One of the things we talk about all the time at L’Oréal is the power of connection and collaboration and how important they are in sparking innovation and creativity. But connection and collaboration don’t just happen. They require you to build relationships and establish trust, and that requires empathetic leadership.
Empathetic leadership can be defined in many ways, but at its core, it’s about focusing on others and understanding their point of view, as opposed to just focusing on yourself and your career, or the business and the bottom line.
In the spirit of collaboration, all four of us wanted to share more about what we think empathetic leadership means and how others can become a more empathetic leader to help build stronger, more inclusive teams.
What is Empathetic Leadership?
For us, empathetic leadership is having the ability to recognize and understand the needs (big or small) of others, and accepting all team members for their individuality and their differences. It also means using that knowledge to help position your team members for success and allow them to be the best version of themselves. Empathetic leadership involves listening to people, giving them spaces to share feedback and concerns, and knowing a person well enough to ensure they have what they need to succeed.
In the past couple of years, this has become even more important considering the pandemic, social unrest, and how much the way we work has changed. Real leaders know it’s our responsibility to help our teams navigate these changes, which is why empathetic leadership is so important.
How You Can Become a More Empathetic Leader
Empathetic leadership doesn’t come naturally to everyone, especially those of us who came up through the ranks during a time when a different type of leadership was prioritized. But the good news is everyone can become a more empathetic leader. Here are some ways:
- Be humble. Empathy means focusing on others, and empathetic leaders always think about the larger team first and themselves second.
- Connect one-on-one. If you lead a large team, it can be hard to make time for this, but carving out space for smaller individual connections with team members will help them feel seen – and will help you get valuable feedback and insights you might not get in a large group.
- Be vulnerable. Showing you team how you react during good times and bad, in addition to sharing where you succeed, and struggle helps build trust. This sense of vulnerability encourages your team to come to you when they are struggling.
- It may seem simple but asking how someone is and taking the time to hear what they say can lead to big insights as to what makes a person tick. Listening to an employee shows you value them, and it helps you understand what they need to succeed or be their best self at work.
- Ask for input. Just because you are a leader doesn’t mean you have all the answers! Empathetic leadership is all about two-way communication.
- Stick together. All organizations – and individuals – go through ups and downs. Helping your team through those times makes for stronger teams going forward. Check in with your teams to see how they’re doing and where you can help lighten their load during hard times.
- Celebrate the wins. It can be easy to quickly move on to the next thing after a project is wrapped, but taking the time to show people how you valued their contribution is key to empathetic leadership. This can be done broadly at town halls or all-hands meetings, or more personally, by sending notes of congratulations or taking someone out to coffee or lunch.
While many of us spent our early careers more focused on ourselves, our work and our paths, we have learned that connection and collaboration are some of the real keys to success in business – and empathetic leadership is crucial to make that happen.
Our hope is you’re able to use some of these tips and insights to become a more empathetic leader yourself. Because when you help your team feel trusted, respected, and valued, it creates a more inclusive and fulfilling work environment which ultimately helps unlock more creative ideas, more innovative thinking, and stronger work.
Isaac Jamison, Jackie Madsen, John Ozgopoyan, Jason Wood
*Sr Vice Presidents of Sales, Consumer Products Division – L’Oréal USA
*Title and company of the author reflect their position at the time article was written.
The opinions expressed here by guest bloggers are their own, not necessarily those of Stout Executive Search.