The New #1 Leadership Quality

Regardless of age or generation, leadership has changed and will constantly change. The biggest recent change being leaders shifting from power to empowerment. The expectations of younger generations has compelled organizations to re-evaluate hiring, benefits and workspace environments.

As both employee and consumer expectations change, leaders must adapt too. If they don’t, they won’t have access to the top-tier of talent. Without great talent, building successful teams, companies or organizations becomes incredibly hard.

Workspace wellness in terms of healthy or toxic cultures, combined with employee engagement and health management aren’t yet top of list, let alone top of mind. However… with mental health becoming more relevant in everyday society and modern workspaces, be it hybrid scenarios or remote work, or shorter work weeks etc, leaders will have to tap much deeper into their emotional quotient. With empathy being the consummate measure of EQ.

“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives. ”

— Oprah Winfrey

In my book, Pink Is the Color of Empathy, I dedicate chapter 32 entirely to empathy in business. The book is rich in action steps to become a better human being, which is directly correlated to becoming a better leaders. The areas of focus in the book range from what empathy does and doesn’t sound like, to conflict resolution (customer satisfaction), changing and saving lives. The ultimate flex of the book is inspiring and empowering individuals to become high-value human beings.

Becoming a high-value person in a disconnected world.

Vital Germaine, President of ENGAGE Teams 360

Do you care to elevate Customer Experiences?

During a recent corporate training, an executive raised the question, “Can you teach somebody to care?” The general consensus was surprising.

How much we care on any given day at work is relative or dependent on our emotional state at that time. In other words, our levels of care fluctuate. What is not relative is the correlation between caring and Customer Experience Index scores. CSI scores will influence your company's reputation and determine customer loyalty. When customers feel disrespected or insignificant, they simply don't return... furthermore, their reviews will effect your profits and brand strength.

The majority of executives in attendance agreed that the art of caring could not be taught. People either care or they don’t. How disappointing.

So how do you fix the problem of non-caring employees other than firing them, because on-boarding new hires costs time and money. There is a more effective solution. It consists of not only hiring the right people, but also providing great training. Teach them these 5 simple behavioral tools and they will act as if they truly care.

Leadership must first establish a culture of caring and happiness as the barometer. Then, provide those non-caring employees with actionable behavioral tools to reinforce the culture. Tools that when implemented, give the appearance of a person that does care. Read about the five tools that will make your employees deliver extraordinary experiences.

Vital Germaine

President ENGAGE

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