Tag Archives: innovation

Empathy: Not just for the touchy-feely

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I worked for a boss once who was profoundly uncomfortable with feelings. He was a likeable guy who preferred to keep his distance when things got personal or emotional. It wasn’t unusual for him to miss meetings where contentious issues were going to be discussed.

My boss’ lack of empathy allowed him to deal with the facts at hand, without the complication of wading into various perspectives or attitudes. What he lost, however, was the ability to maximize our emotional intelligence, an important factor in team success.

Empathy was defined by Daniel Goleman in the HBR article, What Makes a Leader, as “the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people” and “skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions.”

If you’re thinking that empathy is an unnecessary distraction, consider its benefits to leaders:

Empathy gives you insight. You will gain a richer understanding of your organization’s people, competitors and customers – and therefore make better decisions.

Empathy enhances influence. You will not be able to sway your peers or boss without understanding their perspectives and attitudes. Your attempts at persuasion will fall on deaf ears if you do not connect with what is important to them.

Empathy helps you leverage diversity. Your team is composed of people with skills, experiences and cultural backgrounds that are different from yours. Asking genuine questions and not making assumptions will help you not only “get them” as people, it will also allow you to tap into their interests and utilize their unique abilities.

How to enhance empathy?

Start with humility. You haven’t got it all figured out. Recognize that you need all of your people’s capabilities – tangible and intangible – to succeed.

Be curious. Listen more and talk less. Ask questions about what people are thinking and feeling. Don’t assume you already know.

Ask for feedback and input, and really mean it. Use the ideas and innovations that your team shares. This will encourage people to share more over time.

Empathy isn’t a magic bullet, as noted by Steve Tobak in a recent post. It is an important tool for your leadership toolbox that should be regularly used.

“If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it” (Atticus Finch, a fictitious character in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird).

 

To find out more about how you can beef up your empathy, contact Humanergy.

Photo from istockphoto


I’m always right

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I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty much always right. I may be able to put on a face of openness, but I am at heart a very opinionated person. Ask me about almost any subject, and I most likely will have a strong (and well-reasoned) opinion on it.

The difference between me and the folks I find downright scary? I am willing to admit that I don’t know everything, and there are whole areas about which I am clueless (e.g., opera and poetry). I am also willing to change my mind based on a compelling set of facts, personal experience or the counsel of wise people. In other words, I know I’m right AND I’m not so rigid that I am unwilling to listen, learn and change my mind.

Leaders are supposed to be open to new ideas and shift strategies when circumstances dictate. Not all do that effectively. It seems to come from a deep need to be right, which is really just masking a deep fear that they aren’t as competent as they should be.

Since it’s unlikely that you’d identify yourself as a person who must be right all the time, how can you work with someone else who is sure they’ve cornered the market on brains?

Know thy know-it-all. You’ll work more effectively with the alleged wiz if you understand what makes him or her tick. How does this person like to receive information? Do they need to know the details, or would they be more impacted by the big picture view? Would it be better to provide a visual, a bullet point list or a detailed report? Align your interactions to meet their needs, and you’ll eliminate some of the roadblocks to working together.

Appeal to their (fragile) egos. I’m not a big fan of sucking up in any form. When dealing with people who are insecure and can never be wrong, it is sometimes necessary to employ the “you-said-something-the-other-day” strategy. If you have a compelling argument for a certain decision, start from something the know-it-all said (and feel free to take a little license from there). For example, “You mentioned the budget for the ABC acquisition yesterday, and I figured you were wondering about the numbers. I took a look at them, and you’re right. We are 20% over budget! Here’s a strategy for coming in on target.” The most important part of this strategy was the “you’re right” part, which is music to their ears.

Combat their unrealistic optimism. Leaders who must be right find it difficult to appropriately gauge risk. They are overly optimistic that everything they touch will turn into gold. Proceed with caution, but do bring the facts to light. Portray it as the way to “maximize their brilliant innovation” and it will be an easier pill to swallow.

Here’s one of the most frustrating things about people who think they’re always right. Even when they do switch sides on an issue based on more information, know-it-alls find it hard to view themselves as being wrong in the first place. As Ashleigh Brilliant said, “My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I am right.”

Want to find out more about working with your (un)friendly neighborhood know-it-all? Contact Humanergy.

Photo purchased from istockphoto.com.


Want innovation? Maximize employee engagement

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team-with-keyAn article by Krisztina Holly and Jim Clifton in Business Week recently postulated that the answer to our economic woes is to inspire and empower employees to innovate. They  challenged leaders  to stop focusing on layoffs and unemployment and start paying attention to the people who are still there – to boost employee engagement.

There’s no one way to nurture people’s investment and engagement in your organization. There are a set of best practices that keep people growing, thriving and bringing their best ideas forward.

Invest in people. Encourage employees to be curious, take ownership for their work, gain new skills and fulfill their purposes in life. You don’t have to spend lots of money to do this. You do have to open the lines of communication, share responsibility and actively nurture your people.

Build relationships. Foster respectful relationships among employees at all levels. First, get real about the quantity and quality of your relationships, and take steps to connect with people. If you don’t have positive relationships with others, those you lead probably won’t either. Create an environment that values the big things, like honesty and integrity, and the small things, like manners and kindness.

Communicate well and often. Practice being a sponge – focusing more on listening and really understanding what others have to say. Communicate in ways that help others understand: Use plain language, share all that they need to know and check to be sure that you both “see the picture” in the same way.

Be open to feedback and willing to change. We all love feedback when it’s positive. Work on soliciting feedback regularly and encouraging people to tell the whole truth. Manage your emotional reaction to feedback, but don’t stuff those feelings under the rug. Most importantly, be humble enough to know that everyone has stuff that needs to improve. Take action to build on your strengths and manage your weaknesses.

These four bullet points are stuffed with best practices. Here are 3 simple steps to zero in on one area and make meaningful change:

1. Pick a focus. Make it practical and tangible, such as I will ask 3 open-ended questions each day or I will ask for feedback 2 times per week.

2. Post it where you will see it (e.g., post hard copy near your desk,  use electronic reminder, etc.).

3. Track how often you do it.

After a few weeks,  evaluate your progress and its impact on your performance. Repeat the process, so that you’re continuous improvement.

Innovation is the fuel that will keep your organization running. Create the right conditions for employees to maximize their brilliance and originality, and you’ll have enough energy to power you through any crisis.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!