Have you ever had one of “those” managers? The ones that do not listen to what is being said, the ones that need to feel they have power, or are not appropriate in language or actions. Throughout my 49 years of work experience I have had a lot of managers, bosses, directors, etc. those responsible for overseeing and/or managing my job and the corresponding work. This applies to my volunteer work; work is work whether I am financially compensated or not. Some managers were good, some not. Key for me was and is the opportunity to learn from each of them.
What have I learned? I have learned which actions and words gain my respect and which do not. I have learned that I struggle most with the people who share the traits that I least admire about myself. I have learned that building and keeping trust is extremely important to me and that a relationship with trust as the foundation can soar. I have learned that I don’t suffer fools gladly and that I lose patience quickly when I think my time is being wasted.
I have experienced the benefits of working in a healthy and positive work environment and when I look back at those experiences, I find an emotional intelligent leader in the mix.
Emotional intelligent leaders understand and manage personal emotions and the emotions of others. They listen, motivate, are self-aware, value relationships, and embrace empathy.
Being an emotional intelligent leader and leading with empathy can be as easy as a smile, showing interest, or sincere encouragement. It can be challenging, for me, my challenge is authentically listening to others and not interrupting! A good fact about empathy - the more that empathy is utilized the easier it is to embrace.
What experiences have you had with your managers/bosses/directors? What did you learn from them?
What does ‘lead with empathy’ mean for you and the work that you do?