Leading with Grace

I’ve grappled to find the right words during both the COVID pandemic, as well as the recent race-related events over the past few weeks. But there was one consistency in my thoughts – empathy. Through the pandemic, we’re facing unique struggles not previously encountered in our lifetime. And the social injustice we’ve seen has broken our hearts. As the leader of a company, I believe leading through crisis and difficult situations requires true empathy – for employees, customers, community members and so many others.

One of our core values has always been “lead with grace.” This means we express humility and compassion, and we are authentic and candid. To do this, we expect people to demonstrate self-awareness, care for others, instill trust and communicate effectively.

Leading with grace is having empathy. Picking apart our core value, here’s why:

·      Expressing humility and compassion in an authentic and candid way. In every scenario we encounter in the workplace and beyond, we admit that we’re not flawless. Yet we are able to show our awareness and understanding of others’ situations and points of view while still being true to ourselves and honest in our beliefs and how we communicate.

·      Demonstrate self-awareness. When we demonstrate self-awareness, we show that we show mindfulness or conscious knowledge of our true character, feelings, motives and desires. This helps us approach situations with others by knowing why we act the way we do and help frame how we act towards others.

·      Care for others. No matter what external events are shaping the world, we need to care for others – at work, in the community and in our personal lives. We go beyond our selves and exercise a deeper level of compassion that influences others’ lives positively and helps us move from a more self-centered perspective.

·      Instill trust. Leading and acting with grace and empathy in an intentional and forthcoming way helps others we interact with trust us. Trust is necessary in any position of leadership. Those you are leading or influencing must know that you have put yourself in their shoes, and you are guiding them in the right direction.

·      Communicate effectively. It does no one any good when you are not honest and straightforward. Candor is always best. How you deliver the candor can vary, but coming from a point of authenticity and clarity helps others see your true intention and know exactly what you intend to do and what you expect from them.

I think if we all had a little more grace and empathy for each other, what a difference it could make in our world.