As we navigate the Great Resignation, the need for empathic leaders has come  center stage. People are unwilling to work for managers prone to autocracy, micromanaging, and narcissism — and they will resign in an effort to find a more welcoming culture.
 
It is crucial to recognize, however, that the drive for results and the practice of empathy are not mutually exclusive. Writing in Inc., Phillip Kane, CEO and Managing Partner of Grace Ocean business consultants, contends that effective leaders understand that results matter. But they also realize that results are heightened with kindness.
 
Such leaders recognize and reward the contributions of others, prize the mental and emotional well-being of those who work for them, and know better than to destroy trust over something like a missed objective. 
 
Kane concludes, “If you've believed, like many have, that delivering results and caring for others is an either/or proposition, change your thinking, and then change those you entrust to lead your team. Choose caring, empathic leaders. They are, for good reason, all the rage right now.”
 
To what extent do leaders in your organization display empathy, and what is the effect? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the photo).  We’d really like to hear about your experience and get your feedback!

As employee turnover continues to rise, employers are striving to discern what workers really want. Of course benefits are important, but they are far from the whole picture.
 
Writing in Inc., Marcel Schwantes, founder and Chief Human Officer of Leadership from the Core contends that “good leadership takes skill, heart, head, hands, and a willingness to serve others.” He offers 3 actions leaders can take to ensure people stay longer:
 

• Provide opportunities and growth: According to Schwantes, most employees don’t view their workplace as providing enough options and opportunities. “Employers need to replace traditional career ladders with lattices that enable people to grow — not just vertically, but across departments and functions.”
• Offer more face time:  According to Beamery 2021 Talent Index, which offered insights from more than 5,000 employees, a lack of one-to-one time with their manager hindered their promotion opportunities in the past year. Leaders can avoid this by meeting with their team members and outlining what would be required to secure career advancement.
• Open up two-way communication: Superior leaders are superior coaches, using their one-on-one time to help their employees to develop, and also to solicit feedback that increases their own self-awareness and accelerates their own learning.

​Is your organization doing what it should to help employees continue to develop and build on their strengths? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the photo).  We're really like to about your experiences with attracting & retaining employees!

If you want to hire the right kind of employees and keep them motivated, an extensive new study from Bain may prove helpful. The project’s authors spent a year surveying 20,000 workers in 10 countries (the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria) as well as conducting in-depth interviews with more than 100 employees.
 
As recounted in Inc., the study concluded that there are six work-orientation archetypes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Problems can arise when employers are seeking one type but hire another. The archetypes are:
 

1. Operators:  They are team-minded and often view colleagues as friends, but they “work to live” rather than “live to work.” They prefer predictability and do not seek to stand out.
2. Givers:  They find meaning in work that directly improves the lives of others.  Their empathetic nature typically translates into a team spirit and deep personal relationships at work. But they are cautious and relatively hesitant to jump on new opportunities as they arise.
3. Artisans:  They seek out work that fascinates them and are motivated by the pursuit of mastery. They enjoy being valued for expertise, and desire a high degree of autonomy.
4. Explorers:  They value experiences and freedom, and desire flexibility along with autonomy. They typically don't rely on their job for a sense of identity, often exploring multiple occupations during their lifetime.
5. Strivers: Strivers have a strong desire for professional success, and value status and compensation. They are forward planners who can be relatively risk-averse, as they opt for well-trodden paths to success. They can be competitive and transactional.
6. Pioneers:  These entrepreneurial types are the most risk-tolerant and forward thinking of all. They have strong views and will do almost anything to achieve their vision. They identify profoundly with their work.

 
Do you recognize yourself, or any of your employees, in any of these archetypes? Does your organization skew toward one type in particular or is there a balance? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the picture).  We'd really like to hear your feedback and experiences!

Is it acceptable to let go of the pressure to participate in back-and-forth work-related conversations? Cal Newport, computer science professor and author of A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload, suggests practicing messaging “triage.”
 
In a recent paper, researchers concluded that constantly attending to emails, texts, Slack messages, and Zoom requests can lead to cognitive overload that “may result in ineffective information processing, confusion, loss of control, psychological stress — or even an increase of depressive symptoms.” When we practice triage, we make practical real-time decisions about which messages warrant an instantaneous response, which we need to think about before answering, and which aren’t really worth our attention.
 
Triaging may feel uncomfortable at first, but you can start small by cutting back on reply pleasantries like “thanks for the update” and “hope you are well”…which might be considered communication clutter. As Newport argues, “In the context of digital communication, the sender often prefers avoiding the receipt of additional messages when possible.”
 
If you don’t reply immediately to a message during your downtime or vacation or even when you are just preoccupied or exhausted, Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language, says, “Don’t apologize. Just reply when you can. Or don’t.” Still feel uncomfortable? Daniel Post Senning of the Emily Post Institute, which offers etiquette advice, says, “You have to be a civil and decent person, but you don’t have to give your time and attention to everyone who asks for it.”
 
Do you ever choose to ignore work-related messages and what are your criteria for doing so? Have there been repercussions? To join the conversation, click "comments" above (just below the picture).  We’d love to hear your feedback!