Soaring levels of diversity in the modern workplace have created an adamant call for business leaders to cultivate work environments characterized by psychological safety—a climate in which all employees feel fully able to be and express themselves without judgment or repercussion. One might wonder how there can exist universal emotional safety when the workforce is comprised of so many kinds of individuals with drastically different life experiences. But it is possible. The key to creating a culture where every employee feels safe, seen, and valued, regardless of background or life experience, is this: empathic leadership.
It’s true that a workplace environment is not influenced solely by those in positions of authority, but also by every member of the team. And while business leaders can support employee development with team-building exercises and personal development training, when it comes to creating psychological safety in the workplace, there is nothing more impactful than business leaders who cultivate their own capacity for empathy and understanding.
An extensive two-year study that Google conducted on workplace performance revealed emotional safety as the common denominator among the highest-ranking teams. And scientific studies show there’s even a neurological benefit for employees who work in non-threatening environments—a change in brain function that enables better performance. It’s therefore critical to success for business leaders to develop the “empathy muscle” that upholds this kind of work culture.
Cultivating Empathy
Although everyone possesses inherent empathy, for some it can be easy to access, while for others, bringing it into daily experience can require practice–much like exercising a muscle. Here are some ideas to help you tap into your innate empathy, and to distinguish yourself as a leader:
- Self-Reflection & Self-Awareness
Self-reflection and self-awareness are arguably the most essential aspects of effective leadership. Our Global Leadership course explores the power of these characteristics to overcome hidden biases, and yield greater levels of authenticity. But exploring who you really are—your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, perspectives, life experiences, and relationships, among other aspects of being human—is also one of the most powerful drivers of empathy.
That’s because when you’re able to look at your own experiences and emotions with greater understanding, you will naturally become more understanding of others’ experiences and emotions, even though they might be very different. Knowing yourself well provides a clearer lens on your employees, and sheds light on the level at which they are exactly the same as you are: human.
- Understanding the Importance of Formative Experiences
An important aspect of empathy-building is understanding the impact of formative life experiences. We all have them, both positive and negative, and these experiences impact our daily interactions and emotional responses. Research shows that formative challenges, known as adverse experiences, can affect behavioral, learning, and communication styles throughout one’s life, especially in moments of higher stress.
It's essential for leaders to understand that everyone on a team has had at least one significant adverse experience. On more diverse teams, these experiences and their effects might vary tremendously. That’s why emotional safety is such a key determinant in successful workplaces. Understanding the impact of your own formative experiences will help you see and treat others with greater compassion. Take a look at our unique interactive Life Map to explore how your formative experiences can influence leadership.
- Curiosity and Active Listening
Curiosity is a simple yet powerful tool for developing empathy in general, though it can be especially beneficial for leaders of diverse teams. Allowing ourselves to become curious about other people’s experiences means we are aware that we don’t yet know all there is to know about another person. To build empathy, you can try deliberately engaging in Curiosity Conversations—dialogues devoted solely to learning more about your employees. These conversations are characterized by asking only open-ended questions with the intention to discover more about someone.
Coupled with active listening, using far more focus and attention than we typically do, this can lead to new insights about team members, and possibly even previously unknown ways they can contribute. Most importantly, though, learning about employees as human beings will increase your empathy as a leader, and will help build mutual trust. - Perspective-Taking
Perspective-taking is the act of adopting other perspectives, at least momentarily, in order to see experiences and situations the way others might, based on their unique identity, background, or position within an organization. This might sound simple, but in fact, it requires concerted practice. We can easily fall into the trap of thinking we’re being empathetic before taking time to truly put ourselves in the other person’s position.
If you’re navigating a difficult situation with an employee, for example, it can help to take a few minutes before a conversation to simply think about what it would be like to be in their shoes. See if you can really imagine how they might feel or see things, taking into account as many factors as possible. Then, have a conversation with that perspective at front of mind. Remember, though, that this is only a practice—we can’t truly know someone else’s experience until we ask and listen.
CultureWizard’s Pause-Reflect Model can help you slow down to achieve enhanced perspective-taking and empathy. - Authenticity
Authenticity is often talked about as an important leadership characteristic, because being genuine lets employees know they can trust you, and also that they too can be themselves. But being authentic can also build empathy when you practice these two things: share openly, and respond openly. Sharing about who we are and how we feel, especially when in a position of leadership, can sometimes feel too vulnerable, but doing so in certain moments can forge even stronger working relationships.
And when we have the courage to show up to work with our full selves, instead of just a persona, it also heightens our appreciation for what it takes others to do the same. Then, when an employee shares something about how they feel, it’s much easier to respond openly and to directly acknowledge their emotion, rather than avoiding the issue or addressing only marginal aspects of the situation.
The Benefits of Empathy
As a leader, cultivating greater empathy will allow you to:
- Build better relationships with your employees
- Encourage empathy and collaboration among team members
- Effectively navigate difficult conversations, especially around diversity and bias
- Become a better ally and create a more inclusive workplace environment
When you take steps to enhance your own empathy, you will automatically model it to your entire team. Studies show that role modeling positive behavior sends important neurological signals to others in every microsecond. So this subtle but powerful change will imbue each moment of the workday with a new way of interacting, and will cumulatively build a culture of emotional safety from the ground up. Your team will feel the difference.
Want to learn more about being an emphatic leader? Click here to request a demo on our DEI courses!
