Last week I had the distinct pleasure of co-hosting the weekly #LeadFromWithin tweetchat with Lolly Daskal. The subject of my chat was “The Role of Empathy in Leadership” and I have to say I was gratified by both the level of participation and depth of contributions/insights which arose during the discussion (click here to download a PDF copy of the chat transcript).

Although I’ve written previously about the importance of empathy in leadership, I want to use last week’s talk as an opportunity to delve into this issue more, sharing some of the points I provided during the talk, as well as some of the insights proffered by the various participants. Here are the ten questions I asked participants as we discussed the role empathy plays in leadership.

1. What does empathy mean?

“Empathy means I demonstrate concern for & listen to reach understanding of others ideas & feelings.” – @scedmonds

In order to appreciate the role empathy plays in leadership, we first need to have a clear understanding of what empathy means. Most times, we tend to confuse empathy with sympathy; that to be empathetic means agreeing or relating to the feelings another person has regarding a given situation or individual.

However, what empathy really means is being able to understand the needs of others. It means that you’re aware of their feelings and how it impacts their perception. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with how they see things; rather, being empathetic means that you’re willing and able to appreciate what the other person is going through.

2. Why does it matter for us to understand the needs of others?

“By understanding others we can develop closer relationships.” – @TerriKlass

At first glance, this might seem a tad altruistic, but there are tangible benefits that are derived from Click here to continue reading »”Empathy in Leadership – 10 Reasons Why It Matters”

The following is a guest post by Russell Bishop. Russell is an educational psychologist, author, executive coach and management consultant whose clients include Fortune 500 executives in aerospace, healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotechnology, information technology, telecommunications and oil and gas.

Russell serves as the Senior Editor-at-Large for the Business and Living sections of The Huffington Post. He is also the author of the book “Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work”, which I will be reviewing in the next installment of the Coffee House Book Review series. You can learn more about Russell and his book on his website at RussellBishop.com.

When it comes to internal roadblocks or organizational obstacles, more often than not the culprit behind these problems is an organization’s own bureaucracy. Ironically, even bureaucrats need workarounds when they run up against the frustrating bottlenecks created by other bureaucrats. Corporate bureaucracy and its close cousin, business process, often snag their own staffs in an impossible tangle of rules and regulations. Customers and suppliers frequently encounter roadblocks as they try to navigate the labyrinthine maze of the bureaucrat. One of the most perplexing aspects of process and bureaucracy stems from the fact that those frustrating rules were most likely created for good reason, but may have outlived their usefulness.

If you are trying to overcome internal roadblocks, you can complain about the other team, escalate issues through upper levels of management, or simply try to ignore their rules altogether. However, none of these strategies is likely to produce an effective result, much less one that will have the legs to survive. In trying to find an effective workaround strategy, you may need to actually get closer to the other team in order to find your way through.

In my book, Workarounds That Work: How to Conquer Anything That Stands in Your Way at Work, I suggest that the first workaround may be with your own self, with your own mindset. In order to move from blame and complain to effective movement, you may find it useful to ask “what difference could I make all on my own that requires no one’s permission except my own?”

Sometimes, that question alone will point you to steps you can take to Click here to continue reading »”A Simple Workaround to Overcome the Bureaucratic Mindset”

They say that March comes in roaring like a lion and that certainly seems to be the case on my end as I have two exciting news items to share with my readers.

First up, I’d like to share the news of a new column called “Real Leadership” which I’ll be co-writing with S Max Brown for Incentive magazine. Our first piece can be found in this month’s issue and it’s called “Real Leadership: The Power of a Compliment”. You can read an online version of this column at this link. I’d like to thank Max for inviting me to join him in yet another co-writing venture.

The second news piece is my interview on the “Business Buzz” radio program, hosted by Susan T. Spencer, which can be heard on “WomensRadio”. The show is called “Something That Women Have and Men Want” where Susan and I discuss the importance of empathy in business and leadership. During this interview, I share 3 key steps leaders can take to build their sense of empathy to become a more effective leader.

You can listen to this interview in the player below, or you can listen to it on the “WomensRadio” website by clicking on this link.

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I’d like to thank Susan for inviting me to share my thoughts on this subject and for the interesting discussion on this issue.

Perhaps no issue has been stirring as much discussion in the leadership field as the continual lack of balanced representation of women in senior management. Faced with the discouraging reality that only 3% of the Fortune 500 CEOs are women, despite their growing numbers in the lower management positions, it’s not surprising why this topic is getting a lot attention, if not concern given the growing rate at which women now represent current graduates coming out of universities.

Granted, it’s difficult, if not impossible for me to truly speak with any authority as to the challenges women face in the business world. However, that doesn’t make this a topic that doesn’t matter to me, especially given my own relationships as a father, husband and brother who’d like to know the women in his life have just as many opportunities as he does irrespective of gender or other divisive social categorizations.

That’s why I’m delighted to share this story courtesy of Susan T. Spencer. Susan came upon my blog some months ago and in that time, we’ve been corresponding about the issues of women, leadership and the changing business environment. Susan has had plenty of experience working in various male-dominated industries – from serving as the VP and acting GM of the NFL franchise Philadelphia Eagles, to being the successful owner of several meat processing plants which had combined annual revenues of $50 million US.

She recently sent me an advance copy of her upcoming book “Briefcase Essentials”, which not only chronicles Click here to continue reading »”Women and Leadership – A Look From Inside The Boardroom”