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Empathy in the workplace has gained significant importance in recent years, and employee surveys bear this out. Ernst & Young’s 2021 Empathy in Business Survey indicates that 88% of employees feel that empathetic leadership inspires positive change within the workplace, and 85% report that it increases employee productivity.
Empathetic leadership is more than saying “I feel your pain.” Leading with empathy requires listening carefully, understanding your employees’ point of view and taking action to provide the help and support they need.
Here are five ways to lead with empathy:
- Be present. When interacting with team members, give them your full attention, and show genuine interest in their needs, perceptions and emotional experience.
- Be curious. Empathetic leaders take an active interest in their employees’ wellbeing. Check in regularly with team members. Go beyond the perfunctory “How are you?” and ask open-ended questions to get a fuller picture of how they’re doing at work and in their personal lives.
- Listen closely. Empathetic listening means having an open mind — taking in feelings as well as facts, context as well as content, so you can fully understand what your team member is trying to say.
- Offer support, not solutions. Empathetic leaders don’t swoop in and save the day. Instead, they offer guidance, tools and support to help team members problem-solve and develop solutions on their own.
- Build psychological safety. Leading with empathy means providing psychological safety in the workplace. Encourage inclusivity, open communication, respectful debate and non-defensive, honest feedback, so that people feel free to share opinions, express concerns and offer ideas and suggestions, without fear of criticism or blame.
To introduce empathetic leadership as a new core competency, your leaders will need proper training and mentoring. Here are some resources to consider:
- Self-paced and instructor-led training: Facilitator and participant guides, workbook, presentations, video modules on leading with empathy.
- Tools: Talking points and worksheets to support empathetic leadership in day-to-day situations.
- Coaching and mentoring: Group and one-on-one guidance to help leaders develop empathetic behaviors.
If you’re still on the fence about empathetic leadership, consider this — according to a Catalyst 2020 survey, employees with highly empathic senior leaders report increased levels of creativity (61%) and engagement (76%). Considering these benefits, leading with empathy is more than a feel-good exercise — it’s a smart way to boost your organization’s productivity and long-term success.
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