How Understanding the Power of Empathy Makes You a Better Leader; Entrepreneur, August 9, 2022

Erik Bergman , Entrepreneur ; How Understanding the Power of Empathy Makes You a Better Leader

"The true goal of empathy is to focus on people's emotional experiences and build strong connections through this process. When someone shares their feelings or an experience that has impacted them, your goal as an empathetic person is to connect with that person's emotional experience and feel along with them. This can help you develop an understanding of why they act and react the way they do to various situations. But that shouldn't be your main focus when you have these vital interactions...

You can improve your empathy by implementing these practices into your everyday conversations with employees:

• Be curious: In order to connect with someone, you must be curious about their background, personal experiences, unique perspective and feelings. So, you have to ask questions. Spend less time focusing on what's going on in your life, and make room for others to tell you about their experiences or how they feel regarding a work conflict, a project or any personal issues they're facing outside of work. While you don't want to pry or invade their personal boundaries, you should check in with them regularly to open that door...

• Validate others' feelings: When your employee is telling you about a personal or professional experience that's affected them, you can let them know that you recognize and value how they feel. Verbally express this by saying "I would feel the same way" or a similar phrase. You can also use your body language to nod your acknowledgment or tilt your head to show that you're engaged in what they're saying. As you consciously practice these signals, they'll become more instinctive...

All of these steps show that you care about your employees and team members. Caring is a key element of empathy, because we can really only empathize with others when we also care about their well-being and success. But the goal of empathy is not to care performatively (caring for the sake of seeming like you care); the goal of empathy as a leader is to actually care for your team members, so you can connect with them and build strong relationships that help you reach goals together."