There is a lot of research into empathy in leadership and a people centred approach. This is all very important for a company's culture. However, does this approach in itself develop the business side of the company enough for people to be able to hold on to their jobs and continue to benefit from its culture?
There are many different types of leaders in a company to ensure it operates as efficiently as possible. In order for this to happen at a high level, each leadership position is trusted with a different level of responsibility. For example, a good leader at an Executive Level understands that they need to look 2-5 years in the future to ensure the business is still operating at a high level. This means that this particular leadership role will not have the time to walk around on the floor and check-in with their employees on a daily basis. For a CEO it’s something in a range of 5-10 years of foresight, someone who has even less time for individual check-ins.
What people need is a job, a place to work, to feel secure that their leaders can make sound decisions for the whole company and attract business. Putting their focus where the company needs. Pressuring leaders to be everything for everyone is actually putting a dent in that healthy, empathetic work culture.
By understanding the company's structure and level of engagement through the orientation and recruitment process, we can avoid an unrealistic expectation of engagement from various levels of leadership.
Let’s be transparent and upfront. There is nothing stopping us from being kind to one another. However, just because an executive leader doesn’t know the name of a worker's dog, or where they went on holiday last year, it doesn’t mean that leader is not empathetic. Due to a responsibility to foresee a company’s business 2, 3, 5 years in the future, their level of engagement with a worker is less likely to be as often as some other leadership roles, such as, a team leader.
Let’s stop putting pressure on ourselves to be everything to everyone all at once and focus on what is important for the growth of the company. Especially with the right level of foresight and work culture.