Human Resources Issues for Senior Management
Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/699912
'E' 16/CANADIAN HR STRATEGY L ook around and some of the more successful leaders in the spotlight today may not immediately be de- scribed as empathetic. Consider, for example, Mar- tin Shkreli, CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals — who raised the price of a lifesaving medicine by 5,000 per cent — or Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos — whose com- pany was said to use cruel management practices. And yet in studies and articles looking at business success, "empathy" is often mentioned as a must-have leadership trait. So what exactly is it — and why is it so essential? At its core, empathy is about perspective-taking, says Craig Dowden, an executive coach based in Toronto. "You're able to understand the thoughts, feelings and needs of the people around you, so you have a broader external awareness and under- stand that and appreciate your environment." And it's important, he says. In looking at leadership effectiveness, empathy is among the predictors of leadership effectiveness, accord- ing to a 2012 study by the Management Research Group looking at 2,121 leaders. In looking at the competencies that predict ethical leadership, empa- thy comes across as the number one driver, says Dowden. "When we're aware of our external environment, when we have ex- ternal awareness and we understand the needs of the stakeholders, the customers, the communities we serve, our employees, we're much bet- ter-equipped to make a more informed, complex decision rather than just being from a self-generated, self-oriented perspective. So I think empathy adds that layer of complexity to the decision-making process. Leaders are supposed to have it — but how important is it? is for Empathy 'E' is for Empathy 'E' By Sarah Dobson PHOTO: REUTERS/JASON REDMOND