Without trust leaders intimidate others through fear.
On the other hand, trusted leaders influence followers through confidence and connection. Follower-confidence is rooted in a leader’s competence, consistency, clarity, and character.
The challenge – developing influence in a fast-paced world takes time. For example, demonstrating consistency takes more than an hour, a day, or a week.
The door to influence opens on hinges of empathy. The fastest, simplest, most effective way to build trusting connections with followers is letting them know you understand and care about their feelings.
Empathy quickly builds a positive orientation toward your leadership. However, empathy won’t sustain influence. Competence, consistency, clarity, and character sustain influence.
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How can leaders show empathy? What are the dangers of showing empathy?
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Leadership Freak
Dan Rockwell
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