There are two different types of leaders — those who direct and those who control. If you don’t know which type of leader you are, here are eight questions you need to ask yourself: [Read more…] about Leaders, Are You Trying to Direct or Control?
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Empathy Is Your Best Business Asset
Empathy is about standing in someone else’s shoes, feeling with his or her heart, seeing with his or her eyes. Not only is empathy hard to outsource and automate, but it makes the world a better place.” – Daniel Pink
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. When someone wrote about their negative view of the work environment at Amazon in the New York Times, saying that management wasn’t accommodating to its employees, Bezos recanted with an internal memo to all of his employees. In this memo, Jeff made sure to say, “…our tolerance for any such lack of empathy needs to be zero,” and for good reason. Bezos understands just how important empathy can be.
I place an emphasis on this memo, not only because it shows the importance that Bezos places on the standard of empathy, but because it shows that companies choose to either create a culture of empathy or they don’t. So, how can leaders create a more empathetic environment, even if they feel they are not wired to be empathetic? Here are three ways that anyone can show more empathy, starting right now:
Stop Straddling the Barbed Wire Fence – Have a POV
Growing up in West Virginia we used to say that a politician was a man who could straddle a barbwire fence naked and smile, coming down squarely on both sides of an issue.
In high school debate we learned to argue both sides equally well, even if we only agreed personally with one side. This is a useful skill for critical analysis and persuasion, but it’s not leadership.
Whatever group or organization you’re leading, people are looking for a decisions and action, not waffling and delay. Winston Churchill understood the importance of taking a firm stand: “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. - Churchill Share on XLeaders need to take a stand, pick a side, choose a direction. They need a strong Point of View.
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