There is no denying that workplaces are changing rapidly. With more and more millennials and Gen Z entering the working population, there is a growing expectation from employees for empathetic workplaces. This is where transformational leaders often triumph with the next-gen workers, where they demonstrate empathy and employee-centricity while making business decisions.
Leaders who set a culture that prioritises human values such as empathy and respect will find their teams becoming more efficient, motivated, and united towards a shared vision. Doing so will prove to be your greatest weapon against waves of disruption.
Thus, if you are an aspiring businessperson looking to join the league of successful entrepreneurs today, then embracing transformational leadership with empathy and mutual respect as key tenets is paramount. A recent study proves how empathetic transformational leaders are more effective:
- 86% of employees experience higher work-life balance if leaders are empathetic
- 61% of employees feel more innovative when working under an empathetic and compassionate leader
- Only 60% of employees feel they can be successful under a business leader who shows empathy
When you make employees seen and heard, you develop trust and drive greater productivity. So, how can you transform leadership with empathy and respect? Let us look at a few proven practices and learn from examples of top transformational leaders in India.
Implement an independent, risk-taking mindset
Visionary Indian entrepreneurs have been known to favour a workspace environment where employees are given the trust to make their own decisions without fear of failure or judgment. Allowing your employees free reign to think out of the box and come up with innovative solutions is a huge endorsement of their capabilities. It is also a mark of respect toward their skills and a vote of confidence in them. So, if you want to transform yourself into an empathetic leader, stimulate your employees intellectually.
Sanjiv Bajaj – one of the top transformational leaders in India – is a master at encouraging creative thinking amongst employees. The Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv and President of CII (2022-23) is known for his ‘think like owners’ philosophy, allowing his employees to execute his vision for a financially secure India with the vigour of an MNC. By motivating employees to embrace ownership of their ideas, Sanjiv Bajaj enables and trusts them to innovate, which is where Bajaj Finserv stands apart from the rest. That has resulted in a highly empowered workplace behind the rise of one of India’s most respected financial service providers.
Create an open, transparent, diverse, and healthy culture
Respecting people from all backgrounds is integral to creating a vibrant work culture. Transformational leaders looking to build people-centric organisations often focus on enhancing workplace diversity. Respecting each other’s opinions and giving honest feedback leads to better brainstorming and quicker actions. This also helps the organisation as different people from different cultures bring different perspectives.
Additionally, to become an empathetic leader, you must also emphasise healthy workplace practices such as transparency, open-door policy, mental health, work-life balance, and a culture of appreciation and meritocracy. Employees who find this respect and recognition in the workplace tend to be more productive and loyal. A case in point is how Satya Nadella – the CEO of Microsoft – has been able to completely turnaround the workplace productivity through a focus on culture-building. His book, ‘Hit Refresh,’ points to how he succeeded at Microsoft by fostering employee curiosity to fulfil consumer requests, supporting diversity to make everyone feel welcome, and inculcating innovativeness amongst employees.
Provide unwavering support after recognising the needs of the individual
Top businessmen in India and abroad understand that today’s frenetic, stressful work environments can drastically deteriorate their mental and physical health. Additionally, many employees might be going through circumstances that may affect their productivity at work. That is not only a massive detriment to their team’s health but also the overall business as well. Whether employees need proper infrastructure or training or simply financial or personal support, leaders willing to go above and beyond to help others will build long-term loyalty.
Once again, a pertinent example is how Sanjiv Bajaj’s Bajaj Finserv provided incredible financial support to all employees and their families affected by the pandemic. From monetary benefits to free vaccination, education, and other welfare policies for employee families, Bajaj Finserv left no stone unturned to protect their valuable employees.
Promote greater collaboration
Empathy and respect at the workplace are about forming deeper team connections. This is all the more important as more and more organisational projects are becoming cross-functional in nature. You can drive synergistic value creation by fostering more organic collaboration and communication at your business.
Kumar Mangalam Birla – Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group conglomerate – believes a lot in the collaborative approach at the workplace. He attributes creating a culture of open discussion, debate, and alignment as key to both his company’s global success and one of the most important tenets of the ‘firm of the future.’ Successful collaboration is often driven by empathising with each other’s viewpoints and then figuring out the best possible solution.
Conclusion
The uncertainties in the industry and workplace, especially in the post-pandemic era, have placed the onus on leaders to be more empathetic and respectful towards employees. By learning to be more open, honest, communicative, and respectful, transformational leaders can unlock latent potential in their employees and help them thrive.
Many studies and examples of top transformational leaders in India and abroad already prove that empathy and respect help build trust, make people more connected to their work, and drive innovation. As a leader, you should not just stop at creating consumer-centric products and services – people-centricity should also be valued and implemented inside the organisation. That makes respect and empathy the foundation of sustainable business success and stakeholder value creation.
