Why We Need Empathetic Business Leadership Post-Covid
We all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it — Maya Angelou
“During our first company get-together post-quarantine,” client-turned-friend Tim told me, “our CEO said that it was our responsibility to get enrolments back up.” He had just returned to his physical workplace, a large college in Australia where Tim works as a teacher. His excitement about reconnecting with colleagues and students was quickly quenched by the ‘welcome back’ speech of the CEO. “She also told us we should keep using technology platforms like Zoom to connect with our colleagues instead of face-to-face catch ups to minimise distractions and maximise our productivity.” Tim sounded deflated and disengaged, and understandably so. He went through an intense experience that needed real acknowledgement. But also, during lock-down, he literally brought his work home, blurring the lines between personal and professional. Lines that cannot just be re-drawn now that workplaces are opening again.
The need to get revenue and productivity up post-Covid is real and business leaders like Tim’s CEO understandably carry a level of fear and pressure to ‘get it done.’ But fear is no place to lead from, especially in these traumatic times. What is needed is empathetic leadership: leadership that acknowledges the feelings and experiences of employees and makes space for it. Leadership that says, “this is and has been an incredibly challenging time that pushed many of us to our limits. We understand, you are not alone, and these are some of the initiatives we will be rolling out.” With a focus on revenue and productivity, and a mandate to limit interpersonal time, Tim’s CEO did the opposite.
Why is empathetic leadership so important right now? “When people know they can bring their pain to the office,” Dutton et al. (2002) explain, “they no longer have to expend energy trying to ignore or suppress it, and they can more easily and effectively get back to work” (p. 56). In addition to it being the kind and human approach to take, empathetic leadership also has important positive flow-on effects for the organisation. Empathy encourages a sense of connection and trust based on shared human experiences. This strengthens a sense of ‘togetherness’: we have been through this together. This bond is an incredibly powerful force in particular when facing the challenge of rebuilding an organisation. It provides the basis for a shared focus for the future and fuels collaborative innovation (Knock et al., 2019): how can we make this better, together? Empathetic leadership also models behavior that nurtures an organisational culture that is kind and caring.
What does empathetic leadership look like in practice? In times of collective pain and confusion, effective leaders provide two things (Dutton et al., 2002, p. 56):
- a context for meaning — the leader creates an environment in which people can freely express and discuss the way they feel, which in turn helps them to make sense of their pain or unease, seek or provide comfort, and imagine a more hopeful future
- a context for action — creating an environment where those who experience or witness traumatic or tragic events, can find ways to alleviate their own and others’ suffering
My doctoral research provided many beautiful and practical insights into the do’s (and don’ts) of developing empathetic leadership and caring workplaces, but that might have to be the topic of a next story!
So to all you leaders out there navigating the challenges of a post-covid reality: go beyond your own fear and have the courage to show empathy. Taking an empathetic approach may feel uncomfortable and perhaps a ‘waste of time’, but it isn’t. By the very nature of your position, you can help individuals and the organisation begin to heal and recover by taking actions that demonstrate empathy, thereby unleashing an empathetic and unifying response throughout the organisation (Dutton et al., 2002).
Note: In their research and writings, Dutton and colleagues refer to compassionate leadership instead of empathetic leadership. Many use them interchangeably but I prefer empathy in this context. My understanding of empathy versus compassion is beautifully illustrated in this short animation written and narrated by Brene Brown.
Bibliography:
- Kock, N., Mayfield, M., Mayfield, J., Sexton, S., & De La Garza, L. M. (2019). Empathetic Leadership: How Leader Emotional Support and Understanding Influences Follower Performance. Journal of Leadership & Organisational Studies, 26(2), pp. 217–236.
- Dutton J. E., Frost P. J., Worline M. C., Lilius J. M., Kanov J. M. (2002). Leading in times of trauma. Harvard Business Review, 80(1), pp. 54–61.
