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The Bigger Reason Why Empathy Matters So Much
In the past, leaders managed based on technicalities. It was all about the process, the metrics, getting people to respond to assumed hierarchical authorities. We still like our numbers and clear job titles.
But now, professionals have clued in that people are…well, human. They don’t want to be treated like robots, and they want others to see they matter.
They want empathy.
So we’re taking the influence of empathy on business much more seriously. We know that empathetic leadership has a positive influence on job performance, for example. That’s good for the bottom line.
But the point of empathy is not to stabilize a business or bring in the big bucks. It never has been. And the result is not merely a reduction in conflicts and higher morale. Rather, the point of empathy is to build connection. Its ultimate result is unity.
Unity is what gives any group or organization real power. A single link of a chain, for example, can’t do much alone. But connect it to many other links and it’s significantly stronger. It suddenly can do all kinds of different work.
In much the same way, people who understand each other and who join together for a common purpose have much more strength than if they remained alone as individuals. Their collective voice…
