Autumn 2005

Leadership

Empathy plus intelligence equals inspiration

A model of educational leadership based on caring for the needs of others is not for the faint hearted, but it’s one that offers particular professional and personal rewards. ROS ARNOLD looks at empathically intelligent leadership.

IN EDUCATION SETTINGS, not only are leaders expected to achieve certain outcomes, they must do so in strongly ethical, exemplary ways and must act as positive role models for all their constituents—students, colleagues, parents and community members. For this reason, an empathically intelligent model of leadership, which aims to understand the interplay of thoughts and feelings in organisations and to respect the need to lead in a caring way, has to strike a balance between values, outcomes and diverse human needs as they function in organisations.

This sounds idealistic, quite deliberately. An empathically intelligent model of leadership recognises the function of hope in mobilising enthusiasm and commitment in oneself and in others. Without optimism and hope in the capacity to transcend the here and now through knowledge and understanding, education is plodding, pedestrian and purposeless. Cynical leaders achieve little of worth, while enthusiastic, grounded visionaries can exceed all expectations. Intelligent caring is mindful of human limitations but impressed with human possibilities. It knows that defeat and disappointment are often real possibilities, as are the qualities of endurance in the face of overwhelming odds. Intelligent caring is pragmatic and idealistic, hopeful and realistic, exploratory and grounded, respectful of individuality and aware of communal needs, equitable and transparent.

How do empathically intelligent leaders work to influence others? Like effective educators, they are enthusiastic about their role and function, passionate about a vision and they espouse a vision which is shared with, and by, others. They have a capacity to engage others through communication and modelling of good practices. Finally, their enthusiasm, capacity to engage and expertise is underpinned by a deep commitment to the wellbeing of others. At critical times they are able to discern accurately how best to balance individual needs against those of the collective. If necessary, they will insist upon certain action at risk to their own popularity. Ideally, but not always, they will be able to explain their decision-making processes mindful that the self-interest of those whom they lead might be blinding. The empathically intelligent leader anticipates and can live with that.

So the empathically intelligent leader is a virtuous person but presumably human, flawed and prone to burn-out like the rest of us.

How is the empathically intelligent position sustained?

In a school community and elsewhere, it is well-nigh impossible to function empathically without the moral support of a critical mass of like-minded others. That mass does not have to be large in number but it has to include people of significance and influence. Such persons may not necessarily be those in nominated leadership positions themselves. Parents are often in this category. Those who compose this critical mass need to be unswervingly loyal to the vision they share with the leader and understanding of the ebb and flow of normal human dynamics in which progress is characterised by both advances and regressions.

Along with the support of significant others, the empathically intelligent leader has to know when to be ruthlessly determined about the worth of the vision and when to compromise with minimal impact on the overall outcome. A commitment to the wellbeing of others requires a capacity for self-care as well. Human nature sometimes dictates that others are very enthusiastic about empathic intelligent leadership for all the wrong reasons. Naively, some believe that this model of leadership can be opportunistically appropriated for their own ends— the ‘but–surely–you-can-see-Ideserve-favourable-treatment’ syndrome. To manage the inevitable but unintended outcomes of this kind of leadership, a curiosity about human behaviour, a sense of irony and humour, and an ability to seek to understand rather than to judge, are valuable personal assets. A reflective, even contemplative disposition is essential. It provides the structure to manage the data of raw experience as evidence in the development of a personally meaningful, active, leadership intelligence, always subject to revision in the light of new experience, but sufficiently robust to sustain the leader in tough times. The dynamism which underpins such empathically intelligent leadership can create surprises for followers who fail to recognise the emotional and psychic agility, and the flexibility and creative energy a truly outstanding leader has to exercise moment by moment. It is that commitment to robust interrogation of events, thoughts, feelings and dynamics which is, in itself, a sustaining and creative force in this personally high-maintenance form of leadership.

And just when you think you understand the qualities of effective leadership, Jim Collins (2001) reminds us that the two outstanding qualities of great leaders are humility and fierce resolve. The fierce resolve is captured in empathic intelligence, and humility is part of committing to the wellbeing of others, but there is an important nuance in humility which needs to be articulated. The empathically intelligent leader has to be more committed to the vision than to personal accolades, and able to authentically acknowledge the support of like-minded others, the forebears who provided role-models and the circumstances which provided opportunities. Any sense of personal satisfaction needs to be private and further data for that sustaining, self-template of dynamic leadership.

Having touched briefly on some aspects of empathic intelligence leadership it could be that such a model seems overly daunting and relentlessly demanding on time and energy. Well it is that and more, but for some leaders attracted to this kind of model and temperamentally suited to it, its challenges and rewards are actually self-affirming and self-developing. In the service of others, one can find unexpected personal benefits. These have to be unexpected, and not necessary to the purpose. As any wise parent, teacher, true friend and leader can attest, committing one’s abilities, time and energy to meeting others’ needs can be both humbling and exalting. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

References

Collins, J (2001). Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, Harper Business, NY.

Arnold, R (2005). Empathic Intelligence: Teaching, Learning, Relating, Sydney, UNSWP.

Roslyn Arnold is Professor, Dean of Education and Head of School at the University of Tasmania.

The author owns the copyright in this article. For information related to the reuse of this work in any form please contact the publisher denise.quinn@curriculum.edu.au