Jul 8, 2021

#FakeEmpathy

Why do we struggle with #Genuine #Empatheticleadership ?
What has made us incapable of being genuinely impacted by another person’s experiences, their point of view, and emotions? Is it the pressures of #workplaceculture? Time, focus, commitments, defending our choices?
“How do we protect ourselves from our own tough decisions? I can’t give everyone what they want. If I’m empathetic they’ll expect me to put them as project lead, give them a long rope, give them a higher rating!”
“How can I spend more time towards other people’s feelings when it’s hard enough to get through the day with just the deadlines and demands and my own anxieties? Why is listening to someone’s challenges (or excuses!) part of my job?”

#empathetic #leaders - do we have enough #rolemodels?
Have we had enough empathetic leaders and role models for ourselves while growing up? The kind who nurtured #growth with the understanding of #unique journeys: that each person is a unique story in themselves, shaped by their unique histories, ignited by their personal #aspirations and dreams, who thrive differently towards different ideas of success-- and can be supported to learn from success, failure and living life fully at the workplace with #dignity, respect, care and joy.

Many #managers have not experienced empathetic leadership themselves. And it is now upon them to become these kinds of leaders midway through their careers. It is certainly a #challenge – to remodel our behaviours after years of being stripped away of our personalities and personal joys by demanding corporate culture. But we have the possibility to change things up now. Most managers I meet are in the ages of 30-45. It is a time given to us right now to turn the course of leadership into a way of life that could be more #uplifting, #inspiring and #humane.

WHAT COULD WE GAIN by being genuinely empathetic?
By being truly good #listeners?
By being #inclusive in our ensembles?
By being able feel the #pulse of our #teams- leaning into things we may fear getting ourselves into, and discovering that solutions exist for most problems if we are open to being #creative and #collaborative …and genuinely empathetic.

If we can reflect on these questions deeply we will be less likely to have Fake Empaths leading conversations with statements like
“I acknowledge your challenges BUT you have to buck up now.”
“Sorry to hear your news. You’re ok now right? So let’s get to the agenda now.” “I’ve been in your place. Let me tell you…”

Building back our true Empathetic Strength needs us to be - seeing and listening – like #itmatters , with the respect we give to our dear friends or family members. By being #courageous to #leanin