It was great to catch up with Lincoln Kee, the Senior Director of Talent and Leadership at Hilton.
We connected over an article I wrote on Empathy As a Leader.
We shared tons of ideas and practical perspectives on what it means to be leading in this brand-new world.
Both of us resonated on what it means to be a leader with 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 and yet, 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺 on performance.
# Can Empathy and Performance go hand in hand?
# The answer is a YES!
# It can never be a maybe.
The following are my insights from our 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗣 Conversation.
𝟭. 𝗜𝘁 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿.
It is a complete myth that if a leader is empathetic or shows a vulnerable side, they are considered a weak leader.
In my own words, it’s complete nonsense because I have come across many empathetic leaders who are strong and capable.
+ They are kind to people and firm on performance.
+ They have the lowest attrition rate and a high-performing team with healthy tension.
+ Those who left always say great things about the leader.
Being empathetic does not come at the expense of performance; on the contrary, it levels up people’s performance,
It does take courage to have empathy, and leaders who can’t, simply lack the courage to lead.
𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮-𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆
𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮-𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 is a world where we learn to be Empathic while knowing when to deploy our Authority.
+ They are not exclusive of one another.
+ The word here is learning the balance.
𝟯. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂.
To thrive as a leader is more than just bringing in the numbers.
That is just striving with an imposter syndrome.
And yes, Imposter syndrome can take us quite far until exhaustion or when the career curtain comes down one day.
When the person is no longer a leader, there are no more perks, paid trips, or blow and whistles.
+ Then the question is; who am I end of the day?
+ No one will remember the P&L that a leader brings into the business.
+ But everyone will remember how the leaders treated and cared for them when they were there.
Your credibility as a leader is what people will say about you 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱.
This is 𝗝𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗵@𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗣 Signing Off.
May You 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺, 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿 In The Brand New World.
