Sandra
30. Apr. 20212 Min.
Aktualisiert: März 1
Especially today, the world being in the strong grip of Corona, empathy suddenly appears all over the world. Is a virus the cause of that phenomenon? I don't know, what I should think about that...
Should it not be the leaders of our world, leading us into the future through their empathic behavior? If yes (and I strongly believe in "leading by example"), what would such a leader exactly do? So here is my personal summary of countless books, educations, discussions and proof of my own experiences. I call it the Empathic Leadership Triangle.
Leadership starts with your honest but benevolent self-reflection, self-regulation and the will to develop. Be aware of your feelings and triggers and learn to recognise them, when they pop up. Receive feelings with your body, heart and gut. With that I mean "sympathise", but not "suffer with somebody". To do that, your absolute presence in the moment with that person is a must. Listen to the words and notice the body language.
Appreciate and show honest interest in other people. By changing the perspective and asking the right questions you grow others and yourself.
The third angle is being predictable. That creates trust, which is inevitable for a successful leader. Sometimes you can't or even shouldn't be fully transparent or don't know an answer. Then be honest and explain, why you made a decision. By taking the risk and making yourself vulnerable, you gain credibility.
The 3 angles do complement and influence each other. Each of them has many sub aspects and makes real leadership a complex human topic. Here's a little exercise for you. Try to assign the different empathic behaviours and the added leadership aspects to the 3 angles:
give a person the full attention and very good in active listening
be present in the moment
are very good self-reflectors and self-regulators
have a big heart and open-minded interest for others
consider the other's person perspectives and absorb people's emotions
read and reflect nonverbal communication, highly intuitive and give space
ask questions instead of giving advice and use "we" and "us"
be honest and transparent with the reasons for your decisions
have trust in yourself and others
take a risk, have the courage to be humble
be willing to take decisions
Seeing yourself in the mirror is not an easy task and takes patience. Be benevolent in that process and write down small successes. And remember:
How did you do in the exercise? Need a little help on how to translate this into your daily life? Then contact me for a joint session: https://en.move-development.com/kontakt or 079 500 18 15.
Which values are particularly evident in your leadership behaviour? You can find out whether these fit the culture of your company in the MOVE Compass© for personality development, for example.