Executive Level “Empathy In Action”

I agree with this Forbes article that empathy is essential.

However, too many leaders “talk the talk” without “walking the walk”…

What does “𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣” look like?

✅ Eliminate competing priorities to allow your teams to focus on the top 1 – 3 priorities that will result in real progress or change for your organization.

✅ Set realistic due dates for deliverables and projects and block out focus time so your team can focus on project work.

✅ Recognize that operational staff are so generally over-allocated to their “day job” that they don’t have time to take on a project role and hire others to help.

✅ Recognize that operational staff might not have the experience or skills to complete their role on a project so ensure that the project team can train and support them — and ensure right role fit vs putting a body in a seat.

✅ Understand that digital transformation initiatives are not as easy or straightforward as implementation vendors would have you believe in their sales process. Ensure your team have a realistic plan and the support they need to be successful without burning out.

✅ Know that digital transformation is really about business transformation and recognize that it requires a cross-functional team to make it happen. Eliminate competing priorities for that team to allow them to focus and dedicate time focusing on the change management needed to facilitate the transformation.

✅ Look at what you are trying to achieve for your organization from a lens of how it “feels” for the team who are executing. It the work is essential, back it up with appropriate budget to hire help where it is needed. It will actually save you $$ in the longer term.

What would you add to this list?