Finding the right balance between empathy and strong leadership is challenging. However, when employees feel heard and cared about, their basic needs for emotional safety are met. You will wind up with a loyal staff able to express concerns and brainstorm solutions without fear of a boss reacting negatively.
Determining how to implement emotional intelligence (EQ) in your leadership strategies requires concerted effort — like setting the tone for your team and orienting new leaders on how to adopt EQ. Here are six effective ways to lead with compassion and understanding.
1. Adopt an EQ Approach
Excellent EQ builds stronger professional relationships so you remain calm during stressful moments. The whole team benefits when the company can identify and embrace various emotional reactions. You will understand why workers feel a certain way and be able to put yourself in their shoes.
EQ teaches leaders to self-regulate during challenging moments, allowing them to overcome basic emotions and spur growth in the company. This alone should be enough for everyone in the company to commit to EQ.
2. Train Employees
Although leadership should focus heavily on improving how they communicate and respond to staff, training employees to have EQ is equally crucial. Effective leadership is navigating conflicts and bringing people from different backgrounds together to achieve a mutual goal.
Take time to host workshops on emotional intelligence. Once leadership learns and implements skills like active listening, identifying emotions and responding with empathy, they should mentor staff to do the same.
“Thriving companies train new leadership to follow in their footsteps with a highly empathetic approach.”
3. Inspire New Leaders
As a leader, you are obligated to impart the skills employees need to become leaders themselves one day. For example, your staff can solve problems without intervention when you encourage independent decision-making. Giving workers more responsibility leads to independent thinking and higher confidence.
The more you know about human emotions, the easier it is to spot certain personality types in your company. The person who does not speak up may just need some assurance and skills-based training in communication. Rather than overlooking the quiet person in the room, offer them a chance to lead a project and mentor them on how to respond, get the attention of coworkers and complete the work effectively.
You might also have staff who are bold and daring. Their leadership skills may need to be toned down to avoid jarring others on the team. Play on the strengths of each individual and guide them toward skills to overcome weaknesses.
“Only 14% of employees feel leadership listens to them. Techniques such as regular one-on-one meetings and stay interviews can make the difference in churn rate and keep crucial skills within your company.”
4. Practice Active Listening
If you have only ever partially paid attention while distracted or thinking about your response, you fail to absorb communication from the other party. Interrupting others before they finish speaking — a rude but typical behaviour — has a similar outcome.
Instead, practice leaning in and speaking only after the person has finished their thought. Take notes summarizing the conversation and ask questions to expand on your knowledge. Active listening helps you better understand the other person and ensures they feel heard and valued.
It is especially vital in a group setting, such as a meeting. Help your team pay closer attention by passing around a “talking stick.” Whoever holds the stick has the floor without interruptions.
5. Learn Empathy
According to a Gallup report, the number of engaged workers has declined from 36% to 32% between 2020 and 2022. Reasons include a lack of interest, unclear expectations, few developmental opportunities and feeling as if their contributions do not matter.
Fortunately, an empathetic approach can change the company culture. While you must balance following procedures and showing compassion, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes improves your response.
Imagine you have a staff member who used to arrive 30 minutes early every morning and meet their deadlines. They never complained and smiled when they saw you. However, in the last few weeks, they have shown up late, no longer smile when you greet them and gripe about everything.
It is natural to resent their attitude, but an empathetic person will reflect on why things changed so drastically. An EQ leader calls the person into their office and asks questions about how they are doing. They might say, “I noticed you’ve lost your spark. Is everything okay? How can I help?” Then, the leader who cares listens.
Perhaps the employee has begun caring for an ailing parent, requiring more of their time and little recourse for daytime supervision. When you are EQ, you’ll work with them to figure out a solution, such as a later start time or offering remote work for a period.
“People learn empathy from life experiences. Practising scenarios allows leaders to formulate better responses in a low-stress environment.”
6. Role Play Conflict Resolution
One of the areas where practising EQ pays off is in conflict resolution. When leaders are more empathetic, they teach their employees the same skills. There are fewer conflicts because people listen to one another, focusing on solutions instead of blame.
Advance your employees’ emotional intelligence and communication skills by role-playing. Gather everyone in the conference room for a session on conflict resolution, segueing into a lesson on EQ.
Have workers pretend to be angry at one another over a mistake costing the company a client. Guide the interaction, explaining how they need to listen to one another and step into the other person’s shoes.
Everyone makes mistakes, so being understanding of one another is the kind thing to do. Add skills such as how to focus on problem-solving over arguing.
Emotional Intelligence Is the Next Business Frontier
Companies are beginning to realize the importance of having leaders who listen and understand individual needs. When a brand cares about those who help build it, it gains loyal workers who feel invested. Pour into the people who work for you to create a positive work culture and outshine competitors.
