Leading with Empathy

As a leader, our key responsibility is to our people. Therefore, we must learn and develop the skills required to provide the right environment for our people, as well as the coaching conversations that develop the people we are responsible for at an individual level. One of these skills is leading with empathy. 

Empathy does not always come naturally. Like any leadership skill, it takes practice and guidance. In this video, the Eighth Mile Consulting Team discusses what empathy is, what it isn’t, and all the factors you need to consider when leading a team or a team member through a crisis. Leading with empathy can be tough, but when done correctly, you will see improvements in productivity, job satisfaction, and the overall wellness of your team members.

Leading with empathy is the best way to lay a foundation on which to build a high-performing team. This kind of leadership requires courage, accountability, and the willingness to engage in honest communication with your employees, no matter what the topic or the emotions surrounding it.

Presenter:

The Eighth Mile Consulting

Length of Video:

68 minutes

Video Highlights:

• 0:00 – Introduction
• 1:33 – Context is Everything
• 3:11 – Empathy vs Sympathy Spectrum
• 5:05 – The Danger of Pitying People
• 6:53 – Pity is Self-Preservation
• 7:25 – Empathy Requires Humility and Being Honest With Yourself
• 8:21 – Leading with Empathy Business Benefits 
• 12:33 – Leading with Empathy Helps You Make Decisions Without Fear of Ridicule
• 14:27 – Find the Real Cause of The Problem
• 15:33 – Consider the Emotional Factors Your Employees Face Every Day
• 20:30 – Leading with Empathy Requires the Extreme Courage to “Open Pandora’s Box”
• 22:18 – Knowing What Triggers Your Employees’ Emotions
• 28:07 – Understanding Personality Types 
• 30:24 – Emotional Triggers as a Rube Goldberg Machine
• 31:45 – Identifying and Addressing Signs of Struggle in Your Team
• 37:05 – How to Approach a Potentially Stressed Team Member
• 38:10 – Leading With Empathy Requires Listening
• 38:41 – Traps: What Leading with Empathy Is and Isn’t
• 44:06 – “It’ll Be Alright” is Not Alright
• 46:04 – Empathizing with Your Enemy: Robert McNamara and The Fog of War
• 49:39 – How to Have the Difficult Conversations That Lead to Solutions
• 56:28 – Using Language to Build Up vs. Breaking Down
• 57:38 – Wrap-Up
• 59:11 – Q&A

Great leaders have the moral courage to open Pandora’s box and the empathy to navigate the emotional complexities that are discovered.

Can you tell the difference between empathy and sympathy? Take our quiz to find out.

Company Overview:

Eighth Mile Consulting is a leadership training and consulting agency focused on creating and supporting better leaders in all industries. Leaders looking to develop their empathy to become more impactful and influential with their teams can find out more about our professional executive coaching services here. 

Samantha Pickering