“It’s time to be intentional,” leadership and management consultant Shaara Roman writes in The Conscious Workplace, “about creating a people-first, purpose-driven culture that values the diverse experiences, skills, personalities, strengths and weaknesses that each person brings to work.” A tall order, for sure, but for Roman, founder and CEO of The Silverene Group, it begins with a simple ingredient: empathy. In an excerpt from The Conscious Workplace, she explains why that’s the key to building a humane, resilient organizational culture:
It’s just as important to remember that being a leader is an opportunity. We can create environments where people thrive, where they know they’re safe to be themselves and grow as people. We don’t have to live with the exploitation, harassment and underpayment that have become hallmarks of the modern workplace.
When we care for the human side of business, we are leveraging empathy for the betterment of us all. Empathy means being aware of the different needs and perspectives of the people around you, establishing an environment that fosters open communication and embraces dialogue meant to challenge our assumptions. It means being curious about your clients, employees and coworkers and becoming responsive to their unique perspectives, needs, challenges and gifts. Empathy is about embracing every member of your team on an individual level and giving them the tools to succeed.
The truth is if you want to cultivate a strong company culture, everything comes back to empathy. … [C]ompanies that have a thriving or encouraging culture are based on open communication, care for the people they serve and employ and a willingness to adapt to the needs of their environment. Companies that are not good examples of strong culture are inflexible and unwilling to listen to their customers or employees—and they suffer backlash because of it.
