ey-happy-businesspeople-having-a-meeting-in-a-boardroom
Photo: EY

An Ernst & Young (EY) survey finds 86 percent of employees believe empathetic leadership boosts morale and 87 percent see empathy as essential to fostering an inclusive environment. Many, however, feel their own employer’s efforts of this kind are disingenuous.

According to the survey taken last fall of more than 1,000 employed U.S. workers:

  • Fifty-two percent currently believe their company’s efforts to be empathetic toward employees are dishonest, up from 46 percent in 2021;
  • Forty-seven percent believe their company lacks follow-through when it comes to company promises, up from 42 percent in 2021.

EY cited past internal research showing flexibility in when and where employees work was a critical component of “fulfill[ing] the authenticity equation” regarding company culture.

“What happens outside of work has a direct impact on how people show up,” said Ginnie Carlier, EY’s Americas vice chair – talent.

Christine Porath, a management professor at Georgetown University and a workplace consultant, believes the best way to connect with and care for employees is to recognize their emotions — especially negative ones – and show appreciation.

“Positive feedback or recognition makes community members feel valued, reduces power and status differences between them, and may increase everybody’s sense of belonging,” Prof. Porath wrote in a column for Harvard Business Review.

Belinda Parmar, CEO, The Empathy Business, suggests using data-driven metrics (i.e., polls to measure empathy levels in online meetings); and starting small in implementing empathy in a business. “Empathy is not about grandiose gestures; it’s about multiple, small-scale ‘empathy nudges’, which are low-cost, high-impact measures,” she wrote in an article for The World Economic Forum.

In a column for Time Magazine, Anne Helen Petersen wrote that corporate empathy efforts often fall short because they involve accommodating needs that work at odds with efficiency and productivity goals.

“So long as organizations view employees with different needs as sources of friction, and solutions to those needs as examples of unfairness, they will continue to promote and retain employees with the capacity to make their personalities, needs and identities as frictionless as possible,” she wrote.

BrainTrust

“External events always have and will continue to impact employees, and companies must recognize this and shift their strategies to take a more empathetic tone moving forward.”

Brandon Rael

Strategy & Operations Transformation Leader


“Humility. Maturity. Listening and learning. Setting the right kind of example…”

Jeff Sward

Founding Partner, Merchandising Metrics


“Active listening, which sadly not many of us are good at. Get that one thing right, and my belief is the rest will fall into place.”

Mark Self

President and CEO, Vector Textiles

Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: What’s the path to leading with and fostering empathy in the workplace? Why do efforts to show empathy often appear fake or insincere to employees?

Poll

Do you agree that most efforts to show empathy in corporate situations come off as fake or insincere to employees?

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14 responses to “What Are The Keys To Empathetic Leadership?”

  1. Jeff Sward Avatar
    Jeff Sward

    Humility. Maturity. Listening and learning. Setting the right kind of example…

    Humility enables a long list of personal attributes that will be absent when humility is absent.

  2. John Lietsch Avatar
    John Lietsch

    As with anything else, the path to empathy requires that the organization’s culture, behavior and actions match what the organization says or writes about being empathetic. It’s this disconnect and misalignment that often makes organizations seem fake or insincere with many of their purported values. To solve it, organizations must see the gaps between their current and desired states and be willing to take the necessary actions to close those gaps.

  3. Zel Bianco Avatar
    Zel Bianco

    Empathy starts among one another inside and outside the workplace. When we are empathetic to each other within our family, with our friends and with everyone we encounter in our daily lives, it does not take much of an effort to practice empathy in the workplace. This should be the case among our co-workers and from those in leadership.

  4. Carol Spieckerman Avatar
    Carol Spieckerman

    Left-brained wizards have been unleashed on retail whose skills are sorely needed as technology takes center stage. Promotions are being handed out based on the numbers. The problem is, many don’t possess the social skills (including empathy) that make for a great leader. I’m hearing this more and more (“How did THAT guy get promoted to leadership?”). Hiring and promotion criteria for some positions should include empathy and at least basic social skills. Empathetic culture doesn’t just magically happen. It must be intentionally nurtured.

  5. Brandon Rael Avatar
    Brandon Rael

    If the global trauma we all experienced during the pandemic taught us anything, it is that empathy and understanding matter more than ever. Our society has experienced unprecedented events over the past few years, including a pandemic, supply chain disruption, economic uncertainties, inflationary pressures, and mass layoffs.

    This has directly impacted how we work, engage, and grow our careers. Corporate leaders must acknowledge that as professionals bring their whole selves to work, the external macro-challenges will have an impact aside from the pressures of running the day-to-day operations of a business. There is no easy answer to how companies drive a more empathetic and inclusive culture. This should be a core part of companies’ mission statements moving forward.

    External events always have and will continue to impact employees, and companies must recognize this and shift their strategies to take a more empathetic tone moving forward.

  6. Allison McCabe Avatar
    Allison McCabe

    Google/Oxford Languages defines “empathy” as the following:
    em·pa·thy
    noun
    the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

    This is a critically necessary soft skill which needs to be consistently demonstrated and reinforced as a strength in leadership. It can’t be faked. Early in my career, I was given an excellent piece of advice, “Treat others as they want to be treated.” There will always be those that attempt to take advantage of empathy, but their performance will reflect that and the solution will be obvious. On the other hand, those that are heard and understood will continually raise the bar on their own performance. It is worth every moment and adds real value on every level.

  7. Paula Rosenblum Avatar
    Paula Rosenblum

    Empathy comes from within you. It can’t really be taught, it has to be gained through self-awareness, and what empathy there is in the workplace is often overshadowed by the pressure for corporate profits. “I’d love to help but…” So they appear fake and insincere because they have different priorities.

    This might be a little cosmic, but doing inner work is the first step towards learning empathy. This is not separate from having a richer life in general. I like to think I’m a pretty empathetic person. I’ve also been practicing meditation for half a century and had therapy on and off for a very long time. When I’m NOT empathetic and realize it, it actually causes me pain. It’s not who I want to be.

    If someone does their inner work, there’s not even a question about whether they’re fake or sincere. Their being radiates who they are. Honestly, it’s that simple.

  8. Lisa Goller Avatar
    Lisa Goller

    Humility, gratitude and genuinely caring for people help leaders foster empathy and team unity. Empathic efforts can erode trust if words and actions misalign, or if these efforts are scarce.

  9. Dave Wendland Avatar
    Dave Wendland

    Authenticity and transparency. With a strong focus on servant leadership.

  10. Dick Seesel Avatar
    Dick Seesel

    I completely agree with Paula that empathy comes from within and can’t be taught. That being said, organizations can still put a high value on empathy and can ensure — if they focus on it — that empathetic behavior is modeled from the top down. Realistically, how often does this happen despite companies’ best intentions? Not every manager can put himself or herself in employees’ shoes if career self-interest comes ahead of empathy.

  11. Rich Kizer Avatar
    Rich Kizer

    Here is an easy fix for increasing employee performance in-store. It works wonders. Every week on a designated day, prior to opening the store, conduct a 20-minute meeting. Discuss what is new, what is troubling, what the team should be thinking about, future information of interest to watch for, new product entries to come, and celebrate individuals’ performances — and watch the smiles that light up on the staff’s faces. It can change the entire culture of the store. Let’s get back to some basics.

  12. Gene Detroyer Avatar
    Gene Detroyer

    When I teach leadership, I always look at the latest research. Not surprisingly, paper after paper discusses how important empathy (and its cousins) are to outstanding leadership. There is always a list of the three (or five or seven) things one can do to develop these skills. With my often cynical style, I tell my students if they don’t have some level of empathy, they won’t have it when they get into a leadership role.

    Looking at the most successful leaders today, we will see a substantial degree of human understanding and motivation. Sadly, that leadership is often lacking. As the survey said, “Fifty-two percent currently believe their company’s efforts to be empathetic toward employees are dishonest.” We can easily change the word “company” in the quote to “leadership.”

    The problem is that too many leaders today did not use these critical skills to get to their leadership role, so why should they start now?

  13. Mark Self Avatar
    Mark Self

    Active listening, which sadly not many of us are good at. Get that one thing right, and my belief is the rest will fall into place.

  14. Brad Halverson Avatar
    Brad Halverson

    Employees can see right through the differences of promises made and actions taken, in how leaders go about things.

    Leading with empathy requires going beyond talking at, and towards listening to with humility. Understanding how it is to face customers daily or the impact of working in the jobs they’ve assigned helps someone be a better leader.

    Servant leaders go far because they bring everyone along with them.

14 Comments
oldest
newest
Jeff Sward
Jeff Sward
3 months ago

Humility. Maturity. Listening and learning. Setting the right kind of example…

Humility enables a long list of personal attributes that will be absent when humility is absent.

John Lietsch
John Lietsch
3 months ago

As with anything else, the path to empathy requires that the organization’s culture, behavior and actions match what the organization says or writes about being empathetic. It’s this disconnect and misalignment that often makes organizations seem fake or insincere with many of their purported values. To solve it, organizations must see the gaps between their current and desired states and be willing to take the necessary actions to close those gaps.

Zel Bianco
Zel Bianco
3 months ago

Empathy starts among one another inside and outside the workplace. When we are empathetic to each other within our family, with our friends and with everyone we encounter in our daily lives, it does not take much of an effort to practice empathy in the workplace. This should be the case among our co-workers and from those in leadership.

Carol Spieckerman
Carol Spieckerman
3 months ago

Left-brained wizards have been unleashed on retail whose skills are sorely needed as technology takes center stage. Promotions are being handed out based on the numbers. The problem is, many don’t possess the social skills (including empathy) that make for a great leader. I’m hearing this more and more (“How did THAT guy get promoted to leadership?”). Hiring and promotion criteria for some positions should include empathy and at least basic social skills. Empathetic culture doesn’t just magically happen. It must be intentionally nurtured.

Brandon Rael
Brandon Rael
3 months ago

If the global trauma we all experienced during the pandemic taught us anything, it is that empathy and understanding matter more than ever. Our society has experienced unprecedented events over the past few years, including a pandemic, supply chain disruption, economic uncertainties, inflationary pressures, and mass layoffs.

This has directly impacted how we work, engage, and grow our careers. Corporate leaders must acknowledge that as professionals bring their whole selves to work, the external macro-challenges will have an impact aside from the pressures of running the day-to-day operations of a business. There is no easy answer to how companies drive a more empathetic and inclusive culture. This should be a core part of companies’ mission statements moving forward.

External events always have and will continue to impact employees, and companies must recognize this and shift their strategies to take a more empathetic tone moving forward.

Allison McCabe
Allison McCabe
3 months ago

Google/Oxford Languages defines “empathy” as the following:
em·pa·thy
noun
the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

This is a critically necessary soft skill which needs to be consistently demonstrated and reinforced as a strength in leadership. It can’t be faked. Early in my career, I was given an excellent piece of advice, “Treat others as they want to be treated.” There will always be those that attempt to take advantage of empathy, but their performance will reflect that and the solution will be obvious. On the other hand, those that are heard and understood will continually raise the bar on their own performance. It is worth every moment and adds real value on every level.

Paula Rosenblum
Paula Rosenblum
3 months ago

Empathy comes from within you. It can’t really be taught, it has to be gained through self-awareness, and what empathy there is in the workplace is often overshadowed by the pressure for corporate profits. “I’d love to help but…” So they appear fake and insincere because they have different priorities.

This might be a little cosmic, but doing inner work is the first step towards learning empathy. This is not separate from having a richer life in general. I like to think I’m a pretty empathetic person. I’ve also been practicing meditation for half a century and had therapy on and off for a very long time. When I’m NOT empathetic and realize it, it actually causes me pain. It’s not who I want to be.

If someone does their inner work, there’s not even a question about whether they’re fake or sincere. Their being radiates who they are. Honestly, it’s that simple.

Lisa Goller
Lisa Goller
3 months ago

Humility, gratitude and genuinely caring for people help leaders foster empathy and team unity. Empathic efforts can erode trust if words and actions misalign, or if these efforts are scarce.

Dave Wendland
Dave Wendland
3 months ago

Authenticity and transparency. With a strong focus on servant leadership.

Dick Seesel
Dick Seesel
3 months ago

I completely agree with Paula that empathy comes from within and can’t be taught. That being said, organizations can still put a high value on empathy and can ensure — if they focus on it — that empathetic behavior is modeled from the top down. Realistically, how often does this happen despite companies’ best intentions? Not every manager can put himself or herself in employees’ shoes if career self-interest comes ahead of empathy.

Rich Kizer
Rich Kizer
3 months ago

Here is an easy fix for increasing employee performance in-store. It works wonders. Every week on a designated day, prior to opening the store, conduct a 20-minute meeting. Discuss what is new, what is troubling, what the team should be thinking about, future information of interest to watch for, new product entries to come, and celebrate individuals’ performances — and watch the smiles that light up on the staff’s faces. It can change the entire culture of the store. Let’s get back to some basics.

Gene Detroyer
Gene Detroyer
3 months ago

When I teach leadership, I always look at the latest research. Not surprisingly, paper after paper discusses how important empathy (and its cousins) are to outstanding leadership. There is always a list of the three (or five or seven) things one can do to develop these skills. With my often cynical style, I tell my students if they don’t have some level of empathy, they won’t have it when they get into a leadership role.

Looking at the most successful leaders today, we will see a substantial degree of human understanding and motivation. Sadly, that leadership is often lacking. As the survey said, “Fifty-two percent currently believe their company’s efforts to be empathetic toward employees are dishonest.” We can easily change the word “company” in the quote to “leadership.”

The problem is that too many leaders today did not use these critical skills to get to their leadership role, so why should they start now?

Mark Self
Mark Self
3 months ago

Active listening, which sadly not many of us are good at. Get that one thing right, and my belief is the rest will fall into place.

Brad Halverson
Brad Halverson
3 months ago

Employees can see right through the differences of promises made and actions taken, in how leaders go about things.

Leading with empathy requires going beyond talking at, and towards listening to with humility. Understanding how it is to face customers daily or the impact of working in the jobs they’ve assigned helps someone be a better leader.

Servant leaders go far because they bring everyone along with them.