People are more stressed out than ever.
According to a recent Gallup poll, the post-pandemic years have been more arduous than 2020, with over 40 percent of adults worldwide saying they experience “a lot” of worry or stress. Concerns around inflation, crime and politics are a few commonly cited stressors, per the APA — but factor in climate change, job insecurity and the racial climate and you have a recipe for some seriously battered psyches.
Employers aren’t strangers to the wide range of stressors plaguing their employees for the past few years, and the ones whose leaders harness the power of empathy will be most successful at cultivating a loyal and energized employee base. Take Kim de Roos, vice president of engineering at NinjaTrader.
With over two decades of tech leadership experience, de Roos is a seasoned leader who has navigated her fair share of business challenges. And throughout her time as a people manager, she always comes back to one key skill: empathy.
“It’s crucial for leaders to keep in mind that success in business can’t only be about the numbers — it also has to be about the people,” de Roos said. If numbers look great but people are burned out and unhappy, de Roos knows there’s work to be done. She sat down with Built In Chicago and shared how she leads with her empathetic superpower to not only boost employee performance but also to make every moment — the good and the bad — a learning experience for all.
NinjaTrader is an investor-backed, growth stage fintech company servicing hundreds of thousands of traders by providing award-winning software and brokerage services.
Give us a sense of your experience with helping direct reports turn performance around. What role does empathy play?
It’s crucial for leaders to keep in mind that success in business can’t only be about the numbers — it also has to be about the people. Every business decision we make affects the lives of real people.
At NinjaTrader, if our numbers are great, but our team is struggling, we know we haven’t succeeded. We also know we can always do better. Creating an empathetic environment where everyone feels safe, heard and supported is key to helping our team reach its full potential.
What advice do you have for newer managers who aren't sure how to tackle the topic of performance with their direct reports?
The key to approaching performance conversations is to leave your own ego at the door. I always tell my new managers, “If you get personal satisfaction from your own contributions, then you will not be happy in management.”
The key to succeeding in a management role is to thrive from helping others succeed, which often means staying in the background to support and advocate for your team members. It also means that when performance issues arise, it’s important to balance expressing the organization’s expectations while being empathetic about where the employee is on their own journey.
The key to approaching performance conversations is to leave your own ego at the door.”
How can newer managers build their empathy muscles to better handle the challenges of these conversations?
New managers should focus on growing their soft skills — empathy and compassion — first. When a manager prioritizes their team’s personal and professional development, it creates a culture that’s innovative and collaborative because there isn’t a feeling of walking on eggshells. This kind of work environment boosts productivity and drives business success.
I always stress to my employees that there are no wrong answers. Every performance conversation with an employee is a learning opportunity — for me as much as for them! I want my employees to know I will be there to support them 100 percent, even when we’re having tough conversations. The goal is to always improve.
Working in the tech field, we talk a lot about root cause analysis, and I think of improving team performance like that — not just addressing performance “symptoms,” but really thinking about how to find the root cause of the issue and get better from there.
