LEAD with Empathy

Two weeks ago, we wrapped LEAD 2022, FIS’s flagship leadership development experience for senior leaders from across the globe.?

Highly experiential and intense, every year we put a group of leaders through a different version of LEAD, uniquely designed for what leadership requires at that moment and, this year, one of our key objectives was Leading with Empathy, in response to the challenges the world continues to face, and which links us as humans.?We also focused on our clients again dialling up the human element, by having leaders from Paysend & T. Rowe Price join us for our social elements and on our client panel, which was a first for us and extra special – thank you Jairo & Kevin!

Based on feedback, we feel like we’ve accomplished what we set out to, though by the end of day two, a quick poll from the group may have indicated otherwise. Why was this the case and how did it play out? With LEAD, we design a journey that takes the group from mystery (what is LEAD anyway and what Kool-Aid are the LEAD Alumni drinking…?) through a rollercoaster of insights, skill development, bonding, self-discovery and challenge, culminating with the opportunity to present in front of a panel of Exec judges on a real business challenge, before officially becoming part of our LEAD Alumni.?

This takes place over three long days. Sounds exhausting? That’s because it is, and by late day two, most of the group were tired and ready for it to be over; we could see it in their demeanour. The initial adrenaline was fading and there was concern about putting their best foot forward on day three in the presentations, with the limited time they’d had to prep. This is where empathy came into play.?

We reassured the group that how they were feeling was by design and was central to the experience. By being pushed to the limit, you can achieve something seemingly impossible, and you learn how strong and capable you are. HOWEVER, this only works if you feel someone has got your back, cares about you and is setting you up to succeed. This part was critical - and here is how we did it:?

Know your people: From the first interaction, we wanted to group to know we cared about them as people, with the core team devoting time to get to know them. Did they have what they needed to be with us and focused? Did they need help with visas? Are their team prepared when they step away to join us? Etc. So much so, that by the time our folks arrive, we generally know lots about them, and their home life and they know us also. A friendly face goes a long way.?Quick note here also that, for the first time ever, we faced a visa issue outside of our control, so this required even more ‘empathy’. With 14 leaders in India, who our legal team advised would not receive visas in time, what was the right approach? Quickly, we decided that, despite this hurdle, we would follow through to make the LEAD experience for them extra special by creating a parallel in person experience, tying core learning together in a hybrid model, while also creating ‘local on the ground’ experiences for this group. This was another first, but we made it happen and as an aside, empathy worked both ways since, when technology wasn’t kind, the folks in India reflected the same empathy back to us as we figured things out.

Touchpoints and connections: We had multiple connections prior to the in-person sessions to set the tone and get the group into a growth mindset, creating small teams and setting up Accountability partners, to help people to start to get to know each other. This felt especially important with such limited in-person interaction over the last 24 months. We also ensured that their managers were aware of our expectations and requested they support their team members. Finally, we wanted them to receive advice from someone who knew what they would be experiencing, so we allocated each small group some LEAD Alumni coaches to set them up for success.?

Intentional design: We carefully designed each day’s activities to have skill-building content delivered creatively in short bursts, to renew energy levels when we anticipated our attendees may start flagging.?No one wants to sit in the same seat, being talked at, so we gave them time to ‘think’ and ‘discuss and apply’ the learning with each other, and intentionally ‘moved them around’, both mentally and physically. The learning also had to be immediately relevant to their jobs, so the entire experience built towards readiness to solve the business challenge, providing the group with an opportunity to showcase their talent.

Autonomy & Strengths: We carved out time for the groups to decide how they wanted to use it to prep for their presentations. We checked in with them, encouraging them to think about their individual energy levels and strengths and how they could leverage them to the group’s advantage (i.e., night owls versus early birds, analytical v communication strengths, the power of the time zones, sleeping v working and reverse). Something I’m particularly proud of was how the groups responded to the added curve ball of having team members in both the US and India. Every time I checked in on the ground in JAX, it was clear their counterpart in India was fully involved - no mean feat given the 9.5 hr time difference - and all team presentations were represented by leaders from both Florida and Bangalore, a true testament to global working!

Networking: When getting talented individuals together, we want to ensure they have time to meet and get to know our Execs. However, during a boot-camp-style experience, it’s equally important to ensure the group have time to blow off steam and have a laugh together (I won’t divulge any further!). This gave them the chance to ‘make memories’, a core component of creating a lasting culture.

I could say more but don't want to give too much away :) Obviously none of the above is rocket science, it’s simply treating people as humans and with empathy. However, it is time consuming, requiring thoughtfulness and attention to detail. But, when you get it right, people feel it, and that human touch has never been more important than it is today.?So, our hope is that now they are back in the business, each of these impressive leaders takes that key message of empathy, role modelled so wonderfully on day one by our wonderful Chief People Officer, Denise Williams when sharing her personal journey, back to their own team as it’s widely acknowledged that when people feel understood and cared for in the workplace, that’s when their best work happens.?

So, thank you LEAD 2022, you were an incredible group, and to our wonderful empathetic and talented Learning team, Sharahn Monk , Katie Surico , Kirsten Bennett thank you for going above and beyond with an extra shout out to our team in India, Rachna Agha , Anil Santhapuri , Ashima Mathur who were pulled in to support this curve ball, just four weeks out from delivery! And finally, to our hugely invested SteerCo, LEAD Alumni and amazing panel of judges: your contributions made the experience extra special; we appreciate you!?