Throughout my career, I have found myself jumping from one job to another. We all went through that phase where we are in search of the perfect employer or the right organization where we feel that we are seen and valued. Our careers are valuable to us as there are driving factors why we work; personal development and growth, opportunities, and putting food on our table. No matter what driving force we have as individual workers, we will always seek a kind of leadership that will help us not just earn money but will see us as dreamers in our fields who are yearning to be a part of our organization's success.
I have been working since 2014, and I have been with several employers, organizations, and leaders, but one thing I can only count on is a few who went out of their way to lead with empathy.
Leading With Empathy
We often find empathy as an interaction outside work but empathy is a very important characteristic, as in a simple phrase "you are trying to put yourself into that person's shoes". Sometimes, empathy is misread as a soft or touchy feeling but it is an important core of leadership to build an emotional connection with your employees. Your employees are humans, they have emotions and part of leadership is to build connections, mentor, and work towards a common goal.
At Cinemagic, we run things differently. We believe in a kind of leadership where employees are heard and promote empathetic leadership, and I have received the best support from everybody which has had a positive effect on my work performance, and here's why it can be a game changer for your organization too:
People Stay When They Are Valued
When you lead with empathy you mean to extend yourself and see each of your employees not as numbers but as valued human beings. Employees do get excited when they feel valued not just in monetary form but whenever leaders acknowledge and value their efforts. "Give credit, to when credit is due" but it also won't hurt to always remind them that they are a part of every success in the organization.
At Cinemagic we never encounter a difficult task, our leaders will give their full support to help each member to finish that task, this strengthens our communication as it breaks the barrier between a leader and a member. A simple "anything else you need support with? or what I can do to help?" can make a difference between a mindset of delivering a difficult task to a rockstar always ready to rise to the challenge.
Constant Mentoring
My jumping from one company to another phase was a result of not being mentored enough. I am the kind of person who is always hungry to learn and I always look up to my leaders to mentor and inspire me. In the 6 months, I have stayed with Cinemagic as an Executive Assistant, I have learned so much from my boss and my colleagues. Every day I am constantly mentored to learn different skills and also to build my character.
Leading with empathy is not just all about work but being able to change someone's character. I have noticed a huge difference in how I view life and work, and how I am inspired to mentor my colleagues as well. My boss never misses teaching valuable lessons to me which I share with all, hence we become more productive and have created a very strong bond as a team.
Building Level Of Trust
One amazing result of empathetic leadership is building a level of trust. Employees tend to filter out information and 99% of the time it affects their work performance. If an employee does not have a high level of trust in their leaders because they do not exude empathy, they feel that they will not understand what they are going through. One of the best things that our organization has, is open communication. We are humans, we can't always keep up a perfect façade. We understand that trust is very important for each member and we certainly keep a very open communication channel to understand each other's needs. The trust level that we have with our leaders has opened more doors for us to succeed as a team.
Plenty of Room For Growth
Leaders fill an individual's passion to grow in a certain career or field, as mentors, CEO, Managers, supervisors, and Team Leaders are the captains who lead the team to every obstacle. Being an empathetic leader means you do not only need them when the tide gets rough but also when you need them to emerge as leaders as well.
Most employees get stuck in the same position for years but at Cinemagic, we value the passion each employee has. I for one have always sought growth, and Cinemagic has allowed me to grow and be a part of different departments, I am part of the Social Media Team, which is a new experience for me. I find it very exciting to share ideas and challenge myself to learn new things with my team.
Leads to Innovation
Leading with empathy strengthens your connection and bond with your employees, hence this also paves the way to innovation. Leaders within the organization who empathize better with each team member reap innovative ideas as a result. When you understand your employees on a professional and a personal level you will learn that they have more ideas to bring to the table, more than you could ever imagine. I experienced this with my previous employers. I was very hesitant to push for innovative ideas as my previous employers were very bureaucratic and kind of shut down ideas. At Cinemagic, our leaders and CEO push for open communication, welcoming ideas into a group discussion, inspiring others to become better, and finding opportunities even at their weak points. When leaders learn to empathize with their employees they will learn that each employee is unique and should be handled differently where they can shine.
Can Your Bring Magic To Our Team?
Producing Rockstar team members is a two-way effort. Each member must be passionate about what they do and leaders must focus on how they can uplift and inspire each member to create a positive impact not just within the organization but within themselves. Cinemagic has achieved its success by finding talented individuals who are passionate about creating their own stories, writing a better path to grow, and learn.
What I have learned in 6 months has been helpful for my personal development, and I can honestly say that I have turned my weaknesses into opportunities and I am eager to learn more from my colleagues. We would like to know how empathetic leadership has contributed to your growth and if you have a deep interest in media production, we are always looking for talented individuals like you to bring innovative ideas and magic to our team.
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