Paulina Orbitowska-Fernandez - Empathic Way Europe
In NVC, empathy is the attentive accompaniment of the other person in discovering their feelings and needs. The intention is connection, a better understanding of oneself and the other person. It allows you to avoid misinterpreting their words. For example, when someone in a team says, "You can't work with these people!", instead of criticizing them, it is worth asking about their concerns and needs. Empathy means a willingness to understand and share your perspectives, which supports trust and psychological safety. I mentioned earlier that in this kind of leadership, leaders are also empathetic towards themselves. This is about building partnerships in which balance is maintained. Sometimes I hear from the leaders I support that they care so much about their leadership style being "servant leadership" that they sometimes forget about themselves. I see this as a risk of overload and burnout. During the workshops, I invite leaders to build a power with, a win-win paradigm in which the needs of both leaders, the team and the organization are taken into account. -
...
One practice for each of the previously described elements:
EMPATHY: Practice empathy for yourself first and foremost. Take 5 minutes every day to reflect to understand your feelings and needs. Pay attention to what you feel, what your needs are and whether they are met. It may not look like it at first glance, but it will also increase your ability to accompany others.
Leadership based on empathy is an approach that focuses on interpersonal relationships and understanding the needs of the team and its individual members while also understanding the “needs” of the organization. Unlike models that often focus mainly on results and products, leadership based on empathy sees the people as the heart of the organization. Leaders who practice this approach learn how to be open to their colleagues' emotions, needs and hopes, which significantly affects the collaboration within the team. It is worth adding that people who lead their teams in an empathic, so to speak, human way also see a human in themselves. They are open to their feelings and needs, can clearly formulate requests, feedback, and take care of their boundaries, while still showing respect to others.
The key elements of such leadership can be summed up in three words: empathy, of course, curiosity and courage.