Now that you have figured out that you need to get your employees aligned with where you’re trying to go and why you have to align your company with your emplyees, that you’re providing what makes this a meaningful opportunity for them, then the most important attribute that you can have is empathy.

Now, empathy is the rocket fuel of a business that’s trying to grow strategically. Empathy is the thing that helps you understand where your employees are really coming from. It’s getting way down inside their skin and understanding what makes them tick. Understanding what they care about, what they’re afraid of, understanding what makes them enjoy coming to work, and understanding what kind of leadership they respond to.

Well, if you can figure that out, if you can really understand them, then you have the basis for aligning with them, which makes it possible for them to align with you.

If you’re not feeling a strong sense of empathy for your employees, you’re probably being leaving a tremendous amount of value on the table, both for you and for them.