86% of Employees Thrive with This Simple Leadership Trait

23/12/2023

The Power of Empathy in Navigating Work and Life Demands

If you were told about one thing that could improve the wellbeing of the majority of your people, would you implement it in your role as a leader? We’re guessing the answer is yes.

A study showed that this one thing helped 86% of people better manage the demands of their work and wider life. You might think it must be revolutionary, requiring lots of work and investment. Here’s the big reveal…

86% of people reported that they were able to navigate the demands of their work and life when they felt their leaders were more empathetic. That’s it.

It’s quite the stat when you think about it. Let it sink in.

Leaders have the potential to make their peoples’ lives easier simply by being empathetic.

Leading with Empathy

Every person you work with has their own unique life outside of work. Sometimes life flows easily, but there are times when stress sets in, making things difficult. The difference between feeling comfortable to share that with a leader or having to hide it is significant.

If people feel supported and able to ask for help, it has a huge positive impact on their day-to-day productivity, motivation, and happiness at work.

Earlier this year, we re-shared an article about empathy and kindness, emphasising how empathy tops the list of what leaders must get right. It had a huge response. It’s no surprise that LinkedIn posts, which are more personal in nature, garner tons of likes, shares, and engagement. LinkedIn’s purpose is business networking, but the biggest engagement often comes when people share personal stories. These posts show the human side of individuals, and we can all relate to that.

Our working life can sometimes make us feel like we are pretending not to be human. We’re not just a Head of Digital or a Director of Finance; we are individuals with emotions and personalities.

Births, fostering, promotions, deaths, diagnoses, financial issues, caring responsibilities, moving house, loss, and many other events happen to people every day. Employees can try to close the door on these at work, but they’re still there, needing attention.

What Great Leaders Do

For a leader to actively check in with their people, asking if they’re okay and what help they might need, is something no business perk can replace. It’s as simple as that.

Mental health first aiders and ensuring that employees feel safe to share any issues with their leaders are extremely beneficial to workplaces. But as a starting point, just displaying genuine empathy goes a long way.

Five Ways to Demonstrate Empathy as a Leader

1. 1. Call someone every week just to see how they are doing and what they have going on.
   2. Always leave space at the beginning of every meeting to enquire how people are doing.
   3. When asking someone ‘how are you?’, dig deeper if they respond with ‘I’m fine’.
   4. Share when you’re feeling vulnerable to create psychological safety for others to do the same.
   5. You don’t need to solve everything; ask a great coaching question to help people explore something they’re feeling or struggling with.

Start with empathy and see the difference it will make, because in the words of Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”