The leadership style of the leader can make a significant difference to employees – where there are opposing views/approaches this can lead to reduced employee engagement. Employees don’t have to like the leadership style, but if there is a discrepancy between leadership values, this may need more serious consideration. There are many different styles of leadership and it might be argued that effective leaders are those who can adapt their style depending on the context and situation.

’Soft skills’ is a frustrating term as it suggests that if things are soft, perhaps they aren’t as important or valuable. In fact, they can be the difference between an engaged workforce and one where people are looking to leave to work elsewhere.

The characteristics of empathetic leadership are a good example of what might be referred to as a soft skill. Perhaps unfairly, empathetic leadership is discussed more when describing female leaders.

What is empathetic leadership?

Empathetic leaders reflect on the thoughts and views of other people, rather than sticking religiously to their initial thoughts and plans. This isn’t just at the start of a project; it is about continuously taking into consideration the views of others with a focus on finding the best solution. 

Perhaps one of the most important skills needed by empathetic leaders is the willingness and ability to genuinely listen to others and doing this explicitly to show their appreciation.

Emotional intelligence also ties in strongly with empathetic leaders so that they appreciate the way that other people may be feeling or their experiences – as well as being mindful of their own personal feelings.

Empathetic leaders should aim to develop a culture where employees feel comfortable about sharing their ideas for improvements without the fear of repercussions if something goes wrong. This can be beneficial for the organisation as it can spark more creativity and for some employees this type of work will be appealing.

Leaders should respect all stakeholders, even when not in agreement about an issue or action. Focusing on the issue rather than the person is an effective way of being more objective and maintaining organisational relationships.

Empathetic leaders should also be able to connect issues together so that there can be a bigger picture, rather than lots of things taking place at the same time with unnecessary replication. Skills such as these are valuable to organisations and also help managers to understand wider issues and constraints.

How does an empathetic leader build a positive working environment and culture?

• Choose appropriate communication mechanisms – acknowledging that this may vary depending on the people and the focus
• Build strong relationships and encourage others to, this should be across departments and the organistion to benefit from synergies.
• Be visible and this may mean working outside of the normal working hours – for example to be able to speak to colleagues who work unsociable hours
• Encourage people to consider their work-life balance and set a good personal example. Consider how this can be implemented practically for example; a policy that discourages emails being sent over a weekend
• Be transparent about influence and power 
• Don’t shy away from dealing with sensitive issues. If this is a new activity for the manager, they should seek support from their HR team in the form of training beforehand and then providing guidance
• Conduct regular ‘temperature’ checks so that you can identify any trends and where possible implement some quick wins. Nipping small issues in the bud can be beneficial for all parties
• Coach managers so they can replicate an empathetic approach with their team. Depending on the size of the organisation, it may be appropriate to engage with external coaches
• Encourage creativity and develop a culture which recognizes that not all new ideas will be progressed
• Acknowledge successes

As always, no matter how much the leader demonstrates empathetic leadership, this won’t be effective with every team member – and that is ok. 

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