Main takeaways: - Why is it important to lead with Empathy? - What would be the impact of Empathy on team performance? - Techniques to lead with Empathy

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Leading a Team with Empathy
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6. How to lead a team with
empathy
Jagadish Mahadevan

7. Key Topics
● Why is it important to lead with empathy?
● Impact of empathy on team performance
● Techniques to lead with empathy

8. Who is this talk for?
● Front-line Managers, who directly lead one or more teams
● PMs and other roles who lead through influence
● Managers of managers, looking to promote an empathetic culture in their
organizations
Anyone who is working as part of a team can benefit from understanding and
appreciating empathy

9. About me…
● Software Engineer -> Business Analyst -> Product Manager
● Led teams at each of my roles - either as a direct manager or as a team lead
● Spent a lot of time developing Supply Chain systems
● Strong believer of leading with influence, and without authority
● Understood the concept of empathy before I knew the word!
● Can be reached at jagadish.mahadevan@gmail.com

10. What is Empathy?
Empathy is not Sympathy!
● Looking at a situation from the other person’s perspective, from their shoes
● Understanding their emotions / thinking process
● Imagining how THEY (and not YOU) would react in that situation

11. Why lead with Empathy?
● It might seem a tad Altruistic - but it is totally worth it!
● Leaders and social scientists around the world are increasingly talking about
Empathy - Mr. Nadella wrote a book about it!
● The traditional “Carrot - Stick” method is no longer effective
● Some companies that operate bottoms-up are redefining the role of the
Manager - support growth and cultivate a growth mindset
● Employees are motivated by how they feel about the work, rather than by the
actual work

12. Empathy can be a company’s competitive edge
● 82% of employees would consider leaving their job for a more empathetic
organization
● 78% of employees would above and beyond for a more empathetic employer
● 72% of CEOs say the state of empathy needs to evolve
● 9 in 10 HR professionals and CEOs agree organizations with diversity in
leadership show more empathy
The Lesson Is Clear: Employers Ignore Empathy at Their Own Risk
Source: 2019 State of Workplace Empathy Study

13. How can empathy impact team performance
Two personal experiences:
1. Experience with a team member
2. When my manager showed great empathy
Lesson learnt: Stand by your team, and you can expect the best performance
ever!

14. How to lead with empathy?
1. LISTEN (and not just hear) without judgement
2. Pay attention to nonverbal communication
3. Encourage the quiet ones
4. Take a personal interest
5. Share personal experiences, where applicable
6. Form a team - not just a few individuals who work together
In addition to all of the above, I found Situational Leadership to be a great tool
to show empathy

15. Situational Leadership and Empathy
● Demonstrates evolutionary leadership style - shows
that the leader cares about the team member’s
situation
● The model improves performance of struggling
employees, while empowering top performers
● Increases awareness - promotes empathy
● Moves from feeling to action

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