Leading with empathy + accountability
Something near and dear to my heart...because I suck at it.
"In my unprofessional opinion, empathy and accountability are the two traits that define the next generation of leaders new leaders. They are able to see things from others' perspectives and demonstrate high levels of personal responsibility. Even better - they can help others
"These qualities will set you apart from your competition as they allow you to build healthier relationships at work and beyond."
Understanding and treating your team well. Leadership is tough and can be hard to get right, but empathy combined with accountability will do the trick.
In general, your team members will be extraordinary to work with. Make sure you welcome any new additions by being actively empathetic and holding everyone accountable for the culture you’ve created. That's going to be extremely important.
People know you will have exceptions to rules, and that you demonstrate empathy when appropriate. While each person deserves some leeway in how they do strategy and execute personnel decisions, accountability should be front and center when it comes to how they execute their jobs. We ought to lay out these expectations as early as possible so that if you're a potential candidate, it is easier to find out whether or not the fit matches up. This way when we have to make personnel decisions and make cuts, we will be able to do so with empathy.
Start by empathizing with them and making them aware of what's expected of them. That's really hard, I think, with giving somebody feedback in a leadership position.
I have to do it all the time and there's always that person part of me that feels like “oh this is gonna be bad". I think that if you lay out what your expectations are at the beginning, it's easier to approach/show them what they need to do in order for them to be successful at their particular role. It all starts with setting the table properly.
The conversation can go like:
"Unfortunately, this isn't going to work the way that we've been executing. Look at all of the things that were laid out previously in the job description, you have not been able to match up with what is required to do this job.
If you're up for it let's figure out, there's a different job for you. This job may not be at this organization and that's okay. Tell me about your passion and goals..."
Then go ahead and move forward with that energy. If you beat around the bush, it is never good for anyone. Giving others false hope by skirting early expectations can be worse than anything else.
You want to have clear expectations early on, then hold them accountable. It's a way to fire people or hire them with high standards.