Perks and benefits are great, but employee satisfaction often boils down to whether employees feel seen and heard by their managers.
In that sense, managers should consider upendending the hierarchical designation of ‘boss’ and focus instead on becoming a partner in mutual success, an empathetic facilitator who prioritizes employee satisfaction and fulfillment alongside performance. But success looks different from one employee to the next.
“Managers need to recognize that the ‘average employee’ is only a concept and develop personnel programs, policies and procedures that are responsive to the disparate values of employees,” noted two researchers in a 1973 Harvard Business Review while delving into their study on how managers can improve the employee experience.
Although their language is slightly sterile and the research is decades old, this point still holds true. The necessity for empathy in leadership transcends industry, company size and knowledge domain — even in the tech space, which seeks to disrupt the status quo and embrace rapid evolution.
In a 2022 HBR study, managers who balanced relationships with results saw 62 percent of employees be willing to put in extra effort. The process of achieving this balance cannot be automated or streamlined. An empathetic approach to improving employee performance cannot be distilled into an exact formula.
At Aurora Solar, however, one manager’s experience is a roadmap for how other people leaders can harness a genuine understanding of the individual for the benefit of all.
Aurora Solar’s cloud-based, AI-driven platform leverages data and automation to streamline workflows, design clean energy projects and grow businesses.
Give us a sense of your experience with helping direct reports turn performance around. What role does empathy play?
Helping others turn performance around was something that I took on early in my career, even as a team lead. Identifying the root of the issue is crucial to the applied plan of action. This is a matter of skill and will. Time in the role allowed me to empathize with both. Direct reports are people, and people love connection.
Being vulnerable with someone requires an immense amount of trust, so I learned to lean on my past experiences, as they either have or will experience them in the future. I’ve shared my experience fresh off-ramp, attempting to make my first call, how nervous I was and how bad it went. Now, I find humor in it, and it has helped me build trust with my direct reports.
Being vulnerable with someone requires an immense amount of trust, so I learned to lean on my past experiences, as they either have or will experience them in the future.”
What advice do you have for newer managers who aren’t sure how to tackle the topic of performance with their direct reports?
Lead with data, plan with focus and communicate with consistency. A manager should always lead with data, reviewing the metrics and responsibilities of their direct reports. This allows you to speak the same language as they do. Once an understanding is reached, it’s time to formulate an action plan: what will success look like, and how should the rep achieve it?
Additionally, index on empathy. You know or have experienced times when you needed to approach a situation differently, more frequently or with plenty of planning. Mold those experiences to fit the performance you want to address with your direct reports. Finally, share what your expectations are. When finishing a performance conversation, I usually end by saying that my expectations of them are very high and not to hesitate to approach me for any reason. I then ask them what their expectations are for me. This allows us to hold one another accountable.
How can newer managers build their empathy muscles to handle the challenges of these conversations better?
New managers should prepare for performance conversations so they aren’t managing by emotion. In doing this, they can hold space for emotion and lead with data and actionable feedback that supports the success of the individual and their team. Don’t roll into a conversation unprepared; nothing destroys credibility more than ‘winging it.’ Always maintain professionalism and tact.
As a manager, you are a leader in the organization, and your direct reports will respect you for acting as such. Acknowledge their feelings and partner with them to improve their performance. Don’t do all the talking; listen and think about what they’re saying before you prescribe the action. Sometimes, they come to the right conclusion, and all you have to do is listen.
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