How have servant leaders developed empathy skills to achieve their goals?

1 Listen actively

Listening is more than just hearing what others say. It involves paying attention, asking questions, clarifying, and reflecting. Listening actively shows that you care about the other person's perspective, needs, and emotions, and that you are willing to learn from them. Servant leaders listen actively to their followers, customers, partners, and stakeholders, and use the feedback to improve their services, products, and processes. Listening actively also helps servant leaders to build trust, rapport, and loyalty with others.

2 Show compassion

Compassion is the feeling of sympathy and concern for the suffering or well-being of others. It also involves taking action to alleviate or prevent their pain. Servant leaders show compassion by being sensitive, supportive, and generous to those who are in need, whether they are their followers, colleagues, customers, or community members. Servant leaders show compassion by providing emotional, practical, or material assistance, or by advocating for social justice and change. Showing compassion also helps servant leaders to foster a culture of kindness, respect, and cooperation in their organizations and teams.

3 Understand diversity

Diversity is the recognition and appreciation of the differences and similarities among people, such as their backgrounds, cultures, values, beliefs, experiences, skills, and perspectives. Servant leaders understand diversity by being open-minded, curious, and respectful of others' views and identities. Servant leaders understand diversity by learning about other cultures, traditions, histories, and languages, and by celebrating and leveraging the diversity of their followers, customers, and partners. Understanding diversity also helps servant leaders to create an inclusive, equitable, and innovative environment for everyone.

4 Empathize with yourself

Empathizing with yourself is the ability to recognize and accept your own feelings, thoughts, and needs, without judging or criticizing yourself. Servant leaders empathize with themselves by being self-aware, honest, and compassionate towards themselves. Servant leaders empathize with themselves by acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses, celebrating their achievements and learning from their mistakes, and taking care of their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Empathizing with yourself also helps servant leaders to develop self-confidence, resilience, and authenticity.

5 Practice empathy

Empathy is a skill that can be learned and improved with practice. Servant leaders practice empathy by applying the previous tips in their daily interactions and activities. Servant leaders practice empathy by listening actively to others, showing compassion to those who are suffering or struggling, understanding diversity among people, and empathizing with themselves. Servant leaders practice empathy by also seeking feedback, coaching, mentoring, or training to enhance their empathy skills. Practicing empathy also helps servant leaders to achieve their goals by creating positive relationships, outcomes, and impacts.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?