Empathy – how you relate to others or the ability to put yourself in their shoes – is a highly valuable skill to have in a business setting. It’s particularly valuable when you’re in a leadership role, such as a staff supervisor.
Supervisors who are able to show compassion and express empathy can help to create a positive environment where everyone feels like they are working with purpose. As a result, they become more productive, better motivated, and have a higher sense of satisfaction in doing their job.
If you’ve ever wondered whether empathy can actually help you become a better staff supervisor, then the answer is a bold, resounding ‘yes’!
So, here are 7 ways you can leverage empathy to further your repertoire as a staff supervisor:
1. Nurture Relationships
If you’ve worked for successful managers or supervisors in the past, then you probably already know that “it’s all about the relationships”. There’s a lot of training out there that teach you the same thing, and a good example is the online courses on supervisor skills from ZandaX, which reinforce just how important this is.
If you spend just a little time getting to know your team, you can learn what matters to them the most. But why is that important to begin with? These conversations are actually crucial to becoming an effective staff supervisor.
Perhaps, someone has an ageing parent who needs looking after or one of your members is going through a divorce; if you put in the time and effort to have authentic and meaningful conversations with your staff members, you can better understand what their troubles or vulnerabilities are. Knowing facts about your staff helps you build connections, which will ultimately make you better at your job.
2. Propagate Kindness And Compassion
Most of us understand that kindness is about being compassionate, but how many of use engage in kindness without expecting anything whatsoever in return?
When people in leadership roles, such as staff supervisors, act with kindness and compassion, they actively utilise all their talents, skills, and resources to improve the lives of their team members. These authentic acts of generosity, care, compassion, and service create feelings of wellness, satisfaction, and security amongst employees, improving their morale, productivity, and more.
3. Don’t Conceal Vulnerabilities
Leaders in organisations can be seen as the “be all, end all” – people or figures that others are supposed to look up to. As such, they are expected not to show any emotions, vulnerabilities, or ‘imperfections’.
The truth is, if you allow your vulnerabilities to show as a staff supervisor, you can create the opportunity to strengthen relationships with your staff members and build more trust.
When employees see you more as a person rather than a stout or stiff leader, they feel more comfortable explaining their habits and/or behaviours at work. This is important information you can use to tailor your strategy, helping you remove obstacles to success and boost productivity.
4. Never Hold Back Showing Appreciation
Appreciation in the workplace can have some very important impacts. First of all, it shows your team that you acknowledge them and value them. Second, it acts as a precursor to positive and productive behaviour.
You see, it’s a lot easier to encourage and reinforce positive behaviour than to first identify negative behaviour and attempt to remedy it. This way, your team knows which behaviours you would like to see in them.
Have you ever thought about how staff supervisors make a ‘deposit’ with their team? They make requests and withdrawals on a daily basis; it helps to make a deposit in a relationship when you have to ask someone to undertake a task or, say, deliver difficult news to them.
5. Respect Everyone Irrespective Of Their Designation Or Achievements
You’ll find a tonne of resources, both online and offline, talking about how leaders can earn respect from their staff members. However, you won’t find too many books or articles talking about how empathetic leaders and supervisors should be giving respect to their staff.
Alright, let’s take this one apart for a moment. Showing respect to someone else is a true reflection of our own character, not because the other person demands it or desires it. As staff supervisors, we need to take the initiative first to show respect because every single team member has value that they bring to the table.
We don’t have to always agree with someone to respect them. In fact, your staff shouldn’t have to earn your respect – you should be showing respect on day one. Let everyone know that each team member has inherent value and deserves to be treated with respect.
6. Encourage People To Take Risks
Any team that’s afraid to take risks is effectively putting a cap on their growth. People need to have a certain sense of safety and security when taking risks, and this is where you come in.
You need to assure your team that risk-taking is a part of the game and that it’s perfectly fine to fail or make mistakes. As a staff supervisor, you must bring in the power of empathy to reassure your team that it is okay to take risks, and that consequences are all a part of the job.
One fantastic way to encourage risk-taking is to share your own failures and mistakes. Another way is to give your team opportunities to initially take small risks, and support them along the way should they fail to live up to expectations.
But keep in mind that risk-taking requires deep trust; your staff needs to know that you got their back.
7. Don’t Assume The Worst
If anything, you should assume the best as a staff supervisor.
Ever heard of confirmation bias? It occurs when we filter the information we receive to primarily look for examples that comply with our own existing beliefs around a certain individual.
Rather than seeing and hearing what you want to see and hear, assume that if a team member is falling short, it is because of the challenges they are likely facing. Always assume that everyone is doing their best; it will help you maintain more positive and respectful relationships.
Closing Thoughts
As a staff supervisor, you need to be very smart about how you utilise your time and resources, and especially how you bring empathy into play in order to perform your duties more diligently.
Follow these 7 tips to up your supervisor skills by tapping into the power of empathy!
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