Showing Empathy at Work

10 Aug 2023 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:57

A short YouTube segment (created/uploaded by Clegg on August 10, 2023) explaining how managers can show empathy in workplace conversations. The speaker contrasts a common, punitive-style manager script about missed targets with an empathetic alternative that asks "Are you okay? What's going on?" and argues that demonstrating care for employees as humans builds loyalty and motivates long-term effort.

Chapters

What does empathy look and sound like in a corporate environment? So, for example, a manager walks into somebody's office and says, you missed your numbers this quarter. You know, we've had this conversation three, three times before and if you don't hit your numbers the next quarter, I don't know what's going to happen. Right. That's a fairly normal scenario. If you inject empathy into that scenario, it goes a little differently. The manager walks into the office or calls them up and says, you know, you've missed your numbers for the third time in a row. We've had this conversation before. Are you okay? I'm worried about you. What's going on? That's a muscle that has to be developed where that person feels that someone has their back, that someone cares for them and that pays back in spades over the course of time. And people will give their blood, sweat and tears to serve and give back and follow a leader who they believe sees them as a human being and cares about their well being as a human being, not just if they're hitting their numbers.