What means empathy in leadership?
Empathy in leadership involves the ability to recognize, understand, and share the feelings of others. It is not about feeling sorry for your team members but about walking in “their shoes”, perceiving challenges from their perspective, and responding with genuine concern and support. Leaders who exhibit empathy are more likely to build trust and foster deeper connections with their teams.
Empathy has increasingly become recognized as a crucial skill for leaders. The concept of empathy in leadership extends beyond understanding others’ feelings but is also about creating a work environment where employees feel understood, valued, and motivated to do their best.
How empathy is manifested in relationships with employees?
In the workplace, empathy can be:
- Cognitive, which means understanding another person’s thoughts and perspectives. This is especially valuable when working through complex problems and understanding different viewpoints during decision-making processes.
- Emotional, when feeling what another person is feeling. Leaders who can sense when their team members are stressed, anxious, or overworked can take steps to support them before the issue worsens.
- Compassionate, which is taking action to help others in their time of need. A compassionate leader does not just understand and feel; they act to alleviate burdens or address concerns.
And, are the real managers truly empathic?
For many years, leadership has been associated with authority, decisiveness, and resilience. Empathy sometimes joined it like a unique value, however, majority of managers kept a certain distance to be seen as authoritative. However, times changed and modern leadership values emotional intelligence (EQ) over the old-school focus on “technical skills”. Managers are expected to be both efficient decision-makers and connected with their teams in partnership way.
But, do modern managers naturally possess empathy? Not always.
Still, many managers are more tuned into their own goals and performance than the emotions and well-being of their team members.
Superpower
Empathy is a superpower that has the potential to transform managers relationship with their team, developing a positive work environment, and lead to better performance and outcomes. It is about connecting with people on a human level, understanding their needs, and responding in ways that help them grow.
Are you ready to lead with empathy? Do you work with emphatic managers ?
Written by: Joanna Dulniak, 17.02.2025