Leading with Empathy

How important is empathy to communicating effectively as a leader? And when you put yourself in the shoes of other people, how do you adjust your communication style?

Empathy is the root of all connection. It is truly the root of all connection. And I do believe, if there was a greater sense of empathy in our society today, you wouldn’t see the type of violence that you do today. You just wouldn’t, because you would see another perspective outside of your own. I think that’s what we really lack, as a culture, and as a society, is being able to see past your own eyes and past your own perspective.

I don’t know when that changed. But I was always raised with seeing the other side of the story before you make a decision. And it’s understanding that there’s two sides to every story. I think right now, many leaders see what’s only in front of them, they only see the information that’s placed in front of them. And it’s very easy to get gaslit to believe this is the truth, and this is the only thing that we’re going to do.

I think when you lead a team, that empathy, seeing the perspective of every single person on your team, understanding, again, how you’re coming off, what you’re saying, how they’re perceiving it, is how you gain a greater understanding of that connection point. And the more you understand that connection, the more that you can not just influence, but empower. I do think I don’t really care about influence. I care way more about empowerment. I want people to say, “Eric unlocked something in me that then I was able to see, take it, harness it and go run with it and do something great.” Versus them saying, “Eric inspired me so much that I just felt like I needed to do this, but I don’t really know why.”

I want to empower people. And so, I do think to empower people, you have to have a greater level of empathy to understand that perspective and understand again, their experiences before coming to you because that’s going to affect how they perceive you. So yeah, I think empathy is such an important—if not, the most important skill outside of self-awareness.