Honouring Your Leadership Calling

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the

courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to

listen to the needs of others.

The unprecedented and fast paced events of COVID-19 have resulted

in high levels of uncertainty, fear, disorientation, feelings of lost control,

and strong emotional disturbance among employees. It is vital now

more than ever for leaders to not only demonstrate empathy but to

open themselves to empathy from others and remain attentive to their

own well-being.

“The goal of a leader is to give no orders.Leaders are to provide direction and intent and

allow others to figure out what to do and howto get there.”

• Leadership is impossible without empathy

• Empathy is an essential leadership skill - and there’s nothing soft about it

Great leaders create

an environment of

understanding &

value

“A company is people … employees want to know… am I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People really need to feel wanted.” –Richard Branson

The Virtue of Leading with Empathy

Being a leader means that you are in the position to influence the current and future lives of other individuals. The decisions you make and actions you take will impact those

who follow you.

Leading in a pandemic– Leadership is not easy. Each individual that we work with is a complex set of personality and experiences, hopes, and fears. Then add Covid-19, the pandemic that’s changed lives like no other in recent history. Many employees and their families are sufferingfrom isolation, loss of loved ones and a possible loss of their livelihood, leaving them thinking about what is truly important at stake as the pandemic persists.

A call to action for leaders to safeguard both the lives and livelihoods – As a leader you are in the position to positively and negatively impact those you are leading. Whether through decisions, influence or edict, you can alter the direction of people’s professional and personal lives. In many leadership situations, you can impact the families of those you lead as well (e.g. retrenchments, demotions, promotions, etc.). At this point— a leader is now also expected to be the consoler in chief, showing empathy for the victims of Covid-19.

Management terrorist Simon Sinek suggests says a leader is someone who makes the

employees feel secure, who draws their people into a circle of trust. It isn’t about being in

charge, having all the answers or being the most qualified person in the room. Instead, it’s about

creating a “circle of safety,”

Leaders eat last

“ A leader doesn’t just get

the message across, a

leader IS the message.”

Warren Bennis

1. Effective Leaders have a sense of empathy.They listen. In listening they learn. Inlearning they become empathetic.

1. At its heart, empathy is about understandingpeople - namely how one’s worldview(cognitive) and emotions (affective) drivebehavior.

2. Empathy is a neutral data-gathering tool thatenables you to understand the humanenvironment within which you are operating… and therefore make better predictions,craft better tactics, inspire loyalty, andcommunicate clearly.

Marines willingly trust each other with their very lives

Many people think leadership is about rank,

power and privilege, Marines believe that true

leadership is the willingness to place others’ needs

above your own.

“Have compassion and empathy in your heart. Many people are suffering deep emotional anguish beneath the surface of their lives, and smile even

as they hurt inside.” Jim Palmer

“I think”“I feel”

Mindset is your mental model, i.e. what you think is possible, a habitual way of thinking or belief system which controls your daily actions

Heart-set is what you feel and what you believe to be possible; it is emotional connectedness stemming from a deep seated desire, an unconditional passion against odds and obstacles to persist until manifesting the intended results

“A good head and heart are always a formidable combination.” ~ Nelson Mandela

Employee Engagement: “Heart-set” and “Mindset”

Understanding Empathy

EMPATHYThe action of understanding, being aware

of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and

experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings,

thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit

manner.

EMPATHY

“...empathy can be described as feeling the feelings of

another with the greatest accuracy and effort.”

-Whitney Hess

Abraham Lincoln - had such a huge influence on his allies and adversaries because of his “extraordinary empathy — the ability to put himself in the place of another, to experience what they were feeling, and to understand their motives and desires.”. “His crowning gift of political diagnosis was due to his sympathy, which gave him the power to forecast with uncanny accuracy what his opponents were likely to do.”

George Washington - “It wasn’t his generalship that made him stand out … It was the wayhe attended to and stuck by his men. His soldiers knew that he respected and cared forthem, and that he would share their severe hardships.

Nelson Mandela led as a human, through empathy, compassion, and understanding, not authority. In fact, his political opponents had far more authority, resources, weapons, money, and everything.

1

2

3

Most Empathetic Presidents

“ I refuse to believe that you

cannot be both

compassionate and strong.”

Jacinda Ardern

The world needs empathetic leaders

Change begins with self

MAN IN THE MIRROR What does this say about me? Where do

I fit into this picture?

What role (if any) do I think I’ve played in

leading my people?

How do I show up?

What is my reputation and personal

brand as a leader?

Begin with Building Trust

Demonstrate vulnerabilityIt is the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences. Share stories about your journey through the pandemic, fears and all.

Connect to a deeper sense of purposeFor example in New Zealand it was about “Stat at home, protect the bubble”. 'You are breaking the chain of transmission. And you did it for each other.'

Celebrate the positivesSharing positive stories andcreating uplifting moments are important building blocks in reigniting resilient spirits.

Mind what you modelWhat you do matters as much as what you say in building trust, and scrutiny of leaders’ actions is magnified during a crisis.

Communicate effectivelyMaintain transparency and provide frequent updates. Be clear what you know, what you don’t know, and what you are doing to learn more.

Demonstrate empathyDeal with the human tragedy as a first priority. Make aa positive difference in people’s lives.

Source: McKinsey & Company by Ana Mendy, Mary Lass Stewart, and Kate VanAkin,

Contact us

Sindiswa Ndlovu

Tel: +27 31 260 3796Cell: +27 64 961 5611Email: Ndlovus1@ukzn.ac.za

Venouasha Bahadur

Tel: +27 31 260 8870Cell: +27 81 422 3369 Email: BahadurV@ukzn.ac.za

www.ukznextendedlearning.com

Contact us

Sindiswa Ndlovu

Tel: +27 31 260 3796Cell: +27 64 961 5611Email: Ndlovus1@ukzn.ac.za

Venouasha Bahadur

Tel: +27 31 260 8870Cell: +27 81 422 3369 Email: BahadurV@ukzn.ac.za

www.ukznextendedlearning.com