As a leader, it is highly likely that you excel when it comes to the qualities and attributes that come from the head. If you want to improve your leadership capability, span of influence, and take your performance to the next level, it is time to focus on the types of leadership qualities that come from the heart. Attributes like emotional intelligence (EQ), self-awareness and mindfulness are essential to exceptional, holistic leadership and so is being an empathetic and compassionate leader.

What the Experts are Saying About Leadership

As a result of the exponential amount of change we have experienced over the last 12+ months, Harvard Business Review in partnership with Stanford University, gathered world-class leaders to better understand and discuss the future of leadership and change. What emerged was a new vision of leadership, which they have called Sapient Leadership. 

According to their insights, Sapient Leaders exhibit authenticity, humility, and vulnerability, inspiring the necessary trust and psychological safety that drives shared learning and intelligence, resulting in enhanced collective performance and leading to a better future for everyone inside of an organization.

All these skills they have identified are soft skills that come from the heart, not the head that enable us to create a trusting environment where people feel safe to speak their mind and just be themselves. It requires a much more humane way to lead which is why soft skills matter now than ever before.

The world and our people need more empathy and compassion to help them work and live through these challenging times. Do you have it what it takes to lead in our new world of work?

What Is Empathetic and Compassionate Leadership?

Let’s break this down and first explore empathy in greater detail. Empathy is defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Some people describe it as the ability to put oneself in another person’s shoes or position. Even though you might not understand what they have experienced, you have the sensitivity to respect their feelings and thoughts.

Compassion can be defined as a “willingness and desire to be kind to others”. It means being thoughtful and aware of what others’ lives and experiences are like, which is remarkably like being empathetic, but at its root, it describes a deeper sense of understanding. In fact, the word’s origin means to suffer with. This suggests that compassion means more than seeing others as separate entities; it means seeing them as a part of yourself and relating to what they are experiencing at a much deeper level.

We strongly believe that being empathetic and compassionate are what allow leaders to connect at a much deeper level with their teams and individuals inside and outside the organization. These soft skills combined are what enable us to foster a meaningful human connection which is a basic need that most of us have, and some might require it more than others, depending on their personal circumstances.

A More Humane Way of Leading ‍

Do not underestimate the impact that empathy and compassion have on individuals and teams, let alone organizations that can foster this type of culture. We believe these are key differentiators that allow leaders to stand out from their peer group and companies to stand out in their respective industries, and the results speak for themselves:

• Individuals, teams, and organizations will experience higher levels of employee engagement. 
• Provides a spark of humanity that encourages loyalty and inspires people and teams to follow you no matter what the circumstance.
• Builds solid trusting relationships at all levels and inspires greater collaboration within teams and organizations.
• Contribute to lower rates of employee turnover and create a strong feeling of connection amongst individuals and teams.
• Create environments where employees feel a greater sense of commitment to their role, leader, and company.

Empathetic and compassionate leadership recognizes that every team member is not only an important individual, but also an essential thread in the fabric of an entire organization. They strive to enhance the happiness and wellbeing of their people by supporting them and giving them what they need to excel. 

This style of leadership is not focused on the short term or instant gratification; rather, it is focused on what is best for the individual, the team, the organization, and considers other factors that may influence or impact the situation at hand.  

Can You Be a More Empathetic and Compassionate Leader?

Improving your ability to lead from the heart is possible, and it requires you to be vulnerable, humble, empathetic, and compassionate first before you can expect this from others.  Leadership is an inside-out job after all, and it starts with you. We would love to hear what your thoughts are on this topic so feel free to call me at 1.855.871.3374 or email me at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca.