Think of the person you most admire. This might be a teacher, a business
associate, an inspirational leader, a mentor or friend who made a significant
impact on your life. You remember them for what they did for you at a time when
you needed their direction.
Like the person you admire, you can develop significance with your
associates. You can leave an indelible impact on your family and friends because
of what you do with and for them.
Ask yourself who sees you as their mentor, as their inspiration,
as memorable in their life. How many people in your life want to help you? How
many people have you dedicated your time and energy to help this year? To create
significance, you must develop the attitude of the Servant’s Heart. You
must ask how you can help people.
You develop a Servant’s Heart by dedicating yourself to the
success of those who help you achieve your success.
People walk around with the letters MMFA—Make Me Feel Appreciated—imprinted
on their foreheads. You, as a leader with a Servant’s Heart, must ask how
you can help these people become more effective and feel more important.
All of us aspire to reach our dreams and goals. The leader with a
Servant’s Heart inspires others who realize that he cares about them and
wants them to succeed. When people realize that they can best reach their personal
goals by helping others reach their goals, they make impressive results possible.
By practicing empathy, you can better understand others and lead
them to significance. The three levels of empathy are: reading another’s
emotions, sensing and responding to a person’s concerns or feelings, and
understanding the issues or concerns that lie behind another’s feelings.
Empathetic people notice emotional cues, listen well, show sensitivity, and understand
others’ perspectives. As an empathetic leader, you sense others’ needs
and bolster their abilities by looking past the obvious. You see the next step
and how to get there. You help them build their identity and self-image.
As the authentic, empathetic leader, you give advice that serves
the person’s best interests. People then respond with enthusiasm. When people
want to be and do their best, you get great results.
You can use four proven steps to become an empathetic leader.
Four Steps to Significance
First, you must acknowledge your current attitudes before you can
change them. Self-aware people understand emotions, strengths, limitations, values
and motives. They are honest with themselves. They know the direction they want
their life to take and why.
Second, practice the new actions and thoughts you want to develop.
In sports, athletes spend far more time practicing and than performing. In business,
people perform but never practice. Practice key skills and attitudes.
Third, track your new skills as you practice building empathy. When
you hold yourself accountable, you stay on target and make progress toward your
goals.
Finally, use a coach or mentor. A trusted friend, colleague or coach
can give you an unbiased perspective. By helping you through rough times, they
help you stay focused on your goal.
Significance is a timeless concept. People want to feel appreciated.
You remember people for what they do for you. As an empathetic leader, you leave
an indelible impact on the lives of others. PE
