Among the long list of things the virus outbreak has taught us, the value of empathetic leadership continues to emerge as one of our biggest takeaways. In an era where one’s opinion is only a tweet or TikTok video away, the cruciality for companies and business leaders to listen to their workforce has all the more been amplified.
What’s more, people are now also holding companies accountable for the mission and vision statements they put out for their target markets. In other words, people are no longer shying away from basing a good chunk of their purchases on the principles of the brands they support.
The more aligned a brand is with the principles of its market, the more likely consumers will keep buying from them.
Truly, times have radicalized so many things in society today, and leaders, as expected, are called to rise to the equation to be the trailblazers they’re expected to be.
Here’s how leadership in the workplace looks like in the new normal
Heightened care for employees
Whether you work in an office or engage in a WFH setup, taking the time to talk to your employees—your executive team, at the very least, if you run a massive corporation—can help do wonders.
A simple and intentional, “how are you?” can go a long way.
While you don’t have to be in everyone’s business 24/7, learning to relate to your employees more deeply allows them to approach you without intimidation and unnecessary fear.
Before diving right into Zoom meetings or weekly report updates, take a moment to show your people you care. Naturally, this shouldn’t end in simply letting your people know you listen to them. Should actionable steps be feasible and require little to no major company overhauls, extend compassion and give your employees the space and recognition they deserve.
Emotional transparency
It goes without saying that transparency in every team and business is critical. Although you’re never encouraged to overshare, extending a balanced sense of vulnerability gives your personnel a chance to see you as human, worthy of support and care too.
From down moments because of business mishaps to regular bad hair days, letting your team know how you’re processing your emotions, let alone what they are, should connect you to your team more effortlessly.
Lines like, “I’m not my best today,” or “I’m a little sad today” can be powerful statements that give your people a preview of your sensitive side. Just as you expect your team members to open up to you when you need them to, they, too, will benefit when you talk to them about how you’re feeling and where you are in your business journey.
Intentionality in adapting
Only the prepared survive and anyone who veers away from adapting to sustainable solutions will most likely not make it out alive. In a world where bad things are happening just as much as good things are, it’s important that you and your business come prepared.
For instance, the rise of no-code has allowed entrepreneurs to improve their employees’ skill sets by empowering them to bridge solutions on their own. Because leaders are an organization’s decision-makers, the willingness to adapt to tech advancements and marketing trends has become even more apparent and necessary.
As such, this means that leaders should continue to keep asking questions to better improve business practices—what happens to the organization if X happens? How is Y impactful to the business if we push for Z?
It may sound like paranoia to the overconfident, but when you run a business, each angle has to be looked at to prepare for the worst. After all, your business isn’t only going to affect you and your target market—this impacts your employees too.
Furthermore, a stronger question to keep asking yourself and your team is: how can we better make use of no-code tools and what management platforms should we subscribe to in order to be more efficient?
What’s Next?
Many parts of the globe are slowly starting to rebuild their economy, and we’re beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. Still, the pandemic has altered much of how we perceive work and approach employment. For this reason, empathetic leadership is taking center stage, even more, these days.
As a result, business leaders hold the costly obligation to keep asking the right questions and pushing for inclusive movements and benefits.
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