The Basic Quality So Many Leaders Lack
And why it’s critical in business
Empathy. To many, the word carries a negative connotation. It is too emotional and “touchy-feely” to take a rightful place in business vernacular alongside strong testosterone-laden words like incentivize, actionable, and ROI. But research suggests it’s time to rethink empathy’s critical role in business.
A recent study published in Harvard Business Reviewassessed the link between empathic leaders and performance. Researchers surveyed employees from 84 U.S. companies about the character of their CEOs, using compassion and forgiveness as key indicators. Comparing the company’s financial performance against the employee’s judgment of the CEOs character, the researchers found that CEOs with a strong character outperformed their poorly-ranked peers by nearly 500%.Further research connects empathy with improved product development, marketing, and manager performance.
By definition, empathy is the ability to understand or share another person’s experiences and emotions – as much as humanly possible. Like any skill, it requires practice. To better understand how to develop and cultivate empathy, I interviewed several leaders at the MIT Leadership Center about how they build connections with their teams and customers. Not surprisingly, what these leaders do to maintain an empathetic culture yields many high-value benefits.
Make time for your customers
Have you ever asked yourself how much of your time is spent on the edge of your organization where customers directly experience your products and services? If the answer is less than 25%, you are at risk to be blindsided by competitors who pay better attention to what customers really care about – at least that’s what I’ve learned interviewing 200 of the world’s best leaders during the past three years. Personal interaction is crucial to developing innovative ideas. Oddly though, the higher leaders rise in an organization, the easier it becomes to lose this critical consumer connection – either by delegating the task or just simply abandoning it. The most effective leaders prioritize personal customer connection time because it’s crucial to the innovation process.
Have you ever asked yourself how much of your time is spent on the edge of your organization where customers directly experience your products and services? If the answer is less than 25%, you are at risk to be blindsided by competitors who pay better attention to what customers really care about – at least that’s what I’ve learned interviewing 200 of the world’s best leaders during the past three years. Personal interaction is crucial to developing innovative ideas. Oddly though, the higher leaders rise in an organization, the easier it becomes to lose this critical consumer connection – either by delegating the task or just simply abandoning it. The most effective leaders prioritize personal customer connection time because it’s crucial to the innovation process.
Kailash Swarna, a former pharmaceutical executive and now an MIT Sloan fellow, recently reflected on how one of his bosses maintained his connection to patients as his job responsibilities pulled him further away from the frontlines. A practicing physician, he would see patients in the clinic every Friday and then share the experiences with Swarna and his team in their Monday meetings. This type of personal connection not only strengthened the team’s resolve to create lifesaving medicines, but made them part of the patient experience. Whether in a doctor’s room, a tradeshow, a retail location, or other settings, leaders must carve out the time to get to know their customers.
Ask questions
During the past three decades of studying leadership, I’ve found that the most effective – and empathetic – leaders are the best questioners. They ask many catalytic questions of their customers, suppliers, direct reports, peers, and colleagues. Questions not only yield innovative solutions, but they are also the conduit through which empathy flows. Through questions, leaders can build a strong understanding of what makes their teams tick and even overcome their own personal leadership challenges. For instance, General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, told me questions are what help him cope with his introversion and connect with his team.
During the past three decades of studying leadership, I’ve found that the most effective – and empathetic – leaders are the best questioners. They ask many catalytic questions of their customers, suppliers, direct reports, peers, and colleagues. Questions not only yield innovative solutions, but they are also the conduit through which empathy flows. Through questions, leaders can build a strong understanding of what makes their teams tick and even overcome their own personal leadership challenges. For instance, General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan, told me questions are what help him cope with his introversion and connect with his team.
The simplest way for a leader to build an empathetic and question-centric culture is to lead by example; ask your teams about what’s working, what’s not, and why. Ask about their day, their favorite tasks, their biggest challenges. Probe from a foundation of trust, not fear, seeking to honestly understand their world, not to blame or criticize. Work hard to pay attention to what they say and do so you can surface at least one surprising or unexpected insight from the encounter.
Encourage questions
Inquiry is not a one way street (and if it is, it’s ultimately a dead end). Leaders must encourage others to do the same. In one of his first leadership positions, Swarna led a team through a facility move expected to temporarily shut down the company’s labs and all ongoing experiments. During this time of change, Swarna made himself available to the researchers in the lab. One of the newest hires in the company challenged him about the consequences of shutting down his experiment. As a result, Swarna rearranged the move so the experiment could continue without interruption. If he hadn’t encouraged his team members to come forward, he may not have discovered the error until it cost the business money and maybe even the entire team’s trust.
Inquiry is not a one way street (and if it is, it’s ultimately a dead end). Leaders must encourage others to do the same. In one of his first leadership positions, Swarna led a team through a facility move expected to temporarily shut down the company’s labs and all ongoing experiments. During this time of change, Swarna made himself available to the researchers in the lab. One of the newest hires in the company challenged him about the consequences of shutting down his experiment. As a result, Swarna rearranged the move so the experiment could continue without interruption. If he hadn’t encouraged his team members to come forward, he may not have discovered the error until it cost the business money and maybe even the entire team’s trust.
At the top of an organization, it’s easy for leaders to get lulled into a false sense of security. Employees who arediscouraged from asking tough questions will only report what is comfortable and positive, effectively blinding senior leaders to the unvarnished truth. Only by being open to catalytic questions (ones that dissolve false assumptions and accelerate change) can leaders gain an accurate perspective of the risks and opportunities lying ahead. Encourage employees to ask questions in a safe environment without fear of judgment or consequence. Make yourself available for questions. Maybe it’s by holding set office hours or hosting informal gatherings. Simply being fully present signals empathy and, in the end, builds mission critical trust.
Andre Dubus III, an American author and short story writer, famously penned, “Writing is a sustained act of empathy.” Similarly, I believe that effective leadership is a sustained act of empathy. It is only through the close cultivation of this critical leadership skill that organizations can create a more innovative, more productive, and more engaged culture. It’s about time we bring “empathy” back into business and keep it there.
Hal Gregersen is executive director of the MIT Leadership Center, a senior lecturer in leadership and innovation at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and a Thinkers50globally ranked management thinker. He is the author of The Innovator’s DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators and founder of The 4-24 Project. As part of theMIT Leadership Center Video Series, he sits down with innovative leaders to explore how they are solving the world’s most challenging problems.
賴清德政治生涯的考驗（2月22日壹週刊【沈政男觀點】）
◎沈政男
◎沈政男
台南地震救災告一段落後，市長賴清德接受媒體訪問時表示，當時心裡暗自想著，「府會衝突、登革熱之後，這是老天給台南人的第三個考驗了，應該夠了吧！」講到這裡，他紅了眼眶。
地震是不是老天給台南人的考驗，不得而知，但此次的救災工作肯定是賴清德政治生涯的重大考驗。先前因為府會衝突、登革熱，讓他一向超高的支持度滑落不少，如今在地震救災後的民調裡，他的整體施政滿意度再度回升到了接近八成，顯然已經通過了這次的考驗。
在這次救災過程裡，賴清德最感動市民的，是他接連幾天不眠不休，幾乎沒有睡覺，還要面對媒體用著浮腫的眼袋與有些結巴的語氣解說救災進度。賴清德何以有這樣的體力與耐力？當然是因為他當過醫生，接受過連續幾天白天上班晚上值班、有空就吃飯沒空就餓肚子的磨練。柯文哲當上台北市長以後說，跟當醫生比起來，市長的工作量實在輕鬆，意思相近。
賴清德與柯文哲都是醫生出身的政治明星，醫生的專業、認真與堅毅形象，對兩人都有加分。但醫生從政，也有不利之處，因為很多醫生都有兩個毛病：自戀與強迫，前者容易自以為是、看不起別人，後者則會過度求完美導致欠缺變通。柯文哲目前就是陷在自戀的蛋殼裡，三不五時想要呱呱告訴世人，我是最強最優，才會經常亂講話。但賴清德沒有這樣的問題，原因可能是本來自戀傾向就不強，再加上他在考上醫學系之前曾就讀其他科系，容易領悟人外有人的道理。
然而賴清德有沒有強迫特質？當然有，而且還不輕微。賴清德的強迫傾向主要表現在道德潔癖與責任心，這樣的特質讓他可以堅持立場，力抗黑暗勢力，比如2004年他當立委時，曾因勸戒胡亂開車的年輕人，而在路上被人痛毆。但強迫特質如果過頭，也會綁住自己，比如先前的府會僵局，不巧碰上登革熱攪局，差點讓賴清德陰溝裡翻船。柯文哲也有強迫特質，但他展現在凡事講求標準流程之上，跟賴清德不一樣。
有道德潔癖的人，交友都很慎重，一來怕友誼影響自己的行事原則，再者也不容易信任別人。如果是一般人，這樣的特質沒什麼大不了，但對於政治人物來說，將很難拓展人脈。賴清德有沒有什麼比較信任的政壇友人或幕僚？好像沒聽過。當市長靠著一人意志力，還可以獨撐大局，但如果是中央層級職位，天下之大非一人所能獨治，這時用人能力便是重大考驗。賴清德在震災中，是否因為找不到可以信任委託的人，才連續幾天不敢休息睡覺？這點值得他深思。
在震災中賴清德所穿的球鞋掉了鞋底，有人讚嘆有人吐槽，但從賴清德的強迫特質與清寒出身來看，應該就是一個節儉的人。出身清寒的政治人物不見得就能體恤升斗小民，但賴清德心腸夠柔軟，這使得他即使當官，還是可以跟民眾拉近距離，並展現關懷市民的真誠身段。
三年後賴清德的市長任期屆滿，如果蔡英文連任總統，他還必須再多等幾年才能挑戰大位。很多醫生跟上級處不好，總覺得你只是比較幸運才會坐上那個位置，為什麼要聽你的？醫生出身的賴清德跟蔡英文的關係如何，只有當事人知道，但如何獲得蔡英文的信任與重用，肯定是賴清德政治生涯的下一個考驗。
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