The Anatomy of a Great Team Leader: Getting Results by Using Empathy

Overview

Empathy is an absolutely critical leadership quality, allowing managers to connect with their team on a deeper level. Yet it is also one of the most overlooked qualities when it comes to good leadership. 

When anyone develops a good sense of empathy, they find it easier to build trust and rapport with their teams. This, in turn, creates a more inclusive and positive work environment, improving communication, collaboration, and more. 

Leaders who are able to demonstrate empathy get results, it’s as simple as that. They create a culture where collaboration, support, and respect are some of the buzzwords. This leads to improved employee engagement and productivity, as well as job satisfaction, where the results truly speak for themselves!

Empathy: Defining the Anatomy of a Great Leader

Many people even to this day believe that empathy is one of those secondary or “nice to have” qualities, often sweeping it under the rug or leaving it for last as an ‘extra’. This is a dire mistake. 

On the contrary, empathy is a prerequisite today for any successful team leader or line manager to get results. 

While having empathy in your arsenal is great, knowing how to use it to build and manage a team effectively is what truly sets apart great leaders from average ones. After all, in order to persistently get results, you need people who are highly motivated and fully loyal to your cause over the long run. 

Leadership traits like empathy can sometimes be difficult to put into action, and many people can struggle with it. If this sounds like you, then taking an online course to improve your leadership skills (including how to fully utilize the power of empathy) is a great way to move forward. 

Did you know that it’s critical for leaders to learn how to understand and empathize with their staff’s challenges?  They can read books, follow a mentor, or attend team leader skills training, where they can develop their abilities in a structured and easy-to-follow manner.

But why is it so important? 

Because when you allow your team to make mistakes and learn from them, you form a bond with them. This bond is crucial for progress moving forward! Marketing Week did a study where they concluded that next to strategic thinking, empathy was the most important attribute for managers to focus on, when it came to relationship building with their teams. 

Leaders who are able to quickly and easily empathize with their staff are able to instil confidence in them. This creates a feeling of safety as your team members know that you are working in their best interest.

Why Is Empathy Considered The “Secret Sauce” Of Great Leadership?

Many people believe that empathy is about being nice, understanding, and polite towards others, and leaving it at that.
Well, it’s actually a lot more than that. 

It’s about getting to know the intricacies of your team members, who they are as individuals, what their talents and abilities are, as well as their fears, insecurities, limitations, and challenges. 

Once this is understood (by knowing how to empathize with their team), they can, for example, delegate work more effectively to each member because they know the details of what people are thinking, and what they can cope with.

An open and empathetic leadership approach sparks creativity. Not only that, but it sparks innovation and unique solutions from your team, which can easily place your team higher than others. 

So, whether you’re busy building a brand or gearing up your resources to create a revolutionary piece of technology, it is empathy towards your team which can make the difference between just average results and wow results.

Again, we’re going to circle back to what we discussed earlier: a team of people who are motivated and loyal over a long period of time will always produce results according to your expectations. Perhaps, even exceed your expectations, in some cases. 

Practical Ways To Integrate Empathy Into Your Leadership Style

While the benefits of being an empathetic leader are clear, most leaders are often not sure where to start or how to nurture empathy into their organisation. 

Here are some practical strategies to do just that:

Have open communication 

It’s understandable that as a team leader or line manager, you may not always have the time to facilitate open communication with your members at all times. 

That’s okay but at least support your members and see to it that they are 100% comfortable when it comes to speaking out, raising issues, or making contributions. If they believe in something, they should be able to come right up to you and speak their mind. 

This level of openness creates trust and builds loyalty. It also leads to idea generation that is free of biases and limitations.

Be an active listener 

Being in a leadership position means making challenging decisions on a daily basis. 

One thing that leaders often do when being spoken to by team members is that they tend to interrupt when someone speaks up. Either that, or they are constantly thinking of what to reply with or how to counter someone’s point. 

Don’t be that guy!  If you want to understand your team’s point of view, listen to them actively. Pay close attention, let them lay it all out there, and then respond.

Take a personalized approach

Any manager must accept the fact that every team member is different. They all have distinct abilities, motivations, and limitations. 

While adapting to your organisational structure and business objectives is important, it’s also important to meet the needs of every team member in person. Have an open mind and personalize your dealings based on the above three attributes of each member. 

Conclusion: How Empathy Can Impact Long-Term Leadership 

Empathy is not one of those seasonal abilities that you develop for the time being just to get results.

It is a must-have for long-term business success. It’s the first step towards fostering an environment where trust and mutual respect are the norm. 

Begin your journey towards understanding and integrating empathy into your leadership by taking this online course, and you’re more than halfway there.