You Can't Be A Leader Without Empathy
The best leaders I know aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones who know how to ask!
I’ve spent the last several years coaching and maturing teams, and I’ve noticed something: leaders often communicate the same way regardless of who’s listening, their unique skills, experience, or context, or what the problem is.
⚠️ They don’t adjust for personality, experience level, communication preference, or context. Then they wonder why their message isn’t landing.
Here’s what I’ve learned: the same message told three different ways can land differently for each person on your team.
One person needs data. Another needs the human story. A third needs to understand the “why” before anything else (that one’s me). If you deliver everything as data to someone who thinks in narratives, you’ve lost them before you started.
❤️ Effective leadership isn’t about being a better speaker. It’s about being a better observer, listener, and empathetic communicator.
Read the room. Notice what’s landing and what isn’t. Then adjust. It takes practice, but it’s one of the highest-ROI skills a leader can develop.
How do you know if your message is actually landing with your team? Are you asking, or just assuming? 🤔 In the meantime, if you don’t have empathy and communicate with clarity, you aren’t a good leader; you’re likely just a bad manager.
