Does Empathy Belong in the Workplace?

You better believed it.

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Research has found that empathy can help increase trust and, in my opinion, trust is the lifeline for teams. What’s more, according to empathy experts, we can harness empathy to increase productivity.

We have all experienced the frustration of a team member not completing his or her assigned duties. In these cases, it is typical to assume a team member does not care about the work or is disengaged. However, what if that is not the reason? What if there is a family or life scenario that is causing deadlines to be missed?

The natural outcome of a missed deadline is harsher scrutiny on the employee. A varied approach suggests that there is value in seeking to understand what is occurring in a person’s personal life. It is possible a less favorable situation is being faced, and that provides an opportunity for other team members to assume additional responsibility (within reason and for an agreed upon time). The goal here is not to make excuses for anyone; it is to encourage the team to function as a team – allowing the team member who is undergoing difficulty an opportunity to be transparent. [Have you ever noticed how quick we are to point fingers? Rewriting this narrative may be challenging, but it yields powerful outcomes.]

To this point, a manager has the opportunity to commence an empathetic cycle by putting the feedback loop in motion. The first step is to inquire. It is common employees who are underperforming know that they are and are fearful of discussing the topic. Posing the question, “How are things going for you?” may present a moment of candor – opening the lines of communication, rather than assuming a person is actively trying to underperform.

Human behavior can be very predictable; when someone pushes, the natural response is to push back. But, when a manager demonstrates care for employees – dedicating time and energy to understand perspectives or challenging scenarios – it deescalates situations that could otherwise have been time exhaustive. Employees pick up on the ability for a manager to extend care and empathy, which, in return, generates higher functioning teams, saves on lost productivity, and enables incomparable trust.

Is there a need for increased empathy in your place of work? Contact me.

First published on LinkedIn.

Acknowledgement In the Workplace: A Retention Strategy

Following my Manager Trapdoors: Four Themes to Correct post, I promised to address the relevance of acknowledgement in the workplace. Identifying acknowledgement as a necessity to contentment at work may seem like a no brainer, but it easily falls through the cracks. Let’s look at the importance of acknowledgement, as well as some easy steps to implement acknowledgment into your day.

The days go by, your teams produce work, and life goes on. Do they feel appreciated for their work? This is a question worth asking.

Acknowledgement not only builds trust, it energizes people. Without a trustworthy environment where motivation is fostered, disengagement is painfully relevant. Gallup estimates that U.S. productivity loss, as a result of disengaged employees, is about $500 billion a year. Further, disengaged employees take an average of 4.5 more sick days per year than actively engaged employees. When the Society for Human Resource Management polled participants for the number one reason they leave a job, the answer was a lack of appreciation.  

Acknowledgement, Recognition, and Appreciation

Judy Umlas, author of the Power of Acknowledgement identified recognition and acknowledgement as two distinct actions.  Recognition is the appreciation of an action. This is the “job well-done” commentary. Thank you for completing a task on time. Think of actions, and their associated result. Conversely, she identifies acknowledgement as the heart-felt appreciation for the person as a whole. This requires a manager to really know their team member. Thank you for being an exceptional listener in that client meeting or I appreciate your natural ability to be genuine. This isn’t the surface-stuff. It’s the underlying behaviors.  

Appreciation, on the other hand, can be accomplished by both acknowledgement and recognition. If we are seeing people flock away due to the absence of appreciation, we have many options in correcting the virus.

To that point, any deficiency in acknowledgement, recognition, and appreciation, contributes to disengagement. Gallup has identified the following:

-       About 30 percent of currently employed people are actively engaged. This is the type of person we should want to see in our organizations. These individuals work with passion, want to succeed, and are committed to their jobs.

-       About 50-52 percent are not engaged employees. They are checked out. Energy is lacking and they do the minimum. (Anyone surprised by this number? Me too.)

-       Then, it’s suggested 18 percent are actively disengaged. The negativity is venomous. From irresponsibility, to speed to criticize, and blatant unhappiness, we’ve all seen a person or two in our careers who demonstrate these behaviors.  

Steps to Take

As a quick background on just one leadership theory, the behavioral approach focuses on what leaders do rather than who leaders are. The behavioral approach suggests that leaders engage in two primary types of behaviors: task behaviors and relationship behaviors. In my work as a management consultant, I have identified the best leaders are focused slightly more (and sometimes significantly so) on relationship behaviors. Can managers be leaders? Absolutely. But the core definitions differ. (Get some more clarity on the difference here.) The point here is this: relationship-oriented leaders and managers will opt to engage in appreciative behaviors more often than their task-oriented counter parts. Unsure where you fall? I can share a great assessment tool with you for self-exploration.  

If you find a team member demonstrating some disengagement traits, try the following.

• Acknowledge them (see above for an example!)

• Recognize them (see above for an example!)

• Listen to them. True listening is a form of acknowledgement. It is validating and truly helps team members feel they are an important part of the team.  

• Adjust your behaviors; try implementing a practice to recognize each of your employees at least once (everyone can do that!) a week.

Have you done all these things and still no luck? Drop me a line.

Until next time –
Brielle 

Globalization: The Dimensions of Culture in Your Workday

Last week I said I would delve into some elements that contribute to workplace conflict. The root cause is more often than not an absence of communication.  Under that, though, there are cultural elements at play. This makes communication all the more challenging. Social norms and cues are not only interpreted differently, they have wholly different meanings.

To help your empathy levels increase (essential to creating a culture of respect) here are some cultural structures that will serve you well to understand. Keep in mind there will always be scales of these concepts. The more you learn about your team and work environment, the more you can adjust your ability to see there isn’t a “right” and a “wrong.” Sometimes, it’s as “simple” as the fact there are different perspectives of and around the world. Social psychologist Geert Hofstede studied these five cultural dimensions at length.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Individualism focuses on one’s own interest. The priority lies with the singular person alone. Macro cultures of individualism include the U.S. and Canada. Collectivism, on the other hand, reflect feelings that the group or society should receive top priority. Some societies that follow this notion include Greece and Hong Kong.

Power Distance

Power distance reflect the extent to which members of social system accept the notion that members have varying levels of power. High-power (HP) distance suggests that leaders make decisions simply because they are leaders. HP examples include France, Japan, and Spain. Low-power (LP) distance suggests that social system members do not automatically acknowledge the power of a hierarchy. Examples of LP include Germany, Ireland, and the U.S.

Uncertainty Avoidance

Low uncertainty avoidance is reflected by people who accept the unknown and tolerate risk as well as unconventional behavior(s). Countries with low uncertainty avoidance include Canada, Australia, and U.S. Whereas high uncertainty avoidance is characterized by people who want predictable and certain futures e.g., Israel, Italy, and Japan.  

Masculinity – Femininity

A masculine culture emphasizes assertiveness and the acquisition of money or material objects. It’s also coupled by a de-emphasis on caring for others. Unsurprisingly, when compared to above cultural trends, Italy and Japan fall under the masculine identity. Femininity, however, places high importance upon personal relationships: from concern for others to high quality of life. (You guessed it! Some examples include Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.)

Time Orientation

There are two forms of time orientation: long-term and short-term. Long-term is characterized by a long perspective – you’re focused on the future. You value persistence, perseverance, saving, and being able to adapt. Conversely, short-term is when you are focused on the present or past and consider them more important than the future. Short-term is also characterized by seeing value in immediate gratification - yet importance in tradition and fulfilling social obligations.  

The examples included hereto are to demonstrate the stark differences from nation to nation. While a macro perspective, these nuances and variance among us can be just as distinct, even if two people grow up down the street from one another. Think of someone you work with whom you find yourself at odds with often. Now take these dimensions into account. What did you discover? Understanding how our counterparts view view the world is a just a piece of the communicative puzzle, but it’s a great place to start.

Concepts and terms gathered by Peter G. Northouse: Leadership Theory and Practice.

Middle Managers: Why the Focus?

For those of you reading my blog, you know you can expect an array of leadership insights each week. But at the core of BVC is a belief: the belief middle managers are essential to your organization. Just how essential? Let’s explore.

Imagine a budding company of 100 people. There is a healthy C-suite – from CEO to CRO, making up less than 10 percent of the company. Then imagine the VPs; there are four departments whose VPs report into the C-suite. Now, let’s skip a level and go to “worker bees” – the junior support staff, budding savants, what have you. Not too long ago, when the company was at just 60 people, those then juniors knew little about managing. Yet, they are now the tenured professional, managing a team of two or more (these individuals are now the big group we skipped moments ago!).

With such scale, is it probable the new managers received coaching and/or training? For their area of expertise, perhaps. But for management? Unlikely.

There’s no question that top management, namely executives, play a significant role in setting the overall direction of the company. I’m not debating this. But I am shedding light on the fact companies invest a lot (we are talking billions of dollars) on executive leadership or “executive coaching” as it’s coined. I’ll be the first person to share this service is helpful; we should all continue to grow, learn, and evolve. I also know some awesome executive coaches if you are in the market. But to that point, we should start this self-exploration and education far before we wear the VP or C-suite title.

The best managers are able to work closely with their teams, and simultaneously offer valuable contributions. These managers are not only equipped with the technical skills, but they encourage an environment of consistent feedback, acknowledgement, and respect. Unsurprisingly, these are the leadership elements we spoke about a couple weeks ago.

Middle managers are not only responsible for their team’s production, they are a primary driver of performance! Since this is the case, managers must be equipped with managing conflict — 30 percent of a manager’s time each week — and promoting cohesion. Decreasing conflict through effective management, by even 10 percent, is monumental to time effectiveness and results.

Middle managers have incredible influence. Not only on culture, but on productivity. Again, they are essential to the business(!), and are worth the investment.