As such, it’s not surprising that Martinuzzi understands empathy as “the oil that keeps relationships running smoothly.” And we know the social importance of empathy and its usefulness, so why do we have such a hard time mastering it?

Empathy's Sidelined History

It seems logical that empathy would have a familiar face in professional environments, given the social nature of work, but its newly recognized importance stems from a long tradition of sidelining such emotions.

In the past, management and leadership training focused on process-driven transactional capabilities, such as goal setting, decision making and delegation. This has come at the expense of what the Building Better Managers report calls the foundational people skills that underpin such capabilities. These skills include empathy, active listening and self-awareness, and neglect of these areas could be due to their less tangible impact on business outcomes.

It is also often assumed that these people skills are developed early in life or are inborn traits and become a fixed part of our psychologies. However, research has consistently proven that while traits such as empathy are innate to varying degrees, they must still be learned and developed.

What’s more, some managers and leaders believe they should hold back from being empathetic to preserve their own mental wellbeing, as they believe being more empathetic will result in taking on an employee’s psychological burden. Again, this isn’t strictly true.

But as cultural expectations and boundaries shift to reflect such social developments, so, too, do management and leadership styles. The demand for more empathy in the professional space will continue to grow.

How Empathy Breaks Down

According to psychologists Karina Schumann, Jamil Zaki and Carol Dweck, the breakdown of empathy occurs when it is difficult or distressing to relate to people in need. This would suggest that empathy is not reflective. The authors go on to note that this happens despite empathy being understood as an automatic emotion.

Looking at the U.S. as a case in point, the authors believe that the country is experiencing what can be considered an “empathy deficit.” But where does empathy come from in the first place?

The authors looked at seven different studies and found that people who believed empathy can be developed were likely to be more empathetic in difficult contexts as opposed to those who believe in a fixed theory on empathy.

In other words, mindset is key when it comes to empathy. If you believe it can be developed, then it will most likely happen!

Increasing and Sustaining Empathy

Our Building Better Managers report highlights that “when managers lack empathy, their employees are 34 percent less innovative and 43 percent less engaged at work.”

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be so binary. It is possible to be both an effective manager and empathetic. But how much can organizations develop their leaders and managers?

“Soft” skills such as empathy can be developed over time. To take an example mentioned in our report, it is possible to develop fairness in managers by increasing their self-awareness through feedback.

It is also possible to develop empathy “through diversified mentoring relationships in culturally diverse workplaces,” a particularly important point due to the increasing nature of cross-cultural professional environments.

Empathy, in such scenarios, is a gateway to inclusive leadership and provides solid foundations for employees to feel respected and valued. Our report shows that across ethnic groups, employees are twice as likely to feel respected and valued at work when working under empathetic managers.

For women and people from racialized groups, feeling respected and valued at work is often the difference between carrying on or leaving a job. In fact, our report shows that on average, women who don’t feel respected at work are almost three times more likely to consider leaving.

What's Next?

Believing empathy can be developed is the first step in building your own empathy levels, but if you subscribe to the fixed theory, then it might be worth considering your perspective.

Read our article about empathy in the workplace to understand the different forms of empathy and also follow examples to help you to take action.

Take note of Martinuzzi’s words, who views empathy as a valuable currency which creates bonds, gives insights into the feelings and thoughts of others, and helps us to understand how or why others react in particular ways.

If you view it in the right way, empathy can guide your professional style and decision-making for the better.

Tip of the Week

A 60-Second Guide to Social Sensitivity

By Keith Jackson, Mind Tools Managing Editor

In his thoughtful piece on workplace empathy, above, my colleague Gary mentions “social sensitivity” as a key trait of good managers. But what is it, and how do you develop and demonstrate it? Here’s my one-minute take on it.

What is social sensitivity? It’s closely related to empathy and is considered part of emotional intelligence. In a nutshell, it’s the skill of picking up on how others are feeling and then acting in a way that considers those feelings.

Why is it a good thing? Social sensitivity brings considerable benefits to the workplace. It improves communication, as you can better understand your people’s perspectives and emotions; it builds trust and rapport; and recognizing and addressing the emotional needs of your people can improve team dynamics.

How do I develop social sensitivity? For a start, listen to what people are saying. Really listen! Encourage open and honest communication with your team members; be consistent in your actions and responses to situations; recognize and celebrate the successes of your team members – positive reinforcement is a great morale-booster.

Where can I learn more? You can take a deeper dive into the subject with our new Skill Bite course, Developing Social Sensitivity.

Pain Points Podcast

Don't miss the latest episode of our “Pain Points” podcast!

This week on the podcast we tackle the challenges of leading teams in remote and hybrid organizations. Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel are about to publish an update of their seminal book "The Long-Distance Leader," and they join Jonathan to reveal the simple yet powerful things leaders can do to stay connected, build trust, handle crises... and give even their most distant team members the leadership they need.

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News Roundup

This Week's Global Workplace Insights

4 Cs for Creating a Memorable Message

We’ve all been there: we’ve listened, um, “attentively” in a meeting or presentation, but five minutes later you have no idea what was said or what you’re supposed to do about it. Or, worse, it was your presentation that was so utterly forgettable!

Writing in the Harvard Business Review this week, neuroscientist and author Dr Charan Ranganath offered his top four tips for crafting messages that stick.

1. Chunk it up: Dr Ranganath said, “The human brain can only keep a limited amount of information in mind at any given time.” So by breaking up a central idea into bite-size pieces of information, “your listener can stitch the pieces together in a meaningful way and build a rich memory for that material.”
2. Make it concrete: Avoid using abstract language and concepts, and describe ideas or subjects using something that people can immediately visualize. It creates a more vivid memory.
3. Provide callbacks: Dr Ranganath said, “a few strategically chosen callbacks such as, ‘As we found out in the last chapter…’ … highlights a connection between the current topic and one covered earlier, encouraging readers to test themselves, by recalling what they read earlier.”
4. Spark their curiosity: Instead of simply giving people an answer, ask a compelling question. The brain likes to be used and rewards us with a dopamine hit when it recognizes, then fills a knowledge gap. That knowledge then sticks.

For more on communication, read our article How to Communicate an Important Message.

What Books Are Your Business Rivals Reading?

Are you looking for your next good business read? Global strategy giants McKinsey & Co this week released their 2024 book recommendation list. More than 50 business big-hitters from around the world had their say and 94 titles made the list. Here are just a few, and what McKinsey’s readers thought of them:

• Business and economics: “Design Social Change: Take Action, Work Toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo.” By Lesley-Ann Noel, TenSpeed Press/Penguin Random House. “This short and beautifully designed book provides you with the essential design strategies and tools for making a lasting impact.”
• Personal development: “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.” By Joseph Nguyen, independent publisher. “Offers a compelling exploration into the myriad cognitive biases that cloud our judgment... encourages critical thinking and skepticism, essential tools in our increasingly complex world.”
• Fiction: “I Have Some Questions for You.” By Rebecca Makkai, Viking/Penguin Random House. “While on its surface, this is a long-ago murder mystery set on the campus of a northeast US boarding school, the author uses this story to examine far deeper—and unsettling—societal issues about race, the #MeToo movement, and justice.”

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight from the Mind Tools team!