Emotional leadership starts with empathy. Being empathic means having the ability to see, feel, and think through the eyes and thoughts of others.
People with emotional intelligence are aware of other people’s feelings. Empathic people are able to mirror the emotions of others and trigger similar emotions in themselves.
Understanding, engaging, motivating, and empowering employees requires empathy. Leadership is not possible without empathy.
It Isn’t Sympathy That Is Empathy
Sympathy is expressed through pity. Although pity offers a sense of connection, it has limitations and is characterized by distance-keeping mechanisms.
Distancing yourself from empathy does not make you feel better. This involves identifying with the feelings, emotions, biases, and perceptions of another individual.
Empathy Can Be Developed Through Leadership Coaching
Empathetic children can be raised by some people. But not all grow up to be empathic adults. Emotional intelligence is a learnable and teachable skill, like many others.
Compassionate leaders ensure those they communicate with are not only listening to them, but also understanding them.
Empathy breeds trust, the foundation for building meaningful relationships and establishing effective networks.
Professionals who coach leaders are aware of the value of compassionate leadership and are able to encourage leadership behaviors that encourage and require empathy.
What Active Listening Can Do
Listening tends to take precedence over speaking.
Do not cut straight to the chase. Everyone does not possess a quick way of expressing themselves. For some people, expressing themselves takes longer than for others. Allow them to finish their thoughts without interrupting them.
Make sure you ask the right questions. They provide answers that lead to thought and a solution. You can demonstrate that you care by asking relevant questions while obtaining information that rounds out your understanding of the matter.
Describe how you understand things. Summarizing information helps you make sure you understand it well by adding structure to your thinking. Make sure your interlocutor understands you’ve heard and understood what they have said.
Getting Rid of Assumptions
As quickly as possible, we like to jump to conclusions. Assumptions prevent empathy.
It is impossible for leaders to show too much empathy. Rushing empathy can come across as insincere.
In order to truly empathize, you must understand the facts and situations thoroughly. You can only achieve genuine empathy by listening rather than assuming. When you do this, you will experience positive emotions.
Leadership requires empathy. Leading effectively, empowering, inspiring, and empowering others is an essential outer-core leadership competency. It is essential to intelligent leadership. Coaches can help leaders develop their emotional leadership skills by practicing the right behaviors.