Melanie is the Executive Director for ABC Organization, Inc. Her company employs twenty people, who work on a variety of web development projects for nonprofit organizations.
ABC Organization is very busy and the team has been working overtime to try to keep up with the workload. Melanie noticed that several of her employees have called in sick in the past two weeks and two were regularly visiting the chiropractor.
Melanie examined the work area of her employees and found that some of the spaces were not ergonomically correct, which was causing back and neck strain for her employees. She replaced several chairs and had each workstation inspected to ensure it was ergonomically correct.
Melanie understood that providing a healthy work environment would lead to lower absenteeism and insurance costs. She also understood that comfortable employees would be more willing to stay late if needed to keep up with their workload. A simple change created a more positive work environment and happier, more loyal employees.
Jennifer is the owner of a small, online company. She employees twelve people, but due to the economic downturn, she has to lay-off half of her staff.
Jennifer lets the staff know in advance that lay-offs will have to occur, so that they have time to process this news and prepare for the possibility.
She meets with each employee individually, and shares with them the positive impact each has had on the company. She reluctantly lets six staff members go, but provides references and referrals to each employee to assist them in finding new employment.
After the lay-offs, Jennifer meets with her reduced staff and shares the vision for the company’s future with them. She encourages their comments and suggestions as they discuss the next steps in moving the company forward.
Jennifer had no choice about letting go of her staff. However, she made the process as painless as possible and reconnected with her remaining team to help them move toward the future. As a result, her remaining employees felt secure and invested in the future of the company.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
What do Healing Leaders have in common?
Healing leaders lead the whole person.
Healing leaders understand that their employees are people. They have lives outside of the organization and those outside lives affect the employee’s ability to be successful in the workplace. Healing leaders strive not only to understand all of the emotions and actions that influence their employees, but to assist their employees whenever possible to have more postive and fulfilling experiences. Healing leaders strive to maintain a healthy work environment, balance work and play and support health-concious efforts, such as physical fitness or healthy diet. They realize that a healthy, happy, whole employee will be more productive and loyal to the organization and strive to provide that to their staff.
Healing leaders foster community.
Healing leaders understand that coming together is important. They stress teamwork and idea-sharing. Healing leaders foster an environment where everyone feels empowered to make suggestions and share ideas, without fear of failure because they understand that good ideas can come from any level. They understand that workers who feel cared for and valued, not only by their employer, but by their peers as well, will result in higher production and a more positive work environment.
Healing leaders are hopeful.
Healing leaders “assume benign intent.” They see the positive in a person and find ways to support growth. Employees without hope are not happy employees. It is the leaders job to inspire a hope of better things in each of his employees, to encourage their growth and development.
Healing leaders have a vision.
In a crisis, everything stops. Often employees are drained and worried for the future. A healing leader has the vision to move forward, to set goals and to help the organization move past the crisis. Without that vision, the mission comes to a standstill. A healing leader looks toward the future, keeping the past in mind, and inspires his employees to do the same.
Think of the leaders you have worked with in the past or you work with today. How do they foster a healing environment in your workplace? If you are a leader, how do you foster a healing environment? Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I’ll provide some examples of healing leaders!
Healing leaders understand that their employees are people. They have lives outside of the organization and those outside lives affect the employee’s ability to be successful in the workplace. Healing leaders strive not only to understand all of the emotions and actions that influence their employees, but to assist their employees whenever possible to have more postive and fulfilling experiences. Healing leaders strive to maintain a healthy work environment, balance work and play and support health-concious efforts, such as physical fitness or healthy diet. They realize that a healthy, happy, whole employee will be more productive and loyal to the organization and strive to provide that to their staff.
Healing leaders foster community.
Healing leaders understand that coming together is important. They stress teamwork and idea-sharing. Healing leaders foster an environment where everyone feels empowered to make suggestions and share ideas, without fear of failure because they understand that good ideas can come from any level. They understand that workers who feel cared for and valued, not only by their employer, but by their peers as well, will result in higher production and a more positive work environment.
Healing leaders are hopeful.
Healing leaders “assume benign intent.” They see the positive in a person and find ways to support growth. Employees without hope are not happy employees. It is the leaders job to inspire a hope of better things in each of his employees, to encourage their growth and development.
Healing leaders have a vision.
In a crisis, everything stops. Often employees are drained and worried for the future. A healing leader has the vision to move forward, to set goals and to help the organization move past the crisis. Without that vision, the mission comes to a standstill. A healing leader looks toward the future, keeping the past in mind, and inspires his employees to do the same.
Think of the leaders you have worked with in the past or you work with today. How do they foster a healing environment in your workplace? If you are a leader, how do you foster a healing environment? Stay tuned for tomorrow, when I’ll provide some examples of healing leaders!
Monday, August 29, 2011
But I’m Not a Doctor! What is Healing in the Leadership Sense?
I will admit that it is weird to see the word “healing” as a description for a leader. So let’s first start with defining what “healing” means in this sense.
Wikipedia’s Servant Leadership Article states: “A great strength of a Servant Leader is the ability for healing one’s self and others. A servant leader tries to help people solving their problems and conflicts in relationships, because he wants to develop the skills of each individual. This leads to the formation of a business culture, in which the working environment is characterized by dynamic, fun and no fear from failure.”
Triple Creek Resource Center’s “Healing as a Leadership Attribute” defines Healing Leaders as “…those who inspire and enable wholeness to happen by modeling vulnerability, openness, hope and caring. They are present, concerned, realistic, and truly desire to enrich others. They also have a practical impact on those whom they influence.”
As you can see by these definitions, in the leadership sense, healing is more about repairing relationships and creating an environment that is open and supportive, so that each team member feels empowered to share ideas and concerns without fear.
Think on that for a bit… in the next couple days, we’ll look at some real-world examples and see how a healing-focused leadership style can make a positive impact on your company.
Wikipedia’s Servant Leadership Article states: “A great strength of a Servant Leader is the ability for healing one’s self and others. A servant leader tries to help people solving their problems and conflicts in relationships, because he wants to develop the skills of each individual. This leads to the formation of a business culture, in which the working environment is characterized by dynamic, fun and no fear from failure.”
Triple Creek Resource Center’s “Healing as a Leadership Attribute” defines Healing Leaders as “…those who inspire and enable wholeness to happen by modeling vulnerability, openness, hope and caring. They are present, concerned, realistic, and truly desire to enrich others. They also have a practical impact on those whom they influence.”
As you can see by these definitions, in the leadership sense, healing is more about repairing relationships and creating an environment that is open and supportive, so that each team member feels empowered to share ideas and concerns without fear.
Think on that for a bit… in the next couple days, we’ll look at some real-world examples and see how a healing-focused leadership style can make a positive impact on your company.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Some final thoughts on empathy
Wikipedia’s article on Servant Leadership states the following:
Empathy: A servant leader attempts to understand and empathize with others. Workers may be considered not only as employees, but also as people who need respect and appreciation for their personal development. As a result, leadership is seen as a special type of human work, which ultimately generates a competitive advantage.
The idea is to get to know the people you work with, not just for what they can do for you, but for what you can do for THEM. What can you do to help them become the best at what they do? How can you help them succeed? You can only get these answers by truly getting to know the people you work with and understanding them as a whole person.
I encourage you to take the time to get to know those who work with you – really get to know them. Throw away your past perceptions and take a new look at those around you. I promise you, the time you spend gaining understanding will result in a stronger and more effective team.
Empathy: A servant leader attempts to understand and empathize with others. Workers may be considered not only as employees, but also as people who need respect and appreciation for their personal development. As a result, leadership is seen as a special type of human work, which ultimately generates a competitive advantage.
The idea is to get to know the people you work with, not just for what they can do for you, but for what you can do for THEM. What can you do to help them become the best at what they do? How can you help them succeed? You can only get these answers by truly getting to know the people you work with and understanding them as a whole person.
I encourage you to take the time to get to know those who work with you – really get to know them. Throw away your past perceptions and take a new look at those around you. I promise you, the time you spend gaining understanding will result in a stronger and more effective team.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Roadblocks to an Empathetic Leadership Style
Being an empathetic leader is not easy. It takes work, effort and, most importantly, time. Those of you who do not naturally fall into this leadership style may have to take extra steps to ensure that you are listening to your teammates and having empathy for their individual situations.
The biggest roadblock to being successful as an empathetic leader/listener is our own unique tendency to see the world through our own frame of reference – our autobiographical tendency. When we respond within our own autobiographical references, we tend to exhibit four different behaviors, each being a roadblock to a successful empathetic relationship:
Don't form a judgment before hearing the whole story. We do this all the time. As we are listening or reading something, we subconsciously evaluate it based upon our own perceptions and interpretations. With empathetic listening, we have to get this evaluation in check and ensure that we are instead actively listening and understanding what is being said. When we evaluate, especially negatively, we close off communication, causing our co-worker to withdraw. Criticizing and evaluating prior to understanding is the single greatest barrier to open, honest communication.
Don't attack them with questions. Now I know I said earlier to ask questions to better understand the situation. But asking genuine questions as a way to encourage further conversation is a bit different from probing. Probing limits questions to within our own sphere of reference. It asks questions before there is a context within which to ask them. In the course of a conversation, certainly ask questions to further understand what the speaker is trying to communicate; however, ensure that you are not overwhelming the conversation with questions and that you are stopping to absorb the answer before moving on to the next question.
Keep your advice to yourself, at least for now. We all fall victim to this. You hear someone tell you about a problem they are having and you immediately start dispatching advice on how they best should handle it. Advice shuts down conversation and shows your co-worker that you assume you understand all the facets of the situation. Ensure that you understand the problem completely before offering advice… and only offer your advice when its requested.
Consider it from all angles. Be cautious when interpreting the situation. Assume benign intent. Don’t judge the current situation and actions on past perceptions and issues. Look at the situation in context and ensure that you are not limiting your interpretation to just what you might feel or believe, but what the others around you feel and believe as well.
By opening your mind and truly trying to put yourself in the shoes of the person you are working with, you can better understand their position and influences. With better understanding comes a better work environment and more productive and happy employees. Take the time to listen empathetically to your team and put the knowledge you learn to good use. It will not take long before the benefits of this practice will be seen within your organization.
The biggest roadblock to being successful as an empathetic leader/listener is our own unique tendency to see the world through our own frame of reference – our autobiographical tendency. When we respond within our own autobiographical references, we tend to exhibit four different behaviors, each being a roadblock to a successful empathetic relationship:
Don't form a judgment before hearing the whole story. We do this all the time. As we are listening or reading something, we subconsciously evaluate it based upon our own perceptions and interpretations. With empathetic listening, we have to get this evaluation in check and ensure that we are instead actively listening and understanding what is being said. When we evaluate, especially negatively, we close off communication, causing our co-worker to withdraw. Criticizing and evaluating prior to understanding is the single greatest barrier to open, honest communication.
Don't attack them with questions. Now I know I said earlier to ask questions to better understand the situation. But asking genuine questions as a way to encourage further conversation is a bit different from probing. Probing limits questions to within our own sphere of reference. It asks questions before there is a context within which to ask them. In the course of a conversation, certainly ask questions to further understand what the speaker is trying to communicate; however, ensure that you are not overwhelming the conversation with questions and that you are stopping to absorb the answer before moving on to the next question.
Keep your advice to yourself, at least for now. We all fall victim to this. You hear someone tell you about a problem they are having and you immediately start dispatching advice on how they best should handle it. Advice shuts down conversation and shows your co-worker that you assume you understand all the facets of the situation. Ensure that you understand the problem completely before offering advice… and only offer your advice when its requested.
Consider it from all angles. Be cautious when interpreting the situation. Assume benign intent. Don’t judge the current situation and actions on past perceptions and issues. Look at the situation in context and ensure that you are not limiting your interpretation to just what you might feel or believe, but what the others around you feel and believe as well.
By opening your mind and truly trying to put yourself in the shoes of the person you are working with, you can better understand their position and influences. With better understanding comes a better work environment and more productive and happy employees. Take the time to listen empathetically to your team and put the knowledge you learn to good use. It will not take long before the benefits of this practice will be seen within your organization.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Empathy 101
So you took the quizzes on Monday and find yourself lacking a bit in the empathy department? Never fear! I’ve got some tips to help you be more empathetic in the workplace.
The Compliment Coach says “True empathy can only occur when we have shed preconceived ideas and judgments about others—and when we’re comfortable with others’ deep feelings.”
Perception. There it is again. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
So how can you be more empathetic? First, you need to clear your mind of all those perceptions that you have formed already and stop assuming you know what your co-worker is wanting from you. Clear your mind and really listen to what your co-worker has to say, without adding your own thoughts and perceptions to it. Try to put yourself in your co-workers shoes, think the way your co-worker might think and otherwise look at the situation from his viewpoint.
Don’t be afraid to be emotional and to share feelings. I’m not suggesting that you sit around and cry all day long, but as a leader, you are responsible for the people who work under you within the company. Get to know them as people, get to know how they feel about certain ideas and subjects, and understand what makes them tick. The more you know about a person, the more you will be able to understand their point of view and listen empathetically to them.
But what if I just really don’t like them, you ask? I know it can be really hard to put aside preconceived perceptions and opinions about someone you don’t care for in order to truly listen empathetically to them. My tip for this is to pretend like your opponent is your best friend – how would you treat your best friend if they felt that way? Would you still have such a negative opinion of them? Try to imagine that the person you are in conflict with is someone you admire greatly and treat them as such. Just that slight shift in perception will allow you to be more open and willing to listen.
A note about privacy: As your style as an empathetic leader grows, you will have better relationships and communication with your co-workers. This may lead to conversations that need to remain confidential. Never divulge private information about a coworker that you learned through a conversation to other coworkers. Gossip will only ruin any positive benefits you have created from becoming an empathetic listener.
For more great tips about improving your empathy skills, check out these great websites:
The Compliment Quotient
Leadership Cache
Workplace 911
The Bug In Your Ear
The Compliment Coach says “True empathy can only occur when we have shed preconceived ideas and judgments about others—and when we’re comfortable with others’ deep feelings.”
Perception. There it is again. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
So how can you be more empathetic? First, you need to clear your mind of all those perceptions that you have formed already and stop assuming you know what your co-worker is wanting from you. Clear your mind and really listen to what your co-worker has to say, without adding your own thoughts and perceptions to it. Try to put yourself in your co-workers shoes, think the way your co-worker might think and otherwise look at the situation from his viewpoint.
Don’t be afraid to be emotional and to share feelings. I’m not suggesting that you sit around and cry all day long, but as a leader, you are responsible for the people who work under you within the company. Get to know them as people, get to know how they feel about certain ideas and subjects, and understand what makes them tick. The more you know about a person, the more you will be able to understand their point of view and listen empathetically to them.
But what if I just really don’t like them, you ask? I know it can be really hard to put aside preconceived perceptions and opinions about someone you don’t care for in order to truly listen empathetically to them. My tip for this is to pretend like your opponent is your best friend – how would you treat your best friend if they felt that way? Would you still have such a negative opinion of them? Try to imagine that the person you are in conflict with is someone you admire greatly and treat them as such. Just that slight shift in perception will allow you to be more open and willing to listen.
A note about privacy: As your style as an empathetic leader grows, you will have better relationships and communication with your co-workers. This may lead to conversations that need to remain confidential. Never divulge private information about a coworker that you learned through a conversation to other coworkers. Gossip will only ruin any positive benefits you have created from becoming an empathetic listener.
For more great tips about improving your empathy skills, check out these great websites:
The Compliment Quotient
Leadership Cache
Workplace 911
The Bug In Your Ear
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Why Is Empathy So Important Anyway?
I used to joke when I was a teenager that I had a file cabinet in my brain and whenever someone – a teacher, a parent or another adult – said or did something that I liked or didn’t like, I would “file it away” in my head for later.
In high school, I had a teacher named Mr. Cannon. He was my English teacher in 10th grade, and then I was lucky enough to have him for three other classes over the course of my high school career.
I really liked Mr. Cannon’s style. He never treated us like we were less than him. He always listened to us when we were struggling with our crazy teenager problems. He was really smart and knew what he was talking about and if he didn’t know the answer to something, he’d always admit it and go figure it out. He wasn’t an easy teacher – his classes were really challenging and I credit him with my enduring love of literature because of how he made it come alive for me. He was great at what he did. And he took the time, everyday, to be better at it by listening to his students and encouraging them to be successful.
Needless to say, I filed a lot of Mr. Cannon’s influence in my “good” file cabinet and I think I’m a better person for it. Not just because I learned a lot about literature and grammar and vocabulary either (although, I do have to thank him for paving the way for many, many Scrabble victories!), but because I learned a lot about being a person, and more specifically, a leader, because of his example.
Mr. Cannon is an empathetic leader. He cares for his students. He cares not just about what they know and how well they do on their tests. He cares for them as real people, and truly desires to help them become better people. He listens to them, learns who they are, and understands them, so that he can teach them in the way they learn best.
Because Mr. Cannon cared about me, I cared more about his class. I worked harder for him than I did for any of my other teachers. And even during my “skipping school phase”* my senior year, I always tried to ensure I was back in time for his class.
*Side note: having an empathetic teacher isn’t always fun and games. During said “skipping school phase,” Mr. Cannon’s concern over my repeated absences prompted him to call my mother to ensure I was all right… and of course, alerted my mother to my shenanigans. Even though he ratted me out, I couldn’t even get mad at him. He was really that great of a teacher.
My point in telling you my crazy high school story is that empathy DOES have a place in the workplace. And not just with students. Leaders who are empathetic get to know their employees and understand them. They keep the needs of those employees in mind as they make decisions. Employees who work for empathetic leaders trust that those leaders know them and feel comfortable sharing concerns with their boss. Feeling valued, they tend to work harder and have more passion.
It doesn’t take much time to get to know your employees, beyond what they do for you each day in the office. The time it takes to walk a moment in their shoes and really understand their perspective can make a tremendous difference in your workplace atmosphere – and result in happy, productive and passionate employees.
I’m willing to bet there are a lot more “mes” out there – former students of Mr. Cannon who were somehow inspired by him. I challenge each of you reading today to be more like Mr. Cannon. Take the time to learn about your co-workers. Be a mentor to those who work for you. Inspire those around you to be the best they can be.
In high school, I had a teacher named Mr. Cannon. He was my English teacher in 10th grade, and then I was lucky enough to have him for three other classes over the course of my high school career.
I really liked Mr. Cannon’s style. He never treated us like we were less than him. He always listened to us when we were struggling with our crazy teenager problems. He was really smart and knew what he was talking about and if he didn’t know the answer to something, he’d always admit it and go figure it out. He wasn’t an easy teacher – his classes were really challenging and I credit him with my enduring love of literature because of how he made it come alive for me. He was great at what he did. And he took the time, everyday, to be better at it by listening to his students and encouraging them to be successful.
Needless to say, I filed a lot of Mr. Cannon’s influence in my “good” file cabinet and I think I’m a better person for it. Not just because I learned a lot about literature and grammar and vocabulary either (although, I do have to thank him for paving the way for many, many Scrabble victories!), but because I learned a lot about being a person, and more specifically, a leader, because of his example.
Mr. Cannon is an empathetic leader. He cares for his students. He cares not just about what they know and how well they do on their tests. He cares for them as real people, and truly desires to help them become better people. He listens to them, learns who they are, and understands them, so that he can teach them in the way they learn best.
Because Mr. Cannon cared about me, I cared more about his class. I worked harder for him than I did for any of my other teachers. And even during my “skipping school phase”* my senior year, I always tried to ensure I was back in time for his class.
*Side note: having an empathetic teacher isn’t always fun and games. During said “skipping school phase,” Mr. Cannon’s concern over my repeated absences prompted him to call my mother to ensure I was all right… and of course, alerted my mother to my shenanigans. Even though he ratted me out, I couldn’t even get mad at him. He was really that great of a teacher.
My point in telling you my crazy high school story is that empathy DOES have a place in the workplace. And not just with students. Leaders who are empathetic get to know their employees and understand them. They keep the needs of those employees in mind as they make decisions. Employees who work for empathetic leaders trust that those leaders know them and feel comfortable sharing concerns with their boss. Feeling valued, they tend to work harder and have more passion.
It doesn’t take much time to get to know your employees, beyond what they do for you each day in the office. The time it takes to walk a moment in their shoes and really understand their perspective can make a tremendous difference in your workplace atmosphere – and result in happy, productive and passionate employees.
I’m willing to bet there are a lot more “mes” out there – former students of Mr. Cannon who were somehow inspired by him. I challenge each of you reading today to be more like Mr. Cannon. Take the time to learn about your co-workers. Be a mentor to those who work for you. Inspire those around you to be the best they can be.
Monday, August 22, 2011
What is Empathy?
Wikipedia defines Empathy as:
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient or semi-sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion.
Empathy is the key cornerstone in genuine human relationships. Empathy is conscious. It means one with empathy feels compassion, while those without do not take into account other people's emotions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy
Empathy is that feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when something happens to someone ELSE! It’s putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, trying to understand their thoughts and feelings, and really trying to “get” the person you are working with.
Are you an empathetic person? Here are a few quizzes to find out:
Tune in tomorrow to find out why being empathetic is so important for a good leader!
Empathy is the capacity to recognize and, to some extent, share feelings (such as sadness or happiness) that are being experienced by another sentient or semi-sentient being. Someone may need to have a certain amount of empathy before they are able to feel compassion.
Empathy is the key cornerstone in genuine human relationships. Empathy is conscious. It means one with empathy feels compassion, while those without do not take into account other people's emotions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empathy
Empathy is that feeling that you get in the pit of your stomach when something happens to someone ELSE! It’s putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, trying to understand their thoughts and feelings, and really trying to “get” the person you are working with.
Are you an empathetic person? Here are a few quizzes to find out:
Tune in tomorrow to find out why being empathetic is so important for a good leader!
Friday, August 19, 2011
So I'm back... for real this time!
I've been writing and writing and I'm ready to really really get back to our series on Servant Leadership. I hope you guys can forgive me for the very extended delay!
In an effort to refresh us and get us back on track, I thought it would be fun to post two things I found while doing my research in the past couple weeks. Both come from the website Modern Servant Leader (which I am now following with interest!)
The first is called the Servant Leader Manifesto. I actually posted this on my Facebook page yesterday, so my apologies for re-posting, but its so good it deserves some extra attention!
The second is the Leadership Assessment for Servant Leaders. It gives some really great real-world situations and demonstrates the different characteristics of servant leadership. Excellent way to assess how you handle certain situations and compare to the various servant leadership characteristics.
I also urge you to go back and review the earlier posts on Servant Leadership and its first characteristic, Listening, right here on my blog.
I again apologize for such a huge lapse in writing... I'm really excited to be back and talking about servant leadership with you again!
Heather
In an effort to refresh us and get us back on track, I thought it would be fun to post two things I found while doing my research in the past couple weeks. Both come from the website Modern Servant Leader (which I am now following with interest!)
The first is called the Servant Leader Manifesto. I actually posted this on my Facebook page yesterday, so my apologies for re-posting, but its so good it deserves some extra attention!
The second is the Leadership Assessment for Servant Leaders. It gives some really great real-world situations and demonstrates the different characteristics of servant leadership. Excellent way to assess how you handle certain situations and compare to the various servant leadership characteristics.
I also urge you to go back and review the earlier posts on Servant Leadership and its first characteristic, Listening, right here on my blog.
I again apologize for such a huge lapse in writing... I'm really excited to be back and talking about servant leadership with you again!
Heather
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