Being in an organization where the leader is unable to understand or share the feelings of an employee is destructive to the employee. And to the organization.

When a leader is able to understand or share in the feelings of another, that leader is said to be an empathetic leader. These leaders assess situations not only by the end results but by how their people are feeling. They know if they can adjust or tweak operations, they can change feelings and get a better outcome.

Think about a time when you were in a position and the leader failed to understand or care for your emotions. How did their actions make you feel?

Probably pretty crummy.

Now, what about a time when a leader could relate to or understand your feelings? What did you feel then?  Read more...