By Dr. Lisa K. Langford, Dr. Scott A. McCalla, and Dr. Alfreda Goods
“The characteristic of empathy is not just a soft skill but a powerful tool in leading teams.” (Langford, 2024)
In today’s dynamic and fast-paced business environment, leadership styles are evolving to meet the needs of increasingly diverse and complex organizations. Among the various leadership approaches, empathetic leadership fosters a supportive and productive workplace culture. Empathetic leadership is characterized by the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It involves leaders actively listening to their employees, showing genuine concern for their well-being, and creating an environment where everyone feels valued and heard (Kock et al., 2019). Empathy requires the leader to step into others’ shoes and shift the focus from their needs and feelings. Empathetic approaches to leadership allow leaders to emotionally support their team members, listen to their concerns, and be less demanding. This shift in empathy-focused leadership style can make team members feel valued and understood, fostering a more positive, psychologically safe, and productive work environment. Organizations are responsible for employees' physical and psychological health by establishing safe environments and proper policies and procedures.
Empathetic leadership goes beyond traditional leadership practices by prioritizing emotional intelligence and the human aspect of managing teams. A compassionate leader seeks to understand the perspectives and emotions of their employees, leading with compassion and support. This leadership style is not only about being kind; it involves being deeply attuned to team members' emotional and psychological needs and acting to support their overall well-being.
Empathetic leaders create an open, trusting environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and concerns. This openness fosters better communication and collaboration, leading to more effective teamwork and problem-solving, and has been identified as a critical factor in reducing employee turnover (Arghode et al., 2022), a pressing issue noted within the recent °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝ Career Institute® 2024 Career Optimism Index® (Index). Specifically, this report revealed that more than half of all working Americans actively seek new job opportunities.
Empathetic leaders create environments where individuals experience acceptance and psychological safety, which refers to a work environment in which people feel secure being themselves, expressing their idealism, and taking risks within their workspace without fear of reprisal (McCalla et al., 2023). To reinforce this type of environment, the leader must be willing to engage with followers and be an active listener while demonstrating empathy and authenticity with the capacity to take responsibility for their actions while promoting a work culture where all followers are empowered to voice their opinions and concerns freely (Miralles et al., 2024). When leaders are perceived as genuinely caring about their followers’ personal growth and well-being while promoting inclusivity and diversity, followers feel psychologically safe. As a result, they tend to be more innovative, highly productive, and less likely to leave the organization. This is because they experience less stress and are more satisfied with their jobs and work environments.
Empathetic leadership enhances employee safety and fosters increased performance. When followers recognize the significance of their experiences and emotions, they are more inclined to enjoy psychological safety, fostering openness, honesty, and constructive contributions to the organization’s mission and objectives. In today's volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, psychological safety is a nice-to-have and a necessity for creating safe and inclusive work cultures. Such cultures allow fully engaging employees to adjust rapidly to changes and successfully navigate uncertainties to achieve organizational goals (McCalla, 2015; Miralles et al., 2024). The role of empathy in fostering psychological safety in the workplace is a key takeaway, as it significantly impacts employee retention and satisfaction (McCalla et al., 2023).
By embracing all aspects of empathy, leaders can adopt an open-minded attitude, avoid judging others’ emotions, and recognize their experiences as valid and important. This method enables leaders to form deep connections with others, fostering understanding, support, and strong interpersonal relationships. When leaders build strong relationships, particularly with their followers, they can enhance psychological safety and promote inclusion in the workplace.
References
Abramson, A. (2021, November/December). Cultivating empathy. Monitor on Psychology, 52(8), 44–52.
Arghode, V., Lathan, A., Alagaraja, M., Rajaram, K., & McLean, G. N. (2021). Empathic organizational culture and leadership: Conceptualizing the Framework. European Journal of Training and Development, 46(1/2), 239–256. https://doi.org/10.1108/ejtd-09-2020-0139
Eklund, J., & Meranius, M. (2021). Toward a consensus on the nature of empathy: A review of reviews. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(2), 300–307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2020.08.022
Kock, N., Mayfield, M., Mayfield, J., Sexton, S., & De La Garza, L. M. (2018). Empatheticleadership: How leader emotional support and understanding influences follower performance. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 26(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051818806290
McCalla, S. A. (2015). Policy characteristics for the prevention of workplace bullying anteceded by heterosexism: A Delphi study. Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture, 6(2), 39–62. https://doi.org/10.1002/jpoc.2118018
McCalla, S., Langford, L., & Goods, A. (2023). Approaches used for diversity, equity, and inclusion: Working toward belonging. Career Institute, 2023.
Miralles, S., Pozo-Hidalgo, M., RodrĂguez-Sánchez, A., & Pessi, A. B. (2024). Leading matters! linking compassion and mindfulness in organizations through servant leadership. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1346751
Dr. Lisa K. Langford
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Langford has more than 15 years of higher education experience. She served 21 years in the military and now works as a senior project manager with the federal government.  She has worked in the fields of business/finance, social services, and intelligence and earned her Doctor of Management from the School of Advanced Studies at the °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝.
Dr. Langford is the parent of two young adults, and she enjoys volunteer work, the arts, and all genres of music. She is a certified Life Coach and a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.Â
Dr. Scott McCalla
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Scott McCalla completed his Doctorate in Management in Organizational Leadership in 2017. Dr. McCalla has worked for International Pipe and Supply, located in Oklahoma City, for four years, as the Director of Administration (human resources and finance. Dr. McCalla’s graduate research examined policies that can be used to mitigate workplace bullying anteceded by heterosexism. His ongoing research interests include workplace bullying, policy development, and change management.
Dr. McCalla is an accomplished speaker on both business and motivational topics. His professional career has spanned over 20 years as a business leader and manager, specializing in change management, human resources, and business development.
Dr. Alfreda Goods
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Alfreda Goods received her Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership from the °®ÎŰ´«Ă˝, a Master of Management with distinction from Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska, and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Houston.
Dr. Goods possesses over 15 years of corporate experience in banking financial processing, where she supported significant clients nationally and internationally. She has instructed graduate and undergraduate Business Administration students for over 18 years.