Proof points? Check. Funding? Nailed it. Development? Underway. Team members led? Errr…maybe??? Before you dive too far into the startup or scaling vortex, consider the importance of raising leaders while you grow your company.
Raising leaders with as much vigor and determination as you apply to the rest of your business will pay off as your business grows and complexity increases.
Setting a leadership foundation early and intentionally galvanizes team members and inspires collaboration. It sets up your culture to attract the type of people you’ll need to continue the momentum. Raising leaders who can anchor and stabilize team members provides balance and respite from the necessary business cycle where people wear many hats and uncertainty reigns supreme. What leadership is most effective? Empathetic Leadership is a flexible approach that effectively engages team members to drive results. In fact, empathy tops the list as the most critical driver of interaction skills when it comes to job performance, according to recent research by DDI.
At its core, leading with empathy is about understanding others.
If you are constantly pivoting as you propel your business forward, the pivots of Empathetic Leadership will naturally fit within your business model. When you understand what a team member is experiencing, you can use that information to optimize your response. It also saves time because understanding deepens relationships and allows for shortcuts to emerge.
By using empathy to create relationship shortcuts between leaders and team members, you can cut through the noise and get to what needs to be done.
If you want to create a successful leadership trajectory while navigating business growth, begin raising Empathetic Leaders by inviting them to do the following:
- Start every communication by expressing desire to understand
- Step into the team member’s environment by zeroing in on them holistically
- Look for non-verbal cues and clues beyond what’s stated verbally
- Pause before responding to avoid a knee-jerk reaction
Raising leaders while scaling your business will accelerate attainment of your goals.
About the Author: Patricia Bravo
Patricia is dedicated to helping leaders gain a business advantage using Empathetic Leadership. As a consultant, speaker and author, she draws on her talent development experiences to increase business results through her company, Bravo For You. Teaching undergraduates at University of Washington, Bothell and professionals at UCLA Extension fuels her commitment to emerging and experienced business leaders. Her chapter on empathy was published in Authentic Leadership and Followership: International Perspectives and she regularly writes for a number of media outlets.
