What empathy-centered leadership looks like - especially when your team is working from home

A lot has changed in the workplace in 2020 and now leadership also needs to adapt.

Previously you could detect how you are perceived based on the manner people react to you. You can feel the rhythm of the office based on the body language of your colleagues and group behaviour in general.

But our new scattered workforce presents new challenges. Marilyn Chapman, Chief HR officer of global telecommunications firm NTT, is focused on deepening the empathy with teams. Because in being empathic, leaders get to know the challenges faced by their employees and foster a connection where they feel they are understood.

In order to practice this type of leadership, the article by Sophie Wade, Atlassian recommends these 6 steps to show empathy from a distance:

1. Recognise routines - According to Heidi Melin, CMO of Workfront, the employees’ hobbies will be the same as when they were in the office. Take note of this consistent behavior. Should there be any fluctuation, it might be a good time to check in with the employee to ask how they are doing.

2. Observe signs - Brian Day, CEO of Fuze, says video conferencing provides the best channel to ‘decode’ communications and emotional states and is a critical tool for an remote leader to know who is engaged or not. However, it is still best to ask directly or ask colleague. There a lot of reasons why an employee may be distracted during a meeting. 

3. Listen actively - With remote communication most non-verbal communication is gone like body language, try to take advantage of what is available such as voice, timbre, words being used, and how it is being delivered.

4. Ask questions - Pose open, supportive questions to draw out details of how that team member is coping. Ask: “Is there anything going on that I could help with? I sensed something during our call.”

5. Be approachable - Approachability means an environment where everyone is comfortable and can communicate freely.

6. Personalise your responses - Building an empathic connection requires authenticity and sensitivity. This can only be achieved by customising each interaction. Leaders have to put their own points of view aside in order to react with empathetic understanding of an employee’s particular point of view and situation.

The article states that remote working conditions are accelerating the conversion of leadership styles from ‘command and control’ to ‘connect and communicate’ emphasising empathy. Leaders have a unique opportunity going forward to deepen personal and professional relationships, become more attuned to others’ perspectives and experiences, and better manage, motivate, and support employees wherever they are working.

In shifting to remote work, how did you help your team in managing the changes they are going through?