Is Empathy Important In Leadership? 7 Reasons To Embrace This Trait

By YEC

It’s often said that people don’t quit their job—they quit their boss. And as the workforce skews younger, employees are more likely to resist command-and-control management tactics. Enter: empathy.

In this article, seven YEC members share how embracing empathy in leadership has helped them create a supportive and productive work environment.

Q. Why is empathy critical for leaders to master?

1. Builds connections with employees

Empathy has become essential to leadership as the workforce continues to evolve, particularly with younger generations prioritizing meaningful and respectful workplace relationships. Empathy allows leaders to grasp and connect with their employees’ experiences, perspectives, and challenges. This understanding builds trust and respect, which are vital for cultivating a supportive work environment. When employees feel heard and valued, their engagement, motivation, and commitment to their work increase significantly, leading to enhanced productivity and morale.

Empathy enables leaders to detect and resolve issues before they become problems. When leaders listen and address employee concerns, they build an environment of open communication and ongoing development. This approach helps lower turnover rates and encourages a cooperative and inclusive environment. Developing empathy helps leaders create resilient teams that achieve sustained success and innovation in an era of less effective traditional command-and-control management. —Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

2. Creates a positive company culture

Showing empathy helps to create a more positive company culture where people feel valued. An employee who doesn’t feel appreciated is not likely to give their best effort. It’s far more motivating when people feel that their problems are heard and taken seriously. This is especially the case with millennial and Gen Z employees, who were not brought up in the more hierarchical structure of old style corporations.

Showing empathy, however, doesn’t always mean you can solve everyone’s problems. It requires active listening and doing your best to support employees and consider their needs and best interests. —Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting

3. Fosters trust

The most important reason for leaders to embrace empathy is that it’s essential for fostering trust and establishing strong bonds in the workplace. Without trust, you can’t cultivate a supportive and productive culture. When leaders understand and acknowledge their team members’ feelings or perspectives and incorporate them into decision-making, they earn the respect of their respective teams and become their role models. This cultivates a sense of security in the team, and they become more open to sharing ideas, admitting mistakes, and asking for help in times of need. Communication at the workplace becomes more effective, and collaboration is greatly improved. As a result, you create a highly productive and innovative work environment. —Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

4. Encourages a productive work environment

Empathy is critical for leaders because it helps create a supportive and productive work environment. Most people aren’t at work because they love it, especially as your business grows larger. Not everyone is as invested as you are, and that’s okay. By understanding and acknowledging this, you can better connect with your team. When you show empathy, you build trust and respect, making employees feel valued and understood. This leads to higher morale, better collaboration, and greater productivity. Empathy helps you support your team, making them more likely to stay and thrive in their roles. —Travis Schreiber, Erase Technologies, LLC

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5. Ensures psychological safety

Empathy is key for leaders because it creates a culture of trust and psychological safety among their employees, which is the foundation of a supportive and productive work environment. When leaders genuinely care about their people and understand their perspectives, it builds trust and openness. In my experience, this trust means team members feel valued and heard and are more likely to share ideas, take initiative, and collaborate. —Josh Kohlbach, Wholesale Suite

6. Promotes transparency at work

Empathy promotes transparency at work. Employees tend to lie or hide things at work when they’ve made a mistake and fear the repercussions. But when they feel their leader is empathetic, it gives them a sense of security. They no longer fear admitting their mistakes and will even encourage feedback from the leader or concerned supervisors. They also share their thoughts and ideas more openly. Empathy fosters psychological safety at work, which is important for innovation, creativity, and open communication. It helps leaders create a productive work environment and brings them a step closer to achieving their goals.—Jared Atchison, WPForms

7. Leads to higher employee satisfaction and engagement

By showing empathy, leaders can better understand their team members’ perspectives, challenges, and motivations. For example, when an employee is struggling with a personal issue or work-related stress, an empathetic leader can provide the necessary support, whether through flexible work arrangements, additional resources, or simply a listening ear. This not only helps the employee feel valued and understood but also builds trust and loyalty.

We’ve found that empathetic leadership leads to higher employee satisfaction and engagement. When employees feel their leaders genuinely care about their well-being, they are more likely to be motivated, productive, and committed to the company’s success. This approach reduces turnover and creates a positive workplace culture where everyone can thrive.—Michelle Aran, Velvet Caviar

About the Author

Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs.

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