Leadership and Empathy

Theorists acrossEmpathy a range of practical and academic disciplines say we are entering “The Age of Empathy.” Having been lately “rediscovered” as an innate capacity to experience the others’ emotionsEmotions from their perspective and to respond accordingly, empathy is a complexComplex process that combines affective, cognitive, and communicative components. Empathic leadership is based on the thinking that we are connected with each other and that societies have survived due to our ability to feel for the other and respond. Research shows that empathic leadersEmpathic leaders create emotional bondsEmotional bonds and are therefore competent in understandingUnderstanding and addressing their team’s and customer’sCustomer needs, appreciating and drawing on people’s talents, recognizing others’ perspectives in problem solvingProblem solving and including them in decision-making. This allows for a cultureCulture of trustTrust , openness, and cooperation to flourish amongst teams and organizations. Empathic leadership in organizations is not a dualistic leader–follower transaction based on a detached individual’s influenceInfluence on others. Instead, it is a collaborative process based on deep participation and mutual receptivity. More importantly, empathic leadership opens the way for relational, shared, distributed, and co-creative leadership perspectives. Empathy can be developed through both cognitive and affective experiences. Organizations are investing in the development of empathy for both their employees and clients and Business Schools are starting to include aspects of empathy development in the curriculum. The shaping of empathic leadership calls for an adventure in interrelationship!