Leadership: The importance of Empathy
When we think of leaders, how often do we consider how empathetic they are? But when we come across a leader who is, we notice it.The pandemic has brought challenges to everyone from a professional and personal perspective resulting in empathy quickly becoming considered an important characteristic of a leader. Leaders have faced many challenges over the past year engaging with their colleagues as office work has moved to a new normal: a “working from home” model due to the pandemic. Although this has created physical distance, the opportunities for leaders to show understanding and empathy to colleagues are still pertinent. The important thing to note about empathy is that it is a skill that can be developed and learnt. Over the summer, Craig McKellar has spoken to many people who have reflected on leadership in the workplace during lockdown and the challenges that working from home has posed. The importance of empathy was evident as those who felt their new work routine was manageable and not stressful, were the ones who praised their senior management and leadership.