Are you leading strategically with your head or empathically with your heart? Ideally, you should be doing both. This is an important idea in times of calm, but even more so in times of crisis. What does it mean to led both strategically and empathetically?
Let’s start with empathy – the capacity to understand
what another is experiencing. While this is a skill, more importantly, it is a mindset. You can build your empathy muscle and cultivate your mindset by simply using it. You can imagine yourself in someone else’s shoes, but not until you know what the individual is going through. A better method is to listen to them, really listening. This has to be done without judgement and preconceived ideas about the situation. Just be curious and don’t try to solve the problem during the conversation.
Leaders are usually very strong at thinking through situations strategically. Now the challenge is to play to that strength as usual but through an added lens of empathy. It is important to keep all your stakeholders in mind – your employees, your customers, your partners, and the community – and move forward with your head and your heart. #workplace-joy