Why Empathy Is Important ... When Managing

Empathy is defined as ‘the ability to identify and understand another's situation, feelings and motives’.

As a leader, empathy also helps sharpen our ‘people skills’, allows us to create better trust with our colleagues, and gives us valuable insights into what others may be feeling or thinking.

Put simply, empathy is the oil that keeps relationships running smoothly.

The importance of empathy in the workplace is outlined in a recent Mindtools article by Canadian leadership and management coach Dr Bruna Martinuzzi.

In her article, Dr Martinuzzi states the fact that empathy is an important component of effective relationships at all levels is well proven - and there have been numerous studies linking the use of empathy to improved business results.

Indeed, these studies show that managers at all levels consistently produce better performance in an increasingly diverse workforce.

The use of empathy in the workplace is also inextricably linked to another important area - Emotional Intelligence - or EI.

Experts in Emotional Intelligence, such as world-renowned US author and psychologist Daniel Goleman, highlight how both empathy and EI can affect our performance in the workplace.

According to Goleman, both areas greatly affect the quality of our decisions, behaviour and responses towards other.

Dr Goleman also says empathy and EI are particularly important to leadership development in this age of young, independent and highly mobile workers.

In a recent Harvard Business Review article entitled What Makes a Leader? Goleman outlines three reasons why empathy in particular, is so important in the workplace:

1. The increasing use of teams - which Goleman refers to as ‘cauldrons of bubbling emotions’
2. The rapid pace of globalisation - where cross-cultural communication can easily leading to misunderstandings
3. he growing need to retain talent.

 Goleman asserts leaders with empathy are more adept at ‘thoughtfully considering employees' feelings in order to make more intelligent decisions’.

However, of course, this doesn't mean they always have to agree with everyone's point of view - or try to please everybody.

Similarly, in her MindTools article, Dr Martinuzzi puts forward some other practical tips to help improve your empathy:

1. Truly listen to people

Pay close attention to a person’s body language, their tone of voice, and the context in which they are speaking 

2. Don't interrupt

Never dismiss anyone’s concerns without consideration, or rush to give advice. Try not to change the subject – and always give someone the time to express themselves

3. Be aware of ‘non-verbal’ communication

This is where people communicate what they think or feel ‘non-verbally’ - even though their verbal communication could appear to say something quite different

4. Practice the ‘93 per cent rule’

Emeritus Professor Albert Mehrabian of UCLA championed this rule in a well-known study. He found that when people communicate about their feelings and attitudes, their words – or the things they say – account for only seven per cent of the total message received. Mehrabian said the other 93 per cent of the message is contained in our tone of voice and body language

5. Be fully present

In this ‘brave new world’ of ever-increasing technology and rapid digital take up, always remember to be ‘fully present’ when you are with people. This means not checking your email or mobile phone, for example, in order to keep the focus on the person you are speaking with.

The use of empathy is a major factor in developing better run and more successful organisations; and the best thing is that it also creates empathy in others.