In the video, the speaker emphasizes the essential qualities of Empathy and Perspective in effective leadership. Often forgotten, these qualities help leaders understand their true job, which is not about being in charge but taking care of those in their charge. As people progress in their careers, they are typically promoted based on their job performance without receiving adequate training on leading others. This lack of leadership training results in managers who micromanage because they know their old job better than their team members.

The video further illustrates the importance of a supportive work Environment, exemplified through a story about the Four Seasons hotel employees who excel because of the company culture that encourages them to be themselves. The speaker highlights how transformational leadership is about creating an Environment that fosters Empathy and understanding, where leaders are concerned about the human being, not just their output.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. Empathy [ˈɛmpəθi] - (n.) The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

What does Empathy look like?

2. Perspective [pərˈspɛktɪv] - (n.) A particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.

There are two things that I think that great leaders need to have, Empathy and Perspective.

3. Transition [trænˈzɪʃən] - (n.) The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

Really what we have to do is go through a Transition.

4. Vulnerability [ˌvʌlnəˈrəbɪlɪti] - (n.) The quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.

We're constantly being told you have to be vulnerable leaders.

5. Meritocracy [ˌmɛrɪˈtɒkrəsi] - (n.) A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement.

This is not a Meritocracy.

6. Cooperate [kəʊˈɒpəreɪt] - (v.) Work jointly towards the same end.

It is now standard form today...

7. Accountability [əˌkaʊntəˈbɪlɪti] - (n.) The fact or condition of being accountable; responsibility.

Instead of yelling and screaming and taking over, you say, try again.

8. Environment [ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt] - (n.) The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

If we create the wrong Environment...

9. Arbitrary [ˈɑːrbɪtrəri] - (adj.) Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.

Because the company missed its Arbitrary Projections.

10. Projections [prəˈdʒɛkʃənz] - (n.) An estimate or forecast of a future situation based on a study of present trends.

Because the company missed its Arbitrary Projections this year.

The Role of Empathy and Perspective in Leadership Success

There are two things that I think that great leaders need to have, Empathy and Perspective. And I think these things are very often forgotten. Leaders are so often so concerned about their status or their position in an organization, they actually forget their real job. And the real job of a leader is not about being in charge, it's about taking care of those in our charge. And I don't think people realize this, and I don't think people train for this. When we're junior, our only responsibility is to be good at our jobs. That's all we really have to do. And some people actually go get advanced educations so that they can be really good at their jobs. Accountants or whatever, right?

You show up and you work hard, and the company will give us tons and tons of training how to do our jobs. They'll show us how to use the software. They'll send us away for a few days to get trained in whatever it is that we're doing for the company. And then they expect us to go be good at our jobs. And that's what we do. We work very hard. And if you're good at your job, they'll promote you. And at some point you'll get promoted to a position where we're now responsible for the people who do the job we used to do. But nobody shows us how to do that. And that's why we get managers and not leaders, because the reason our managers are micromanaging us is because they actually do know how to do the job better than us. That's what got them promoted.

Really what we have to do is go through a Transition. Some people make it quickly, some people make it slowly. And unfortunately, some people will never make that Transition at all, which is we have to go through this Transition of being responsible for the job and then turning it to somebody who's now responsible for the people who are responsible for the job. And as I said before, one of the great things that is lacking in most of our companies is that they are not teaching us how to lead. And leadership is a skill like any other, is a practicable, learnable skill, and it is something that you work on. It's like a muscle. If you practice it all the days, you will get good at it, and you will become a strong leader. If you stop practicing, you will become a weak leader.

Like parenting, everyone has the capacity to be a parent. Doesn't mean everybody wants to be a parent, and doesn't mean everybody shouldn't be a parent. Leadership is the same. We all have the capacity to be a leader. Everybody should be a leader. And it doesn't mean everybody wants to be a leader. And the reason is because it comes at great personal sacrifice. Remember, you're not in charge. You're responsible for those in your charge. That means things like when everything goes right, you have to give away all the credit. And when everything goes wrong, you have to take all the responsibility. That sucks, right? It's things like staying late to show somebody what to do. It's things like when something does actually break.

When something goes wrong, instead of yelling and screaming and taking over, you say, try again. When the overwhelming pressures are not on them, the overwhelming pressures are on us. At the end of the day, great leaders are not responsible for the job. They're responsible for the people who are responsible for the job. They're not even responsible for the results. I love talking to CEO's and say, what's your priority? And they put their hands on their hips all proud, and they say, my priority is my customer. I'm like, really? You haven't talked to a customer in 15 years. There's no CEO on the planet responsible for the customer. They're just nothing. They're responsible for the people who are responsible for the people who are responsible for the customer.

I'll tell you a true story. A few months ago, I stayed at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas. It is a wonderful hotel. And the reason it's a wonderful hotel is not because of the fancy beds. Any hotel can go and buy a fancy bed. The reason it's a wonderful hotel is because of the people who work there. If you walk past somebody at the four seasons and they say hello to you, you get the feeling that they actually wanted to say hello to you. It's not that somebody told them that you have to say hello to all the customers, say hello to all the guests, right? You actually feel that they care. Now, in their lobby, they have a coffee stand.

And one afternoon, I went to buy a cup of coffee, and there was a barista by the name of Noah who was serving me. Noah was fantastic. He was friendly and fun, and he was engaging with me. And I had so much fun buying a cup of coffee. I actually think I gave 100% tip, right? He was wonderful. So, as is my nature, I asked Noah, do you like your job? And without skipping a beat, Noah says, I love my job. And so I followed up. I said, what is it that the Four Seasons is doing that would make you say to me, I love my job? And without skipping a beat, Noah said, throughout the day, managers will walk past me and ask me how I'm doing, if there's anything that I need to do my job better. He said, not just my manager, any manager. And then he said something magical.

He says, I also work at Caesar's palace and Caesar at Caesar's palace. The managers are trying to make sure we're doing everything right. They catch us when we do things wrong. He says, when I go to work there, I like to keep my head under the radar and just get through the day so I can get my paycheck. He says, here at the four seasons, I feel I can be myself. Same person, entirely different experience from the customer who will engage with Noah.

So we, in leadership are always criticizing the people. We're always saying, we gotta get the right people. On the bus, I've got to fill my team. I gotta get the right people. But the reality is, it's not the people, it's the leadership. If we create the right Environment, we will get people like Noah at the Four Seasons. If we create the wrong Environment, we will get people like Noah at Caesar's palace. It's not the people. And yet we're so quick to hire and fire. You can't hire and fire your children if your kids are struggling. We don't say, you gotta see at school, you're up for adoption. So why is it that when somebody has performance problems at work, why is it that our instinct is to say, you're out?

We do not practice Empathy. What does Empathy look like? Here's the lack of Empathy. This is normal in our business world. You walk into someone's office, someone walks into our office and says, your numbers have been down for the third quarter in a row. You have to pick up your numbers. Otherwise, I can't guarantee what the future will look like. How inspired do you think that person is to come to work the next day? Here's what Empathy looks like. You walk into someone's office, someone walks into your office and says, your numbers are down for the third quarter in a row. Are you okay? I'm worried about you. What's going on? We all have performance issues. Maybe someone's kid is sick. Maybe they're having problems in their marriage. Maybe one of their parents is dying. We don't know what's going on in their lives. And of course it will affect performance at work.

Empathy is being concerned about the human being, not just their output. We have. For some reason, our work world has changed over the past 20 and 30 years. We are suffering the side effects of business theories left over from the eighties and nineties. And they are bad for people and they are bad for business. Let me give you an example. The concept of shareholder supremacy was a theory proposed in the late 1970s. It was popularized in the eighties and nineties. It is now standard form today. You talk to any public company and you ask them their priority, and they say, maximize shareholder value. Really? That's like a coach prioritizing the needs of the fans over the needs of the players. How you gonna build a winning team with that model? But that's normal today.

We don't even perceive it as broken or damaged or wrong or outdated. Remember, the eighties and nineties were boom years with relative peace and a kinder, gentler cold war. Nobody was practicing, hiding under their desks in school anymore. We are no longer in those times. These are no longer boom years. These are no longer peaceful times. And those models cannot work today. Here's another one. Mass layoffs. Using someone's livelihood to balance the books, right? It's so normal in America today that we don't even understand how broken and how damaging it is not only to human beings, but to business. You know, companies talk about how they want to build trust and cooperation, and they announce a round of layoffs. Do you know the quickest way to destroy trust and destroy cooperation in a business? Literally, in one day? Lay people off and everyone gets scared.

Can you imagine sending someone home to say, honey, I can no longer provide for our family because the company missed its Arbitrary Projections this year. And forget about the people who lost their job. Think about the people who kept their jobs. Because every single decision a company makes is a piece of communication, and the company has just communicated to everybody else. This is not a Meritocracy. We don't care how hard you work or how long you've worked here. If we miss our numbers and you happen to fall on the wrong side of the spreadsheet, I'm sorry, we cannot guarantee employment. In other words, we come to work every day afraid. And we're asking our youngest generation to work in environments where, how would any of us ever stand up and admit I made a mistake?

We're constantly being told you have to be vulnerable leaders. I'm vulnerable? What does that even mean? It doesn't mean you walk around crying, I'm vulnerable, right? No, what Vulnerability means is you create an Environment in which someone feels safe enough to raise their hand and said, I don't know what I'm doing. You've given me a job, and I haven't been trained to do it. I need help. I made a mistake. I screwed something up. I'm scared. I'm worried. All of these things, no one would ever admit inside a company because it puts a target on your head in case there's another round. And so we keep it to ourselves. And how can a company ever do well if nobody's ever willing to admit they made a mistake?

That's scared or they don't know what they're doing. And so we've literally created cultures in which every single day everybody comes to work and lie. Hide lies, hides and fakes. And we're asking our youngest generation to work and succeed and find themselves and build their confidence and overcome their addiction to technology and build strong relationships at work. We're asking to do this. And these are the environments we've created. We keep saying to them, you're the future leaders. We're the leaders now. We're in control. What are we doing? This is what Empathy means.

Leadership, Empathy, Perspective, Business, Education, Innovation