One of the best ways for a leader to endear people to them is to use empathy in their dealings with those they lead. Empathy is simply trying to understand others by putting yourself in their shoes. Henry Ford once said: “If there is any one secret to success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own.”
Leaders Care
Hopefully it isn’t a surprise to you that employees feeling valued is at the top of the list when it comes to employee retention. And it probably isn’t a surprise that employee recognition is key to helping employees feel valued.
I am especially sensitive to employee layoffs, having had first hand experience as a manager and employee. I know the pain that laying off employees causes, the uncertainty it creates and the disruption to confidence and normalcy that it brings about. And unless you have ever been an employee laid off, you have no idea what it feels like. Empathy is only an attempt at understanding.
I had the opportunity over the weekend to learn some valuable and important lessons about how important leader support is from my 12 year old son. Youth in my church are often asked to prepare a 3-5 minute talk to deliver to our congregation of about 300 on any given Sunday. Through the years I have appreciated this opportunity for my children because of the challenge involved, the opportunity to immerse themselves in an assigned topic and a chance to improve their public speaking skills.
You’ve seen them. You’ve been around them. You’ve probably had one of them. Heck, maybe you’ve been one; the leader that for some reason or another never finds the good in others. Instead of searching for the good in others they search for everything bad. Do they find it? You bet they do! Often times the leader doesn’t even realize that’s what he or she is doing.
