Leadership is caring about the people whom you lead. It involves putting the needs of others first. Leaders should be interested in knowing how the people they are leading are faring and what their needs are. How would they like to be treated? What are their feelings? These are the questions leaders should be asking themselves. Anybody who puts self-interest first, failing to think about the needs of others, does not qualify to be referred to as a leader.
Those who are in the position of leadership without empathy fail the test of leadership.
Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, summed up the purpose of empathy in the workplace in his book, “Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul”:
“Grow with discipline. Balance intuition with rigor. Innovate around the core. Don’t embrace the status quo. Find new ways to see. Never expect a silver bullet. Get your hands dirty.Listen with empathy and overcommunicate with transparency.
