HRO Today March 2021 - 43

LEADING WITH EMPATHY
" This is a time to really encourage safe, transparent,
and vulnerable conversations with parents, " says Vargas
Townsend. " I think trying to figure out how you can
measure outcomes of performance and not face time-
that's what really matters right now. And if an employee
can't deliver what you expect, you should support them
anyway and remain flexible. "
Vela says that company leaders should initiate these
conversations by asking a simple question: " How are
you doing? " This encourages people to share when
something challenging or monumental is occurring
in their life, opening the door to greater connection.
Leaders should then attempt to share a similar experience
in return, drawing from their own life experiences to
relate to the employee in a human way that makes them
feel heard.
" Remember, empathy is about making sure employees
feel seen, heard, respected, and they feel like you
understand their plight, " says Vela. " The goal is to build
on our commonalities, celebrate our differences, and find
common ground. "
According to Dean, the second question leaders should
ask is: " What can I do to enable you to do your job
better? " This shows employees that their leader cares and
is willing to empower them to do their best work.
Tara Antonipillai, founder of Tara Antonipillai Wellness,
recommends that leaders make an intentional effort
to create systems where these sorts of check-ins with
managers and higher-level leaders are routine. Essex
Partners, for example, has a policy where each of its
leaders individually meet with five to six randomly chosen
employees throughout the company for 30 minutes with
no agenda. The goal is simply to understand what is on
employees' minds, what is working well, and what can be
improved. The company is now in its fourth iteration of
these meetings, and Seidel says that it has had a positive
impact on organizational culture.
" In doing these one-on-one sessions, we've forged
stronger bonds with people in other geographies than
we might have otherwise. We've developed more of a
sense of a national culture, probably because of the way
we're trying to connect with one other virtually, " he
explains.
However, Antonipillai emphasizes that these
conversations must be honest and authentic in order to
be effective. Dean says that leaders should continuously
do mental checks to make sure that they are actively
listening, giving the employee ample opportunity to
speak, and responding without judgment or internal bias.
Otherwise, leaders may unintentionally design solutions
that are inappropriate or ineffective at addressing the
employees' needs.
For example, at press time, Vargas Townsend was helping
her employees in Texas cope with record-setting freezing
temperatures and widespread power outages. Her team's
initial solution was to book hotel rooms for employees
so they could have power, but after receiving employee
feedback, they understood this was not the right route
to take. Employees did not want to leave their houses
because driving was a safety hazard and they needed to
make sure their pipes wouldn't freeze.
" We might have caused our employees undue harm or
stress by coming up with a solution, but when you're
in a crisis, you have a tendency to just come up with an
answer, " she explains. " I think one of the things that's
helpful is to stop and ask lots of questions and then to
really listen. It takes vulnerability to say, 'I don't have the
answer, why don't you tell me what you're going through
and tell me how I can help?' So, I think that's the best
practice: stop and be curious. "
Dean offers another example: A coaching client of his
was being considered for an exciting assignment in Paris.
Without asking her, a company leader assumed she
would not be interested because she had a husband and
kids who would also need to relocate. Ultimately, the
opportunity was given to somebody else.
" One could argue that the gentleman was thinking
about her empathetically, but he really wasn't because
he didn't care enough to involve her in that discussion, "
Dean explains. " Instead of going through the emotional
conversation with her, which would involve empathy, he
took the ego path and decided to make the decision for
her. "
Supporting Employee Goals
An empathetic approach to leadership requires
supporting employees in reaching their personal and
professional goals and fulfilling their inner purpose.
This requires first understanding employees' underlying
motivations and then developing a clear plan to align
those goals with the broader objectives of the company.
MARCH 2021 | www.hrotoday.com
[43]
http://www.hrotoday.com
HRO Today March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HRO Today March 2021
