February 26, 2026 Teresa Johnson
Empathy is often misunderstood in business as a “soft skill” or personality trait — something viewed as optional rather than essential to effective leadership and organizational success. Today, that way of thinking no longer reflects the reality and needs of the workforce. Teams are now facing burnout, changing expectations and an extremely competitive talent market. As a result, they are asking leaders to show up differently.
Leaders who truly understand and connect with their teams cultivate a space where individuals are eager to stay and contribute. This in turn nurtures greater engagement, healthier workplace cultures and improved performance.
Empathy is the capacity to grasp and value another person’s viewpoint or experience without necessarily endorsing it or adopting it as your own. For leaders, this means caring enough to understand what drives their team, the challenges they encounter, and offering the support needed for them to thrive and achieve the organization’s goals.
What Empathetic Leadership Looks Like
Contrary to popular belief, empathy does not remove accountability or lower performance standards. In fact, it is what makes accountability effective because when understanding and accountability are balanced, expectations are clearer and follow-through is more consistent. Inconsistency and vagueness often create confusion and erode trust.
When empathy is shown when enforcing policy, delivering tough feedback and making hard calls, teams feel more respected and understood and are more easily directed.
Effective leadership starts with respect and example. It shows up when leaders put themselves in their team’s shoes, model the behavior they expect and lead alongside their people rather than from out in front of them.
Why Empathy Matters for Business
Turnover is not only expensive regarding recruitment and training. It’s also extremely costly in lost productivity, lower morale and lost institutional knowledge that walks out the door.
When employees feel seen, heard and supported, they are more likely to stay.
Empathetic leadership prevents small problems from becoming reasons for disengagement or attrition. It opens the door to catch concerns early, respond thoughtfully and provide clear guidance that motivates teams rather than frustrates them.
Taking the time to understand a team’s needs and empathize with their perspectives does not weaken authority or employee performance; it strengthens it by providing context rather than confusion.
How Empathy Shapes Culture
Leaders often underestimate the impact of informal learning and the significant role it plays in the creation of an organization’s culture. It’s easy to assume culture is shaped by mission statements and training decks, but that is woefully insufficient. The example that leadership sets through their daily behaviors is significantly more impactful in shaping how teams learn and show up.
After all, people are social learners. How leaders respond to stress and listen daily is responsible for the creation or lack thereof of a psychologically safe environment where teams feel safe speaking up, sharing ideas, and taking risks. When empathy is modeled from the top consistently, it becomes the standard and fuels stronger engagement, better performance and adaptability during times of change.
Training Leaders to Practice Empathy at Scale
Like any leadership skill, empathy is built intentionally through repetition and reflection. It’s something that must be practiced daily and the first step to empathetic leadership is self-awareness.
When leaders dominate the conversation, they stop learning. When they compare experiences, they lose connection. And when they try to sound impressive, they stop being present. Self-awareness keeps empathy grounded and genuine.
From there, empathy can be taught and reinforced through leadership development with these simple strategies:
- Teach listening as a leadership skill. Encourage leaders to listen to understand, not just respond. Rather than performing or trying to prove relatability, listen and create space for others rather than pulling the focus back to yourself.
Presence and curiosity matter more than quick fixes. Ask open-ended questions that get people talking. For instance, instead of asking “How’s it going,” ask:
- “What’s on your mind this week?”
- “What challenges are you navigating right now?”
- “What’s going well for you?”
Follow up with “Tell me more” to show curiosity and presence.
- Embed empathy into feedback and performance conversations. Separate behavior from personal judgment, maintain standards, acknowledge circumstances and give honest feedback respectfully.
- Normalize human check-ins. Schedule regular one-on-one conversations beyond task updates. This helps -leaders stay connected and prevent disengagement.
- Lead with transparency during change. Make explanations clear and honest to build trust. Understanding reduces resistance, even when outcomes are difficult.
Closing Thought
When leaders meet their teams with understanding and respect, performance, loyalty, cultural health and financial stability all follow. Empathy is not a “soft skill”: It is a way to lead well, for the long term. And ultimately, investing in empathy strengthens leadership and drives better business outcomes.
Contrary to popular belief, empathy does not remove accountability or lower performance standards.
Teresa Johnson
Teresa Johnson is the CEO of Color Me Mine, the industry leading paint-your-own-pottery franchise. Since stepping into her leadership role in 2021, she’s worked to refresh the brand for the next generation of franchisees — leading the brand to unprecedented growth in both sales and studio expansions.