Why empathy makes you a better leader

Explore how eﬀective leaders use empathy to bring out the best in everyone.

Published Jun 8, 2026

Before You Start

Goal: Explore how empathy functions as a strategic leadership skill — not just a soft one — and discuss how to practice it in your own leadership.

Read: "It's cool to be kind: The value of empathy at work", on why empathy is a strategic leadership skill linked to performance, trust, and healthier cultures. Members are encouraged to read it beforehand, but a quick recap at the meeting works too.

Meeting Agenda · Approx. 60 mins

Member Updates · 10 mins
Icebreaker · 10 mins
Key Takeaways · 5 mins
Discussion Questions · 20 mins
Write It Down · 2 mins
One Action · 10 mins
Wrap-Up · 5 mins

👋 Member Updates · 10 mins

Go around your Circle and share personal updates. Keep them brief and focused on significant changes or important decisions since the last time you met. It's OK not to have one every month. If you have a One Action update from last time, share that too.

🧊 Icebreaker · 10 mins

Invite everyone in the group to share. Keep answers to one or two minutes per person.

Think of a leader who made you feel genuinely seen and valued. What did they do that stood out?

💡 Key Takeaways · 5 mins

Empathy is a leadership advantage, not a weakness. Leaders who seek to understand others, show compassion, and create psychological safety build stronger relationships, healthier cultures, and higher-performing teams.

Empathy drives performance. It's linked to higher productivity, stronger culture, greater trust, and better organizational health. When people feel understood and valued, they're more engaged, collaborative, and willing to do their best work.
Empathy has three components. Emotional empathy (understanding and sharing others' feelings), cognitive empathy (understanding another's perspective), and compassion (caring enough to help).
Kindness is a behavior, not a personality trait. Empathy helps us understand others; kindness is how we act on it, and both can be practiced intentionally.
Empathy can be learned and strengthened. Like any leadership skill, it grows with practice.
Empathy and accountability can coexist. Being empathetic doesn't mean lowering standards. The best leaders combine care for people with clear expectations.

💬 Discussion Questions · 20 mins

Move through the questions at the pace that suits your Circle. You don't need to cover every one — pick the prompts that resonate and let the conversation breathe.

The research indicates that empathy from leaders boosts productivity and reduces burnout. Does that match your own experience, either as a leader or as someone being led?
What's the difference between empathy and just being ""nice"" at work? Where do you draw that line?
Have you ever had to show empathy for someone on your team when it was difficult? What helped you do it?
The research suggests empathy can be developed. What's one habit or practice you could try this month to lead more empathetically?
What would it look like for our Circle to model empathetic leadership for each other?

✍️ Write It Down · 2 mins

Take a few quiet minutes to connect the discussion to your own life.

Think about a current leadership challenge or a relationship at work that could benefit from more empathy. What strategies, insights, or mindset shifts from today feel most useful?

🎯 One Action · 10 mins

Commit to one concrete action — big or small — you'll take before next meeting. Go around the Circle and share (1 minute or less per member). Vocalizing it helps hold each other accountable.

Based on today's discussion, what's one small change you could make in how you listen or respond to others at work?

📅 Wrap-Up · 5 mins

Before you break, plan the next meeting and close on an energetic note. Go around your Circle one by one and finish the sentence:

Now I am feeling… (choose one word).

Set the day, time, and location
Choose the next topic or resource
Confirm who's leading the discussion
Decide how you'll stay in touch in between