Empathy – the secret power behind Management 3.0 and how you can build it
Oct 01, 2020
So, in this week’s episode I want to share with you a hidden super power that you probably already have and ways to strengthen it!
First, a bit of background. A few years ago Jurgen Appelo’s published Management 3.0 heralding a new era of management. It was so exciting because it shifted thinking beyond hierarchies and management science and recognised that organisations are social networks. He highlighted that relationships were critical in progress and that organisations must adapt to people. For me, the most exciting bit of all was a dramatic shift away from transactional skills – negotiation, instruction even most delegation; to more relational skills around motivation, trust building, compassion, and empathy.
The core principle of Management 3.0 is that in order for organisations to thrive they must adapt to people not have people fit into boxes. The best way to help in that? Empathy
Empathy can be a secret power in this domain. If you can understand and share another person’s feelings you will find yourself one big step closer to unlocking their motivation and their trust.
So this week, I wanted to share some exercises with you that you will help you to flex this muscle.
1. Reflection – observe your feelings throughout the day. Most people go through four seasons in one day and get triggered by many different stimuli. If you experience a feeling like cynicism bubbling up the next time you catch up with twitter then spend ten seconds experiencing it. Does it show up in your body, if so, where. How alert are you feeling? How energised do you feel?
2. Visualisation and Role play – this NLP technique can be useful in developing empathy. Consider when you’ve felt a particular emotion, for example confidence. Then play with that image in your head – where were you, what did you notice, how did you look, how was your body posture? Try to recreate that feeling as far as you can and observe what happens.
3. Build empathy and reflection into your preparation – how would it feel to be on the receiving end? When you’re preparing for a big presentation, particularly about change, spend a little time considering your own feelings on that topic. Often, the first step of understanding and sharing the feelings of others to be aware of your own responses. You can weave these into your presentation in order to build trust. It brings more authenticity and vulnerability into your delivery and can be a valuable trust mechanism.
If you get put off with the word feeling, I get it. It can be wishy washy. Consider it as a set of life hacks that will strengthen your capacity to lead.
If it seems like it’ll take too much time, just practice 30 seconds. Anything you do to break your normal cycle will support you in the long term.
Every week, we’ll be sending a new topic linked back to honing those billionaire mindset skills: big picture thinking, relentless laser focus, risk taking, leadership and exceptional decision making. If you want to explore and develop your skills in yourself or your team get in touch to book a discovery call.
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
