PAPER making! FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL O U S SO Volume 6, Number 2, 2020
Are Leaders Learning How to Be More Empathetic? If Not Now, When?
“I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it” (Dr. Maya Angelou to the New York Times). With COVID-19 and racial justice issues taking centre stage, we need empathy more than ever. The ability to understand another person’s thoughts and feelings from his or her point of view opens the door to good working relationships, innovative business solutions and more inclusive societies. However, empathy is often misunderstood and undervalued. Realizing the benefits of empathy starts by clarifying what empathy actually is, why it matters and how we can learn it. Improving empathy is vital in our current circumstances. Displaying behavioural empathy has become more challenging in a remote workplace, as video-based technology is still not equivalent to face-to-face communication. Moreover, people are less likely to s how empathy when it’s needed the most. In situations where people are feeling distressed or vulnerable, they are less open to understanding others’ perspectives; instead, they tend to defend their own perspective vigorously, escalating tension and conflict. Across the challenges of 2020, leaders have varied tremendously in how much they empathize with employees. We can see healthy levels of empathy in the leaders who checked in with employees, asked how they were doing and surveyed them on their concerns. In comparison, we saw underdeveloped empathy in leaders who wondered aloud, “why can’t John Smith work in the office tomorrow?” when John Smith didn’t have child care or previously relied on public transportation. Other leaders expected Black employees to be focused during the morning team meeting after the killing of George Floyd. In general, statements of “Why doesn’t …” and, “If it were me, I …” are signs of deficient empathy. What Is Empathy? Empathy often is misconstrued as “touchy - feely,” and leaders often believe that they show empathy when they put out carefully constructed statements in response to stressful events. These mistaken beliefs prevent leaders from fully engaging with the powerful skill set of empathy. The time is right to authentically listen to, understand and acknowledge employees’ perspectives.
Article 15 – Empathy
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