The past week has been a blur…rushing to Laurier University to move my son home six weeks earlier than expected, virtually checking in on my elderly parents, helping my daughter transition from a busy high-school life to ‘just being home’, and collaborating with our team at Portage Sales on our resiliency plan as life and work unfolds with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Through all of this, I keep reflecting on the power of empathy, compassion, and resilience in leadership during times of crisis. During this pivotal time – we all need connection, compassion, and support to keep moving forward. In his book Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman defined empathy as “the ability to understand the emotional make-up of other people… and the skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions.”
In everything they do during a crisis, resilient leaders’ express empathy and compassion for the human side of the upheaval. Punit Renjen, Deloitte
When you lead with empathy and actively listen to the needs of your employees, you strengthen the connection with your team. For founders, sales, client success, and other leaders, here are a few simple actions to support your teams with empathy and compassion:
Regular touch-base meetings – set-up 1:1s (don’t forget about social distancing!) with your team members. Take a moment to listen with extra empathy to the impact this is having on their personal and professional lives. Simply ‘be’ with them and whatever emotional state they are in.
Lead with curiosity – at Portage, we are meeting daily and leaning into three questions, i) What are you grateful for? ii) How’s your mindset today? iii) How can I support you today given your current mindset?
Creatively connect as a team – it can be as simple as a virtual coffee/lunchroom chat. My work partner, Peter, is an avid OrangeTheory member. He needs exercise and connection! So…starting today our team is doing a daily 7-minute work-out via Zoom! Maybe for your team, it’s sharing your virtual offices (dogs, toddlers, and teenagers included), doing a short group meditation or an old-fashioned icebreaker.
More than ever we need to lift each other up. What are you doing with your teams?
