Prioritizing Trust and Empathy in the Workplace | by Diyora Islamova

One of the main things that I am constantly working towards is making sure that I can make others feel good, as one of my goals is to become a leader. I have been collecting my thoughts around leaders at my company and in daily life. I have been observing them from the sidelines, watching how they carry themselves and how they make others feel. Making people around them feel important is crucial because if anyone wants to build an impactful group of people, it needs to be built on trust, both among workers and management.

In my company, I have seen one great example of leadership that not only changed my perception but also gave me the reassurance of what I wanted to be like as a leader. Moreover, this style of leadership works quite well. At my job, there is a leader who, at first glance, you wouldn't even know is part of top management. He keeps his position low-key and sits amongst his workers. As a bystander, I can see that they are very comfortable talking and sharing ideas with him.

With my own preconceived notion of how I would like to lead, I never wanted to be the "red type" of leader. This was not very attractive to me because it reminds me of school, and in the working world, we aren't children but adults, and having a "red type" of leadership doesn't work that well. Perhaps they may appear the most likely to represent what a leader is supposed to look like, but in my opinion, this doesn't foster trust or widen the barrier from workers to management for help or ideas. Their fluctuating red personality could cause a lot of hesitation for a worker to even approach the leader.

At the company, I see this taking place, with employees choosing when and where to give out information, working around their "red" leaders' emotions. On the other hand, the certain individual I mentioned has certainly mastered working with others, taking the lead in a very humble way that not only increases efficiency due to transparency but also boosts positive energy. Workers feel a sense of relatability with this leader and are comfortable sharing ideas constantly.

It is essential to recognize that effective leadership is not about asserting authority or being distant from the team, but rather about being approachable and fostering an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. By observing and learning from different leadership styles, I am shaping my own vision of leadership – one that prioritizes the well-being of those I lead and encourages a culture of openness and innovation. I believe that by focusing on making others feel valued and appreciated, I can create a positive impact on both the individuals and the organization as a whole.

Diyora Islamova is a data apprentice at Multiverse based in London, UK. She’s been writing for the Apprentice Lens as part of the Blogging Team. Here’s more about her:

“Hello! Writing is one of the most important and vital forms of communicating, sharing ideas and storytelling. As I start to learn more about Data, I realize how communication and storytelling are both key components of the Data Science Process. Through my blog posts, I hope to hone my skills and be able to effectively execute an idea in written form.”