How do you build empathy as a leader?

How do you build empathy?

Empathy is one of the powerful skills of leaders enabling you to :
✅️better connect and understand your people 
✅️build trust and relationships
✅️co-create solutions that come from a true understanding of people  
✅️motivate, inspire & lead change 
✅️steer engagement

Where do we need empathy?
⭐️In 1on1's
⭐️In feedback and difficulties discussions 
⭐️When facing resistance to change 
⭐️In conflicts and debates
⭐️In difficult times

Without empathy, you can not truly be an impactful leader.

What do you NEED to build empathy?
Curiousity, presence, and listening without judgment are the key elements to building empathy and connet to others.

D.Goleman broked down the empathy to 3 levels - Cognitive, Emotional & Compassionate.

Below I created how you can start building each of them.

When do leaders STRUGGLE to build empathy?
1️⃣when staying in the judgment of another person or the situation (naming it as bad or wrong)
2️⃣when aiming to win in a conversation and focusing on convincing
3️⃣ when not being emphatic to themselves.

The last one is fundamental - IF YOU CAN NOT BUILD EMPATHY FOR YOURSELF, IT IS HARD TO BUILD EMPATHY TOWARDS OTHERS.

So 2 invitations for you:
👉Next time when you are having a conversation,  
observe what are you looking and listening for....to win, to be right or truly understand the other person.
If you catch yourself on judging, advising from your own perspective, or winning -> shift to an understanding with questions.

👉Choose to build empathy towards yourself - and actually self love. The very first step is - stop judging yourself (I am such a bad leader, I should already know it, I should alredy be there)