Written by: Mell Balment, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
"GOOD LEADERS HAVE ADEQUATE STAFF. GREAT LEADERS HAVE LOYAL TEAMS". Do you consider yourself to be a good leader? Can you confidently say you are a great leader? Do you think being empathic is a hindrance to your leadership abilities?
If you hesitate to say ‘I’m a great leader’, then you’re in the right place to learn what you can do, to go from I’m an OK leader with adequate staff to, I have a loyal team.
You’ve maybe discovered that the best companies don't just ask people to do something, they get them on board with a clear vision at the start and then they listen to their team's feedback.
Which means they recognise, that investing in creating rapport with their team, helps them reach their fullest potential, which is the fastest way to get what the company wants… or even better.
And don’t be fooled into thinking this applies only to large ‘corporations’ or companies.
Even small businesses can have fantastic results by investing and leveraging the most expensive resource, hu-man power.
The first step for this style of leadership, only works if you’re ready to start thinking bigger for your business or the leadership role you’re in!
You already know what it takes to accomplish great things, so I’m going to assume that you also probably know that it’s not enough for a leader to just ‘let your team know what you want from them’.
You must create rapport and build your connection and engagement with them! But don’t worry this isn’t going to ‘take up more of your precious time’.
In fact if you get this right, you will end up with more time to focus on working on the business and what needs to be done to create the growth and impact you desire.
A promotion, does not a leader maketh.
I’m sure you’ve come across a ‘bad’ leader in your life. You know, ones who…
make unclear requests
demand ‘better’ results ‒ without any specific guidance
miss-communicate ‒ or changes the goal posts without communicating it
piles too much on, without checking-in
assumes you’re a mind reader…
The list goes on and the truth is, not everyone knows how to lead themselves let alone, directing others and teams to harmonious success!
The best leaders are those who can empathise with their team. They understand what motivates ‒ and challenges them ‒ individually. They see things from their employees perspective and put themselves in their shoes. This allows them to connect on a deeper level and builds trust.
Empathetic leaders can see when someone is struggling and offers support.
They also provide guidance when needed and offer praise when warranted.
When people feel understood and supported, they are more likely to be loyal and committed to the goal.
If you want to be an effective leader, it is essential that you develop empathy, not turn your back on them when they need you.
Knowing isn't leading
Most of the time, leaders think they know everything there is to know about their topic and assume that makes them natural leaders in their field.
But the truth of the matter is, even after becoming an expert, leading ourselves and others take an entirely different skill-set (and simply absorbing new knowledge doesn't make them a great leader either).
Perhaps they’ve attended a seminar or read an article on a ‘leadership’ skill, often though, it’s through implementing, trialling and integrating that skill with practice, insights and repetition that turns a good leader into a potentially great one.
Leadership means so much more than being assertive, or being able to speak to large groups of people or holding their own in stressful environments.
It’s important to remember you have to be able to care for the people as well as yourself — your career goals are directly intertwined with the good of your team members' careers.
The good news is, you really don’t have to be born a leader to become a great leader. It really begins with how you view the role of leadership!
So, here are 3 rules to having an empathic leadership mindset:
Rule No.1 Develop Yourself
Are you doing what it takes to be a great leader? If not, why? You must constantly expand your toolkit of leadership skills which are principally accomplished through personal development.
If you are not constantly striving to make yourself a better person, a better leader or a better colleague, then you are behind the game plan from the outset.
You also aren't setting a great example of improvement for your team of investing in their development. Which leads me to point 2.
Rule No.2 Develop Others
Encouraging others and letting them make mistakes is a great way to invest in your team.
When you do this, you are letting others develop their own skills.
Giving them space to trial, error and adapt their own skills, freeing up your time in the long run.
Giving up control to move forward in the longer game is 1 way I would define great leadership.
Rule No.3 Develop the Team
Not only responsible for establishing leadership development, you are responsible to grow and develop your team as well. This means that you need to focus on mutual goals and the best interests of the entire team or organisation.
This can be a difficult balancing act, but it's essential if you want to be a successful leader.
Encouraging your team to learn nuances of uniqueness and humanness is a massive step forward for them to have more appreciation for each other's strengths and weaknesses.
The ultimate indicator of team success AKA great leadership is whether they would have your back to support each other and you through the tough ‘down times’.
I once had a boss that wouldn't promote an emerging leader because “the team wouldn't stand on the front lines with him’.
Meaning they don’t respect him as he hadn’t respected them enough, for them to show up and sail into stormy seas with him. They just wouldn’t go the extra mile for him.
Learning how to lead is a lifetime’s voyage. If you’d like to develop your skills check out my free resources that are waiting for you to up-level your empathic leadership.
Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!
Mell Balment, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Mell Balment is a change-maker in the space of energy, mindset, and super-conscious mastery. She’s on a mission to help EmpathPreneursTM have unwavering confidence to accomplish the ambitions they currently only dream about.
Soul-driven leaders desire to be fulfilled but worry about their success being built on others suffering. In her first 4 years as a fully declared Quantum Healer, Mell B has facilitated 650 Mindweb Analysis sessions to address these limitations and more.
She loves partnering with secret empaths using advanced epigenetic processes, so they can make their impact on humanity.
Multi-award-winning healer, Mell B has blended spirituality and rapid results into a new accelerator system called Deep Belief HackingTM.
With a reputation for her courage, grace, and empathy, Mell was honored for her Cognitive Reframe Process as one of the world’s Top 10 Healers and the Top 1% of Leadership coaches in Australia.
Known for her transformational retreats and cutting-edge quantum programs including ‘EmpathPreneurShip', she is a published author and vivacious public speaker on Navigating The Chaos Of Life As An Empath.
