In the third episode of Season 5, Jenni explores the importance of empathy in leadership. She defines genuine empathy beyond just ‘stepping into someone else’s shoes’ and shares personal stories highlighting the chaos that arises from a lack of empathy.
Jenni also provides three practical tips for leaders to build empathy, including: actively listening, being flexible, and avoiding self-centred storytelling. The episode emphasises that empathy is crucial for forming genuine connections and maintaining credibility as a leader.
Episode Timestamps:
- 00:29 – Defining Empathy
- 01:19 – The Importance of Empathy in Leadership
- 02:18 – The Chaos Without Empathy
- 03:55 – A Real-Life Example of Empathy in Action
- 06:36 – Building Empathy as a Leader
- 08:43 – Practical Tips for Demonstrating Empathy
Building empathy is something that we have to practise every day. If we want to lead effectively, it’s not something that just comes naturally to everybody. But it is something that we can build if we’re happy to practise it. As we’ve said, if you don’t have empathy, people just won’t like you. They’ll really struggle to make that connection on any sort of genuine level. – Jenni Field
Key Takeaways From This Episode:
- Genuine empathy involves believing someone else’s lived experiences and is closely linked to communication and leadership
- Empathy vs. Compassion: Empathy requires understanding and believing others, while compassion is about connection
- Lack of empathy in leadership leads to people disliking and not trusting their leaders
- Three actionable steps for how leaders can build empathy
Thank you for listening!
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