Leading with empathy is good practice in good times and especially important in challenging times. In good times, if construction leaders don't treat people with empathy, their team will find work and another team somewhere else. In bad times, they might get frustrated and experience burnout but stay in their job because the market doesn't have a ton of openings or options. Burned out workers can drag down overall productivity and morale if they stick around. It's our jobs as leaders to make sure the team we lead is full of engaged and high performing workers.
Specific to COVID, we can be flexible, understanding and supportive of revised and evolving health requirements, school/kid schedules and other personal needs. The more we can keep our good people contributing at a high level, the better our companies will survive the crisis and thrive on the backend.
To get started with empathy in leadership, we can start small. Just listening to and getting to know team members better can create empathy and support. Taking action to adjust work load and work requirements can prove empathetic leadership, prevent burnout and develop a high performing team.
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