Most of what separates a good leader from a bad leader is one important quality, says business strategist Dan Waldschmidt (DanWaldschmidt.com). It’s not brains, experience, charm, courage or authority. It’s empathy – the ability to understand how other people feel. The awareness to connect with the pain and fear in someone else’s life.
“Empathy allows you to understand how a high-performing person suddenly appears to be worthless. Why your best customers become so upset when you take their loyalty for granted. How the personal stuff of life, like divorce or illness, can be completely overwhelming.”
Empathy isn’t easy, and it isn’t always portrayed through patience and understanding. Sometimes, empathy means you have to get in someone’s face and challenge them to do what they already know they should be doing, Waldschmidt says.
“What’s unique about empathy is that it has a tremendous return on investment. By being empathetic to others, you instantly feel better about yourself. You stop thinking about your own particular situation. In so doing, you begin to heal you. They feel better. You feel better. Your empathy is what made the difference.”
As a manager, if you find yourself feeling frustrated by coworkers and their actions don’t seem to make sense, Waldschmidt recommends asking yourself these two questions:
- How would I feel if I were in this exact same situation?
- What else is going on behind the scenes for them that I don’t know about?
“You’ve been that person that has other people scratching their head in bewilderment. Until you can fully appreciate what that other person is going through, you will never be in a position to inspire them to follow.”
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