This Article has been contributed by Shiraz Khan, the founder and director of Spicetree Design Agency.
In the last ten years, empathy has become one of the most important traits in a leader. People commonly agree it is a way to build trust, work together, and get employees involved. Leaders who pay attention, meet people’s needs, and show that they understand the problems people face at work and in their personal lives can make people feel safe and respected enough to speak up. Empathy helps bring people together, ease tensions, and keep morale high in today’s workplaces, which are becoming more diverse, spread out, and subject to rapid change. There is little doubt that it is a key part of a healthy company culture. But like any other quality of a good leader, its strength comes from how it is used. Empathy can hurt the performance it wants to improve if there are no limits.
Empathy is not the problem; the way it is used is the problem. Leaders who constantly change deadlines, let people off the hook for unfulfilled promises, or protect staff from the repercussions of poor performance in the name of understanding risk make responsibility less important. At first, this kind of forbearance may seem like kindness and flexibility. But over time, it can make the playing field uneven, with those who always deliver feeling less motivated and others seeming to take concessions for granted. The change is usually small. A missed deadline because of a momentary personal problem becomes a habit, and a less workload to relieve stress becomes the norm. Empathy without bounds can make standards less clear, discipline less strict, and ultimately damage an organisation’s results.
One of the hardest parts of being a leader is finding the appropriate balance between being kind and being responsible. It’s not possible to only focus on targets and not people. This is especially true in fields where creativity, problem-solving, and working together are important. Also, being too accommodating could lead to a culture where people think expectations are up to negotiation. Effective leaders know that caring for people and being committed to getting outcomes are not two things that are at odds with one another; they are two things that work together. The goal is to bring them together in a way that keeps both morale and performance high.
To get this balance, you need to be clear first. Teams need to know what is expected regarding timelines, quality standards, and working together. These things should be clearly spelt out. When you give someone more freedom, you should also provide them with a clear plan on how to reach the goals you both agreed on. This will help keep the end aim in mind. This method shows that the company cares about its employees’ health and well-being and expects them to keep their promises. The path taken is what makes it flexible.
Leaders must also consistently use these principles, which are just as vital. Selective empathy, which is when you show empathy to particular people or teams more often than others, can make people angry and hurt your reputation. This is why being open and honest with each other is so important. Employees are more likely to see choices as fair when they are presented clearly and when both concessions and corrective actions are used properly. Leaders must also make sure that there are ways for people to give and get feedback, so that accomplishments are recognised and problems are dealt with quickly. Regular, planned conversations between managers and employees can help keep individual needs and organisational goals in sync.
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