{"id":27574,"date":"2021-12-29T10:06:32","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T09:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeed.io\/?p=27574"},"modified":"2022-07-19T14:28:31","modified_gmt":"2022-07-19T12:28:31","slug":"empathy-benefits-for-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeed.io\/en\/empathy-benefits-for-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"To fully reap the benefits of empathy, leaders need to act on it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As a round-up of recent studies published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/tracybrower\/2021\/09\/19\/empathy-is-the-most-important-leadership-skill-according-to-research\/?sh=7967c2553dc5\">Forbes<\/a> has shown, empathy is no longer \u201csimply\u201d a key human skill. In fact, when leaders practice it actively, this competence can turn into a powerful tool to drive business results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brought to the spotlight by Daniel Goleman and his studies on emotional intelligence, empathy has generally been linked to <strong>relational benefits<\/strong> such as teamwork and social awareness. However, new research has demonstrated the constructive effects of empathy on <strong>performance-related areas<\/strong> like innovation, retention, and productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ripple effect of empathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For instance, empathy is a key driver of <strong>innovation<\/strong> as it promotes active listening and a deeper understanding of others\u2019 perspectives. It\u2019s not coincidental that the first phase of <strong>design thinking<\/strong>, one of the most advanced approaches for developing new products and services, corresponds to empathizing with potential users. Putting ourselves in other people\u2019s shoes broadens our horizons and encourages us to embrace different ideas<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Empathy also fosters <strong>diversity<\/strong>, and therefore contributes to forging a more <strong>inclusive<\/strong> workplace. 50% of people with empathetic leaders reported their workplace was inclusive, compared with only 17% of those with less empathetic leadership. Empathetic leaders were also shown to help their employees better navigate the demands of <strong>work and life<\/strong>: 86% of employees with empathetic leaders said they felt more enabled to successfully juggle their personal, family and work obligations, hence becoming more productive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the post-pandemic scenario, these benefits become even more relevant if we look at them from two other perspectives: <strong>mental health<\/strong> and <strong>retention<\/strong>. In terms of mental health, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.com\/workplace\/357710\/next-global-pandemic-mental-health.aspx\">Gallup<\/a> grimly defined \u201cThe Next Global Pandemic\u201d, empathy also appears to be a powerful antidote to stress and contribute to positive experiences for individuals and teams. <a href=\"https:\/\/lifeed.io\/en\/2021\/12\/07\/why-the-pandemic-has-triggered-the-great-resignation\/\">A lot has been said<\/a> about the Great Resignation spurred by COVID-19 and the subsequent reshuffles of the way we work. Again, empathy has proven a very powerful weapon in retaining employees; 57% of white women and 62% of women of colour said they were unlikely to think of leaving their companies when they felt their life circumstances were respected and valued by their companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leaders should switch to active empathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>So, what can leaders do to demonstrate empathy and reap its full benefits? As Forbes remarks, leaders should no longer limit themselves to considering their employees\u2019 thoughts and feelings using cognitive empathy (\u201cIf I were in his\/her position, what would I be thinking right now?\u201d) and emotional empathy (\u201cBeing in his\/her position would make me feel ___\u201d). In fact, the biggest rewards come from <strong>applying empathy in a proactive way<\/strong>, for instance expressing concerns and inquiring about their people\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listening to employees\u2019 stories and reading non-verbal cues are two basic key skills to develop to become fully attuned to what our people are experiencing. But they are not enough. To become truly empathetic, leaders should indeed <strong>follow up<\/strong> on the collected information and <strong>find ways to offer help and support<\/strong> when needed. Discovering that an employee is struggling with being a new parent or a caregiver makes you a good listener. Finding co-created solutions to soften those challenges and turn them into growth opportunities makes you an <strong>excellent people leader<\/strong>. And can make all the difference for your company\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-a89b3969 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeed.io\/en\/demo-request\/\">Learn more about Lifeed&#8217;s solutions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New research has demonstrated the constructive effects of empathy on performance-related areas like innovation, retention, and productivity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":27575,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[258],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27574","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-based-learning"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.6.1 - 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