Empathy is now recognised as a key aspect of competent leadership. It allows you to predict the effect your decisions and actions will have on core audiences and strategise accordingly. With empathy, you can build and strengthen a team as well as nurture a new generation of leaders. Without empathy you will not inspire followers or elicit loyalty. Soft-skill training opportunities for staff to learn the art of leading with empathy is provided in roughly a fifth of major companies in the US, where it is now seen as a key part of increasing productivity in individuals and teams.
Our masterclass on this topic begins with small group work on what empathy means, and how important it is in leadership. The group is supported to reach a common agreement on the importance of empathy in leadership and what we mean by it. Participants are then guided through a drama-based learning scenario where a leader is not demonstrating empathy. The ensuing debate creates learning opportunities around how empathy can be put into practice and how the participants can better demonstrate their own empathy in future interactions.
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