. This allows for healthy debate and the pursuit of excellence.

I have been reading Kim Scott's brilliant book 'Radical Candor' and empathy in leadership also means being honest and up front, so giving credit where due but also providing critical feedback immediately when necessary. An empathetic leader does not shy away from those difficult conversations; or the conflict when necessary, however engages at all times with respect for the individual and their perspective. This type of leader also welcomes the same from others as there is a commitment to self development and own growth.

As we are operating more and more in the virtual space I believe there is an even greater need to be curious about our leadership styles and the impact on teams and wellbeing. We need to take the time to care, to identify, to guide and to understand with humility and grace. Connection is fundamental to our survival and ensuring we leave a positive mark on each interaction we have is something special and to work towards. We can also end those difficult interactions well too when we really care and identify with the other person.

In summary, for me empathetic leadership means driving the commercial agenda with respect and care for those who help us achieve these goals as well as a desire to understand and share their perspectives, leaving everyone feeling valued, heard and passionate and committed to delivering their best work.

I hope this article inspires some thought and welcome your feedback.

Thank you for reading.