The Importance of Empathy

I started with the element that spoke to me most—empathy—because, for me, it’s at the core of being an emotionally intelligent leader. It’s also a skill that transcends the classroom. Forbes Magazine has recently run several articles about the significance of empathy in workplace leadership. Empathy is seen as an antidote to stress (Brower, 2021); as a way for leaders to respect employees’ need for a more meaningful and human-centered work experience (Hunkins, 2023); as an essential component in building trust within teams and organizations (Rosario-Maldonado, 2023); and as encouraging diversity and inclusion, as well as better decision-making (Patel, 2023).

As leaders, it’s our responsibility to create an organizational culture in which both students and staff thrive. Empathy plays an important role in preparing students to be productive citizens of the world, as well as effective leaders who work well with others. Empathy is equally important in our ­interactions with the adults around us. As a social worker, an equity facilitator, a district administrator, and a school board member, some of my best work came from using my skills of empathy.

Why this affinity for empathy? Maybe it’s because I’ve sometimes felt like the underdog, hoping that others would understand me and spend less time judging me. Maybe it’s because I saw empathy firsthand in my grandparents’ love for the Black community on the southside of Chicago. Maybe it’s because of my ­background in social work. And maybe it’s all of the above. What I do know is that empathy has never failed me.

To be an emotionally intelligent leader, you don’t need to master the five elements of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Just find one element that aligns with your core values and figure out how to weave that skill into your practice. I’ve named empathy as one of the core values of emotionally intelligent leadership; I’m hoping you will, too.