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Published January 11, 2023

Leadership is often interpreted as being tough, mission-focused and taking a leave-no-prisoners approach; much like George Patton’s style of leading his troops in WWII and Jack Welch at GE.  But today as leadership in business evolves we need to design empathy into the formula of best practices.  Why?  To retain, cultivate and motivate the best talent we have taken so much time and so many resources to recruit, bring on board, and train.

According to Davianne Harris, empathy is more of a mindset than a skill.  And, Tara Van Bommel defines empathy as: the skill of (1) connecting with others to identify and understand their thoughts, perspectives and emotions; and (2) demonstrating that understanding with intention, care and concern. Empathy looks at the whole person, their strengths and aspirations as a way of addressing challenges in the workplace. 

And, empathy is demonstrated differently for every member of the team.  Being an empathetic leader has nothing to do with being “nice,” it is about being present with intention to harness individual motivations and capabilities.  When demonstrating this powerful leadership attribute it is about empowering people to address problem-solving on their own vs. telling them what to do.  It’s about being proactive and preparing team members to deal with challenges.

Empathy is important in workplace leadership because it increases trust, communication and a sense of worth for team members. According to Tony Robbins, qualities of empathetic leadership benefit the enterprise in a number of very specific ways:  Employees with empathetic leaders are more innovative in problem-solving, they are more engaged in the business of their enterprise.  And, workers who identified their leaders as empathetic were able to navigate the work/life balance elements of their lives.

What empathy looks like in the workplace 

When leaders demonstrate this trait, they are not hands-off.  They take the time being present and proactive to prepare members of their teams to operate on their own, working with minimal direct supervision.  A Catalyst study found that people with empathetic managers were 34% more innovative than those with less empathetic managers; 43% more engaged in their work and more than twice as likely to feel more valued.  This study showed that having managers with this trait had a more pronounced effect on women and women of color. 

Where empathy is demonstrated most dramatically is in times of difficulty or crisis.  Harris reports: It is manifest in an organization’s people, their thinking, creativity and most importantly their energy and desire to bring that forward and build solutions. Erika H. James and Lynn Perry Wooten advise, “The most effective leaders maintain a calm and steady presence during times of crisis because they have developed people within their organization who want to stand by their leader and are equipped and empowered to navigate the challenges ahead.”

As the owner/manager of a Cape Cod small business, what can you do to adopt an empathetic mindset? 

Making employees feel both heard and valued.  Meet with them one-on-one and have regularly scheduled staff meetings.  As an owner/manager you don’t have all the answers.  When you are facing an issue, get input from team members before moving forward.  You are not the only one customer-facing your organization.  That means training your staff in customer service best practices.  Owner/managers that are striving to be more empathetic surround themselves with people with diverse perspectives, ideas and solutions.  Hire for culture, then train for skills.  Empathetic leaders ask for their staff’s input in addressing issues facing the enterprise.  They replace traditional standard Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI&B) strategies with empowerment. As a leader if you can create a culture of inclusiveness where employees are engaged and involved in the life of the business and you can empower them to make mission-centric decisions, then established DEI&B activities are passé.

How to be an empathetic leader

If you want to be more empathetic in your leadership, consider these actions:  When your employees show signs of distress, then acknowledge their pain verbally.  Take the time to sit with them one-on-one. Show your interest in them as an individual who contributes to the whole of your business.  When you acknowledge how they feel you are showing a soft-side of your leadership. You might share an experience you had that was similar and how you felt in the same situation. As a sharing, encouraging and supportive leader you have made your interaction more authentic and genuine.  After your team member has opened up and shared, express your gratitude.

Empathetic leaders take a genuine interest in the people around them.  They are able to connect with their team members on a personal level.  There are downsides to this approach since it makes having difficult conversations, like giving negative feedback, that are a part of leading a small business, more stressful.  The key is not the feedback, but creating action plans to help team members change and grow. 

When considering this approach to leading a small business one might consider the following: coordination, cooperation, collaboration, consensus and community that are all essential to being successful in demonstrating empathy in leading. 

Contributed by Marc L. Goldberg, Certified Mentor, SCORE Cape Cod & the Island. www.score.org/capecod, capecodscore@scorevolunteer.org, 508/775-4884.  Sources: Davianne Harris, Chief Client Officer, Omnicom’s Sparks & Honey, "What’s Leading with Empathy Really Look Like," Ericka James & Lynn Perry Wooten, "The Prepared Leader: Emerge from Any Crisis more Resilient than Before,"  Tara Van Bonnel, PhD, "The Power of Empathy in Times of Crisis & Beyond," Catalyst.org, Tony Robbins, "Empathy Contributes to Positive Outcomes."