Washington DC
I knew a CEO who hated the word “intuition,” deeming it too soft, too feminine. He routinely talked about his “gut feeling” or “hunches,” however, which meant about the same thing but sounded more masculine.
I knew a CEO who hated the word “intuition,” deeming it too soft, too feminine. He routinely talked about his “gut feeling” or “hunches,” however, which meant about the same thing but sounded more masculine.
The word “empathy” is much in vogue these days in leadership circles. I fear that it will suffer from this same kind of willful ignorance in some quarters, however, because it’s easily misconstrued and, yes, also sounds too feminine for some ears right out of the 18th Century.
Some folks hear the word empathy and think it means slavishly focusing on other people’s feelings. It feels soft and squishy to them. Or they conflate it with “sympathy.” And they certainly ridicule it.
Well, for starters, there is nothing unproductive about taking stock of people’s feelings when making a decision. This is especially true if the leader expects these same people to implement the decision.
Empathy means putting yourself in another’s shoes, at least in shorthand. So why not think of it in terms of competitive intelligence when it comes to assessing your competitors. Think of it as the best practice of assessing employee mood, morale and motivation. Consider that it’s exactly what you are doing in calibrating the customer experience. It would seem in this context that competitive intelligence and employee and customer feedback are tools of empathy.
Just as General Patton was no sissy when he put himself in General Rommel’s shoes in order to counter his effectiveness, leaders who take stock of the feelings of their competitors, customers and employees are smart. That’s my gut feeling.
Image courtesy of PsychAlive.