Leading with Empathy, Cultivating Resilience
“Yet again we find ourselves living in unprecedented times. Facing another crisis with no easy solution. It will take a sea of change and mountains of effort from all of us to put this country on a path towards healing. So what is the first step… what can you do right now? Well we can start working on being better individuals and have empathy for those struggling” - CEO, Dan Pollock, to our team.
The effects of the current pandemic on our lives, the fight for social justice, the economic activity, and global health have also had a tremendous impact on the workplace dynamic. In the current scenario of uncertainty and challenges, business leaders across the world are rightly concerned about their firms, employees, and future strategies.
However, leaders everywhere are also trying their best to support their employees, clients, and consultants. So how do company leaders aim to proactively alleviate uncertainty in the business world by continuously adapting to these unprecedented times?
At the heart of Advantis Global is a culture of caring and empathy. Our leaders have come to understand that their teams and even themselves are feeling a heightened amount of stress at the loss of normalcy. A whole range of emotions have come up and while productivity is important the priority for us has been creating empathetic and safe spaces to learn to cope up with these situations.
Importance of Leading with Empathy and Trust
If you are a leader and are making efforts to provide guidance and support to your team, know that the empathetic leadership influences both your employees personal and professional growth.
If you find leading with empathy uncomfortable, don’t worry, you might not have all the answers right now and there is power in admitting that as well. What is more important is to show a tremendous amount of trust, support, and care. Know that empathy is the core element of good leadership. It involves both a level of self-awareness and emotional intelligence. In return, you’re able to better understand that everyone is struggling and has his/her own story to deal with.
Be mindful of other circumstances:
· Some have lost their loved ones because of pandemic
· Some have partners fighting every day as front-line medical officer
· Some are isolated
· Some are home dealing with work, household chores and small children, all at once without compromising their attention, etc.
In short, everyone is processing these experiences differently. That is why it is vital to be an empathetic leader and listener to show that you understand and connect with the feelings of others. When leaders allow employees to tell their stories and be vulnerable, it not only helps them feel supported, but it also improves productivity.
Cultivate Resilience
No matter how difficult the situation may seem, a leader’s foremost job is to preserve hope in their team or employees. Our Advantis Leaders are constantly recognizing their teams wins especially during these times while also reminding their teams of the power they hold to overcome this adversity.
A leader must cultivate a can-win attitude not only for themselves but for their teams. It is tremendously helpful in acknowledging the situation from a new perspective, channelizing strengths and changing the mindset. A leader should let people explore;
· How can they become more productive in this situation?
· What can they do to stay strong, positive, and move forward?
· What are they learning in the pandemic?
At the End of the Day
Overall, while these times are challenging us all, it is important to remember the power of being empathetic. Empathy is one of the essential features of leadership. It can do wonders in the lives of people who are going through the toughest times of their life, be it their health, loss of precious lives, or social distancing. We continue to stay committed to our purpose of connecting people to opportunity and whether it's being empathetic leaders, recruiters or sales managers we are here to help those with empathy and care.
