When teams understand the value of connecting with each other, they often build stronger connections.
What if you had a team that had organizational empathy?
That's what I'm talking about when I talk about people walking in each other's shoes. It shifts the conversation from me to us, from why to how.
Implement organizational empathy, and you'll start to hear sentences like these.
"I'm responsible for everything, but I own nothing." - this mindset can only happen when your team understands the bigger picture, their role in it, and their colleagues' roles.
"I am confident and bold but extremely humble." - this mindset can only happen if the people on your team understand WHY they are needed and WHERE they know they can evolve the playbook and HOW they need each other.
"I am three steps ahead while also looking six steps behind" - this mindset can only happen if the people on your team understand that, like nature, everything is growing and changing.
"I need to say focused and resolved but am extremely agile." - this mindset can only happen if the people on your team understand that work isn't just about the now. It's also the near and Future.
Imagine you had a team that thought like this. What could you do then?
It's not a workflow, it’s a Human flow: An Exercise in Organizational Empathy
EXPERIMENT
For each of the statements I gave you above, here are questions you can ask to see if your team understands what they mean.
"I'm responsible for everything, but I own nothing." - Ask each individual how their role is responsible for the success of another individual.
"I am confident and bold but extremely humble." - Ask each individual what current rule they would break to make things better and who on the team they would need to break it with to be successful. PS. The answer shouldn't be you.
"I am three steps ahead while also looking six steps behind" - I love the question as it is; ask them how they're taking insights from the past and applying them to the future. Use the 6/3 formula.
"I need to say focused and resolved but am extremely agile." - Ask them how much of their time they focus on now work vs. near work vs. future work. What's their percentage distribution? PS. Do you agree with the distribution? You should. We talked about this before, remember?
Remember, if they don’t have the answers, it’s not because they don’t have empathy. Often it’s because they’re not confident enough to have it. And that insight is one worth exploring.
AMPLIFY
When I think about the role in an organization that exemplifies organizational empathy, it’s a Chief of Staff. They wield no power but are in every room where decisions are made. No one reports to them, but they need to be able to help the team collaborate and meet the more significant organizational needs.
You may not have the headcount to add a Chief of Staff to your team. I have another solution for you. Why not create a part-time rotational position in your team? It's an excellent opportunity for the individuals, will expand organizational empathy, and increase your organization's impact.
The value of a Chief of Staff is their ability to boost the team's impact. (Not to be mistaken for an EA whose role is to boost YOUR impact - equally critical but different).
And that, my friends, is how everyone wins.
INVEST
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