Empathy is no longer a luxury trait of a great leader but a must for everyone who leads people. It is an indispensable trait of a supervisor who wants to understand and influence his team. It helps to understand what others are guided by and to predict the consequences of decisions made. Empathy strengthens the team’s creativity, their job satisfaction and helps build mutual relations based on respect.

In my experience, it’s true that some people have a higher level of this skill at the start. Nevertheless, everyone must work on and develop this trait.

We have a chance as leaders to better understand our employees’ arguments

Empathy, supported by active listening, allows above all a much better and more accurate understanding of the other person. As a result, we have a chance as leaders to better understand our employees’ arguments and thinking. This has a positive effect on the quality of decisions taken and a broader cause-and-effect analysis. This, in turn, translates into building the authority of the leader and the conviction among employees that they are actually heard.

Another advantage is the fact that the supervisor has a greater opportunity to respond to emerging needs among his people so that they can do their job more efficiently and better. It contributes to creating bonds between individual employees and the supervisor and is the basis for building mutual relations and trust. A good leader shows his employees curiosity and care, devoting their time and total attention to them, which also has a positive impact in supporting people on their professional path. I also noticed that this approach helps to eliminate barriers and flattens structures. Thanks to this, I can count on greater openness and directness towards my people.

On the other hand, if a leader does not work on improving his empathy and assumes that his people should think and act like him, in a very short time he becomes perceived as an opponent and a person who needs to be avoided. Openness disappears, the level of mutual trust decreases and, as a consequence, there is no chance for a true leadership.

Ask the right, open questions

Therefore, it is worth every supervisor develops active listening, focusing on the person with whom he talks. The key aspect is to ask the right, open questions that will not only bring us closer to learning all the facts, but thanks to which our employees will receive a clear signal that we care about knowing their opinions. Therefore, when interacting with our people, we must be present and involved in conversation on the one hand, and patient and supportive on the other.

Empathy is about creating a bond with an employee, evoking positive emotions. It is an inseparable part of emotional intelligence. Thanks to a deep understanding and application of an empathic approach, the leader achieves better results as a supervisor.