This month’s word: The 6 C’s of effective empathic leadership.
The 6 C’s of effective, empathic leadership will serve you well, depending upon your team’s goals, the framework being used, and whether your team is public or private. Basically, the 6 C’s will fit, no matter what group you belong to. Let’s take a look.
- Communication: Clearly articulate goals, expectations, and visions while actively listening to team members. Keep lines of communication open with constituents and the general public. When new ideas are introduced, cover all aspects of the idea. Use a reasonable, kind voice. When people understand all facets of a project, then more effective decisions follow.
- Confidence: Making decisive choices and projecting stability and self-assurance during uncertain times. Always be kind and show empathy. Use a calm voice, make eye contact, and continue to show that you care.
- Commitment: Staying dedicated to the team, organizational goals, and core mission through good and bad periods. ‘Staying the course’ through rough times, and using wisdom and knowledge to push ahead. Staying optimistic is a good thing.
- Creativity: Thinking outside the box, embracing new ideas, and finding innovative solutions to challenges. Stay rested and eat good food—it all helps to get the creative juices going. Keep a tablet with you always…write down ideas as they come to you.
- Curiosity: Some of the world’s greatest ideas have come through plain old curiosity. What if we tried it this way? I want to know more about gardening. Is it crazy to think that we want people to shop online? Everything you read, and the people you meet, will feed your curiosity. Embrace it.
- Character: Operating with honesty, integrity, and strong ethical values that earn the trust of others. Fiduciary responsibility is a key element of strong leadership.
My Dad was an agricultural banker. In a family-owned bank in a small town. In those days, the bank officers wore ties in the office. One day, Dad put on his bib overalls to head to work.
Unbeknown to me, Dad was heading to the farm to visit with Chester and Maurice, two bachelor farmers who farmed south of town. Dad walked the farm fields with Chester and Maurice, learning all about their farming operations. He listened carefully, as the brothers talked about their love of farming.
A few hours later, Dad returned to the bank, his overshoes muddied from walking in the field. He carried a shoebox full of money into the bank.
Maurice and Chester, impressed with the way Dad listened to them, finally decided that having their money in bank (earning interest) was better than keeping the money under their mattress. And they knew they could trust Dad to look after their money.
Dad remained friends with Maurice and Chester until they passed.
Communication. Confidence. Commitment. Creativity. Curiosity. Character. All tempered with empathy. The pillars of effective leadership.
LOVE. LISTEN. LEARN.
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